Virginia Football Named One Of the Transfer Portal's Biggest Losers Through The First Few Days

Virginia has seen a lot of turnover through the first few days of the transfer portal and are working to rebuild

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

Through the first few days of the transfer portal, it has been up and down for Virginia Football.

On one hand, they have gotten a lot of good news regarding their offensive line in terms of who is going to be back next season. They are still waiting to see if quarterback Chandler Morris is granted another season of eligibility, but they have a foundation for having a solid offensive line in 2026.

It has not been great everywhere else though.

Leading receiver Trell Harris has already found a new home with the Oklahoma Sooners and a number of Virginia's top defenders in the front seven have entered the portal. For a team that was already having to replace a lot of production from a team that was led by senior transfers, it has not been the best of starts for Tony Elliott's program, which is coming off its best season under his leadership.

Early loser?

The slow start in the portal has been noticeable around the country and CBS Sports analyst Cody Nagel named the Cavaliers as one of the early losers of the portal period:

"Coming off a breakthrough season that included a runner-up finish in the ACC Championship Game and flirting with a College Football Playoff berth, Virginia enters the transfer portal window with several notable exits that could slow momentum.

On offense, top receiver Trell Harris and emerging wideout Kameron Courtney are among those leaving, creating more uncertainty in the passing game for 2026. The quarterback room could be impacted depending on whether starter Chandler Morris secures another year of eligibility. Backup Daniel Kaelin is set to return, but the Cavaliers may look to the portal for additional options to maintain competition and depth.

Virginia's defense is also losing key contributors. Starting linebacker Maddox Marcellus, starting nickelback Ja'Son Prevard -- the Cavaliers' interception (3) leader this season -- and former four-star defensive lineman Hunter Osborne have all entered the portal. These departures leave significant gaps in both experience and depth for the Cavaliers' front seven and secondary.

After an 11-win season -- the first time Virginia reached double digits since 1989 -- expectations were high to continue building on that momentum. The early portal exits, however, make the offseason a critical period for the program as it works to reload on both sides of the ball."

How will UVA approach the portal?

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

Virginia was a portal heavy team last offseason and it should be the case again this time around.

At his national signing day press conference, UVA head coach Tony Elliott talked about his approach to the portal compared to high school:

"Yeah, so if I'm putting a number on it like I did when I first got here, I don't know if I have the number. I'd say I'm probably now more 50 -50 with just the philosophy. And I will say that this group of young men have really helped me make the transition, just because at first you were a little bit leery, not about the ability to increase the numbers. on your roster, but just the chemistry the buy-in being able to create team and this team has been able to show that you can you can do that. However, I think if we look through college football, we can see that You got to get it right and it's not as easy to get it right as people think. So in order and what we learned that the reason that we were able to make the transition as a team is because we had a really, really good nucleus of guys that were fully bought into the program, understood what the core values are, understood how we were going to do things, and they were able to help the new guys make the transition.So I think in order to do that, you're going to have to have high school guys.

And then you may have to take some, some portal guys with multiple years so that they become embedded in your culture to help you make that transition. But I don't know what the, what the mix is. And to be honest with you, it's going to change from year to year, right? It may be a situation where you see that a, the high school route is, is heavy. this year, less portal, and it could be vice versa.So I don't want to pigeonhole myself. That's what I've learned. Don't put myself in a corner from that standpoint. But I will say that this team and the group of guys that we brought in have helped me to say, you know what? OK, it can be done. But they've also kind of showed me what it looks like and what you've got to have in place in order to have a chance to make it work with so many new guys coming in the door. "

Elliott and his staff have a lot of work to do if this program is going to be back in the mix in the ACC in 2026.