Virginia's Projected Top Newcomer Might Surprise UVA Fans

Virginia has brought in a new roster that s full of transfers, much like last season. Who are the standouts?

Middle Tennessee running back Jekail Middlebrook (9) runs the ball into the end zone for a touchdown against FIU during the college football game at MTSU, on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. | HELEN COMER/The Daily News Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The transfer portal was one of, if not the biggest reason that Virginia Football was able to have the run that they did last season. From Chandler Morris to J'Mari Taylor to Mitchell Melton, the Cavaliers brought in a massive portal class and it helped propel them to an ACC Championship appearance, where they were one win short of a college football playoff spot.

Virginia went back to the portal this offseason and brought in 29 new players. Who is the top newcomer?

Looking at the transfers

While quarterback Beau Pribula is the headliner in this group and Tennessee running back Peyton Lewis also gets attention, ESPN's Billy Tucker named MTSU transfer RB Jekail Middlebrook as the top newcomer for UVA:

"Virginia had the third-most rushing yards and touchdowns in the ACC last season, but it loses a major chunk of its production with J'Mari Taylor's departure (1,064 rushing yards, 14 touchdowns) and returns limited proven performers behind running back Xavier Brown. Brown has flashed but hasn't yet handled a full season as a true workhorse, and the rest of the backfield is young and untested. The Cavaliers needed more than just a traditional back. They needed a true all-purpose threat who could replace touches in both the run and pass game. Middlebrook, who will have two years of eligibility alongside Tennessee transfer Peyton Lewis, is exactly that type of Swiss Army knife.

Offensive coordinator Des Kitchings now has a movable matchup problem in the backfield. Middlebrook rushed for 752 yards in 2025 and also caught 40 passes, scoring seven combined touchdowns. He's at his best in space and should see snaps as a running back, slot back and utility weapon on jet sweeps and bubble screens. Expect Virginia to hunt mismatches on linebackers and some safeties in the open field. In an offense trying to replace Taylor's versatility, Middlebrook can keep the playbook open and give the Cavs a modern space player to build around."

Whichever running back wins the top spot, they are going to have big shoes to fill with J'Mari Taylor off to the NFL, but Middlebrook can offer them something different. Taylor was a solid receiver last season for the UVA offense, but Middlebrook is more lethal as a pass catcher.

Having a player like him could allow UVA to split him out wide and use him and Lewis on the field at the same time. With some of the losses in the receiver room, that might be necessary for Virginia. Despite the loss of Taylor, the addition of these two running backs, as well as the addition of Pribula at QB (he is a great runner), Virginia has the potential to be one of the top rushing teams in the ACC.