Virginia QB Daniel Kaelin Enters The Transfer Portal

The depth of the Virginia QB room took a major hit on Sunday with Daniel Kaelin entering the transfer portal. Chandler Morris remains largely an unknown as to whether he will be afforded another year. Kaelin finished this year with 339 passing yards, a touchdown and an interception. He also rushed for 72 yards.

NEW: Virginia QB Danny Kaelin has entered the NCAA transfer portal, @PeteNakos reports.

Kaelin totaled 339 passing yards and 1 touchdown this season. https://t.co/P1UCVAufzq pic.twitter.com/fxc2w2nCal
— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal) January 4, 2026

He came in in a pivotal game against Wake Forest, where he finished with 145 passing yards and 49 yards on the ground. This was the game in which Morris was injured with a concussion and had to leave the game. As a passer, he finished with a 58.1 offensive grade and a 54.0 passing grade. He graded best running the ball, finishing with a 64.4 running grade this season for the Cavaliers. Kaelin posted his second-best offensive grade against Virginia Tech, finishing with a 74.9.

Here is what head coach Tony Elliot had to say about Kaelin back in the spring when watching him play and evaluating.

"I like what I've seen so far out of Daniel [Kaelin] as well. You know what I'm saying? He's got the same moxie about him," said UVA head coach Tony Elliott. "Seen him on a Saturday with a couple of guys working out which tells me they're gravitating towards him as well, which is going to create healthy competition," said Elliot.

He didn’t see the field a ton after transferring over from Nebraska but showed some glimpses on the collegiate level. He will now be the hitting the portal for the second consecutive season.

Here is more on him via his Virginia Cavaliers bio.

“Played for Michael Huffman at Bellevue West High School … Regarded as one of the state of Nebraska’s top players while leading a high-powered Bellevue West offensive attack … Named 2023 Elite 11 quarterback … Won the accuracy competition over 19 other quarterbacks at the prestigious camp in the summer of 2023 … As a senior at BWHS, Kaelin completed 187-of-319 passes for 2,225 yards and 17 touchdowns, against only six interceptions … Also rushed for 169 yards and two touchdowns, helping the Thunderbirds to a 7-4 record and a trip to the state semifinals … Honorable mention all-state pick and second-team All-Metro selection by the Omaha World-Herald … Averaged 37.0 yards per punt and was a first-team Super-State selection by the Lincoln Journal Star … Completed nearly 64 percent of his passes and threw for 3,186 yards and 36 touchdowns as a junior to guide Bellevue West to a 7-4 record … Ran for 175 yards and two touchdowns … First-team All-Nebraska selection as an athlete and a second-team Super-State selection as a quarterback … Split time at quarterback as a sophomore, throwing for 693 yards and five touchdowns to help Bellevue West to a 10-2 record and a state semifinal appearance … Regarded as one of the top-5 players in Nebraska, including the No. 2 player in the state by 247 Sports. He was ranked among the top 30 quarterbacks in the country by 247 Sports, ESPN and Rivals.com … UVA football’s first student-athlete from the state of Nebraska since 2010 (Collin Lundgren – Omaha).”

2025 – “Took over at QB in the second quarter against Wake Forest (11/8) … Completed 18 of his 28 pass attempts for 145 yards against the Demon Deacons … Also had a a career-long 54-yard rush against Wake, only the 12th rush of at least 50 yards by a QB in program history … Saw action at quarterback on UVA’s game-winning play in overtime at Louisville (10/4) … Threw his first career TD pass to Eli Wood in the red zone in UVA’s 48-20 win over Stanford (9/20) … Saw action in 55-16 rout of William & Mary (9/13), when he completed 11 of his 16 pass attempts for 164 yards with one interception … Made his collegiate debut in UVA’s 48-7 season-opening win over Coastal Carolina (8/30) … One of two UVA student-athletes serving on the ACC’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Executive Board … Enrolled at Virginia in January.”

Overall, it was a small sample size for Kaelin with Virginia, and he couldn’t show what he was completely made of.

More Virginia Football News:

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•Virginia Football Reportedly in the Mix for Top Transfer Portal Quarterback