Virginia Football Lands Commitment From 2026 Three-Star OT Michael Gildea

The Cavaliers landed an important piece for their 2026 class this morning with the commitment of OT Michael Gildea

Virginia Football landed a 2026 commitment this morning. Three-star offensive tackle Michael Gildea, who plays at Hun School in Princeton (NJ) announced his commitment to Tony Elliott and the Cavaliers this morning, becoming the fourth commitment for the Cavaliers in the 2026 class and the second offensive lineman.

I’m extremely excited and blessed to announce my commitment to the University of Virginia! I want to give a huge thank you to my mom, family, friends, teammates, and coaches for all their support. Go Hoos!!@Coach_TerryHeff @Coach_TElliott @jsperos @Red_Zone75 @Tonyrazz03 pic.twitter.com/gprh8Qo22W

— Michael Gildea (@Michaelgildea77) May 15, 2025

According to the 247Sports Composite, Gildea is the No. 987 ranked player in the entire country, the No. 77 OT in the country, and the No. 19 player from the state of New Jersey. He held other offers from Boston College, Duke, North Carolina, Old Dominion, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest, among others. He is reportedly going to take an official visit to UVA on the weekend of June 19th. Virginia currently has the No. 62 overall class in the country and the No. 14 class in the ACC.

Gildea's commitment is not the only good news that Tony Elliott and his staff have received this morning, as they received more good transfer portal news.

Army transfer defensive back Donavon Platt announced this morning that he was going to be transferring to join the Cavaliers program. Platt finished last season with 15 tackles, two interceptions, and four passes defended.

Platt is an experienced cornerback who should fit in with Tony Elliott's program. According to PFF (Pro Football Focus), Platt finished last season with a 64.0 overall grade in 521 snaps, including 67.3 in coverage. The concerning grade would be on his tackling and run stopping performance. PFF handed out a 28.2 tackling grade to Platt and a 45.2 run defense grade. There is reason to hope that is not a trend though. In the two years prior, Platt finished with an 81.9 tackling grade and a 69.3. Platt played the most snaps of his career a year ago and will look to continue his upward trajectory this fall with the Cavaliers.

Virginia got big boosts earlier this month when they landed a pair of quality defensive backs. Emmanuel Karnley left Miami after a brief stop with the Hurricanes and the former Arizona Wildcat is going to be trying to improve the back end for Virginia. Karnley is a four-star transfer according to 247Sports and should be an instant impact player, but he was not the only notable defensive back addition this month.

Virginia managed to pull in New Mexico State defensive back Da'Marcus Crosby as well. Our own Aidan Baller broke down his commitment:

"The 6’2 safety from Houston, Texas, started his collegiate career in junior college at Kilgore College in Texas. In his sophomore year, Crosby starred for the Rangers, registering 75 tackles, three interceptions, and forced three fumbles. In a 51-14 win over Blinn College, Crosby took one interception to the house. 

After two seasons at Kilgore, Crosby transferred to Sam Houston State University, remaining in the Lone Star State while upgrading to FBS football. Crosby joined the Bearkats in their first-ever season of FBS football. 

At SHSU, Crosby earned All-Conference USA First Team as he picked up 55 tackles, three pass breakups, and four interceptions. Against Kennesaw State, Crosby registered 10 tackles and a key fourth-quarter interception that set up the game-winning field goal. The performance earned Crosby CUSA Defensive Player of the Week honors."

There has not been a position that Virginia has not tried to tackle in the portal. Of course the headliners are quarterback Chandler Morris, one of the better quarterbacks in the portal, Purdue transfer wide receiver Jahmal Edrine, and Alabama transfer Hunter Osborne. This has been a good class for Virginia and with the portal now closed, they should remain one of the ACC's best classes.

Additional Links

Virginia Football Lands Commitment From Army Transfer DB Donavon Platt

2025 DB Lukas Sanker, Brother of Former Virginia DB Jonas Sanker, Commits to UVA

New Updated Win Total Projection Paints Optimistic Picture Of Virginia Football Making A Bowl Game In 2025