Virginia football 2026 position preview - Quarterbacks

The Cavaliers return two quarterbacks from 2025 and bring in four newcomers, headlined by Mizzou's Beau Pribula.

Penn State freshman quarterback Beau Pribula warms up before the start of the 2022 Blue-White game at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, April 23, 2022, in State College. Hes Dr 042322 Bluewhite | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Fall camp is only a few weeks away for Virginia football, so now feels like a great time to start taking a closer look at each position group for the Cavaliers.

Let's dive right into it beginning with the ever so important quarterback position:

Returners:

Sep 13, 2025; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Virginia Cavaliers quarterback Cole Geer (16) celebrates with fans in the stands after defeating the William & Mary Tribe at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

• Cole Geer (RS Fr.) — The second-year quarterback took big strides this offseason, looking excellent in the spring as a passer and runner. Tony Elliott made sure to give Geer some public praise multiple times since March, and though it should probably be taken with a grain of salt, Geer was QB2 in the spring game over Eli Holstein.

• Boone Lourd (Jr.) — Lourd is entering his third season with the program after walking on in 2024, alongside current teammates DE Billy Koudelka and TE Trevor Ladd. Lourd has been a valuable member of the QB room as a scout-team player, but it's highly unlikely that he'll be able to unseat the other players in the room.

Newcomers:

Nov 9, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Eli Holstein (10) passes against the Virginia Cavaliers during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

• Eli Holstein (Sr.) — Holstein comes to UVA from PITT, where he was extremely productive during the 2024 season, to the point to where he was one of the most exciting quarterbacks in the ACC for a period of time. Though he was essentially benched for the Panthers' freshman phenom Mason Heintschel in 2025, Holstein brings a dangerous passing ability and sneaky athleticism to Charlottesville. It's worth noting that he had a great spring as well for Virginia.

• Beau Pribula (GR Student) — One of the most athletic signal-callers in the SEC last season at Missouri, Pribula brings his top-notch scrambling and dual-threat ability to UVA this year. Though he needs to prove that he can be more consistent as a passer on standard downs, Pribula's undoubtedly the most impactful player in Virginia's quarterback room heading into fall camp 2026. Like Holstein, Pribula also looked pretty intriguing throughout spring ball for Tony Elliott and Co.

• Ely Hamrick (Fr.) — Hamrick is an enormous (6'5", 230 Lbs.) 3-star QB recruit from Crest High School in Shelby, NC. He comes to UVA with a huge arm, surprising mobility, and a good overall feel for the position. This coaching staff is excited about Hamrick and his potential to develop into a great signal-caller for the Cavaliers over the next few seasons.

• Jae’Oyn Williams (Fr.) — There's somewhat of a mystery surrounding Williams' actual position at Virginia. Though he's officially listed as a 3-star running back on most recruiting sites, the program currently has him listed as an ATH (athlete), and Tony Elliott said that they're going to let him play quarterback first for the Cavaliers. It's completely understandable, as he was the starting quarterback for one of the top high school teams in the nation (St. Frances Academy) in Baltimore, MD, in 2025. He was also the Overtime Nationals MVP at QB as a senior.

Who wins the starting QB competition?

Sep 6, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Beau Pribula (9) drops back to pass during the first half against the Kansas Jayhawks at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

• Beau Pribula

Despite Eli Holstein likely being the better pure passer, Pribula's ability to torch defenses with his legs on designed runs and his potential to be more effective in an RPO-heavy passing game (which is what Des Kitchings will probably be doing more of in 2026) should give him the edge over Holstein heading into week one.

Biggest question mark

• Can Beau Pribula overcome the inaccuracy issues?

There were quite a few times at Mizzou when he had some wildly misplaced balls that led to interceptions for the defense. He needs to be more effective at putting the football where it needs to be in Des Kitchings' offense, as Virginia's passing game is what's relied on to complement the run game.

In 2025, Chandler Morris was excellent on high-efficiency throws (64.7% comp.), which was a huge reason why Virginia's offense was able to perform like a well-oiled machine week in and week out. If the Cavaliers are going to have any chance of making it back to the ACC title game this year, then Pribula has to be efficient whenever he throws the football.

Bottom line

At the end of the day, Virginia should have a pretty solid quarterback group heading into fall camp 2026. Beau Pribula undoubtedly has the talent to lead this team back to the conference championship game, and Eli Holstein will be ready to take over should anything happen to him this season.

Having the type of depth at quarterback that UVA has in Pribula, Holstein, and Cole Geer should allow Wahoo fans to sleep well at night heading into the 2026 season.