UVA Defensive Lineman Announces He Will Remain With Virginia Football for Fourth Year

The Virginia Cavaliers will be holding onto one of their defensive linemen for one more year.

Dec 27, 2025; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Virginia Cavaliers head coach Tony Elliott looks on during a timeout against the Missouri Tigers during the second quarter at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Travis Register-Imagn Images | Travis Register-Imagn Images

The Virginia Cavaliers have faced multiple losses thus far in the transfer portal without much to gain. Now, their offensive line is quite steady, but the same can't be said for those on defense.

The transfer portal has sucked away some key players the past few days, including Kameron Courtney, Trell Harris and more recently, Daniel Kaelin, among others. This leaves head coach Tony Elliott in a predicament, one that needs to be addressed soon.

However, not everything has gone downhill for Virginia. As mentioned, their offensive unit is looking solid, and the latest news to come from UVA involves one of their defensive linemen who will be staying in Virginia for an additional year.

Jason Hammond Returns for Fourth Year

Dec 27, 2025; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Virginia Cavaliers offensive players huddle during the Gator Bowl against the Missouri Tigers in the first half at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Travis Register-Imagn Images | Travis Register-Imagn Images

The Cavaliers are fortunate to be in the company of defensive lineman Jason Hammond. During his 2025 campaign, the 6-foot-2, 296-pound junior logged 33 total tackles and 2.5 sacks. As Elliott noted back in October, shortly after defeating W&M:

"Then here goes Jason (Hammond) with his quick feet. So it puts a lot of pressure on the interior in particular. And the same thing on the edge when you can change that up. And Jason, what Jason's been doing is he's really just been focusing on the small things."

Hoos back.

⚓️ for the defensive line, @JasonHammondJR is coming back for his 4th year#GoHoos 🔶⚔️🔷 pic.twitter.com/7BseO54yNm

— Virginia Football (@UVAFootball) January 5, 2026

UVA still has quite a bit of work to do this offseason in terms of both offense and defense. With that being said, the focus should be on trying to retain established players and using the transfer portal wisely. Elliott has been taking flak from across the nation due to his lack of moves with the portal this year. Compared to last year, in which he was incredibly successful, many are hoping that this isn't setting the stage for a dreadful offseason and upcoming 2026 campaign.

With that said, there's still time, and it doesn't take much to start making waves. Retaining Hammond is a step in the right direction, but he's only one player out of an entire roster. The question raised is whether or not Elliott will be able to speed things up with the portal or if he's at a standstill. Several players are already on their way out the door, some of whom have already found new homes. Now is the time to start building the roster back up and filling in the gaps that seem to be growing larger with each passing day.