Will UVA Football Repeat History With Success in the Transfer Portal This Year?

How will the Virginia Cavaliers navigate the transfer portal this year?

Dec 6, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Virginia Cavaliers quarterback Chandler Morris (4) looks on during the second half against the Duke Blue Devils during the 2025 ACC Championship game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The Virginia Cavaliers had a stunning regular season run this year, and while they still have yet to compete in their upcoming TaxSlayer Gator Bowl matchup against the Missouri Tigers, now is the time to start preparing to navigate the hectic transfer portal.

Last year, the Cavaliers saw great success with the portal. In total, head coach Tony Elliott was able to acquire 32 transfers. With so many fresh faces on his roster, Elliott wasn't sure what to expect heading into his 2025 campaign. As he stated last year, per Jeff White of Virginia Sports:

“To be honest with you, I don’t know what the future is going to look like. I think we’re still in a little bit more of a reactionary state, where in the past you were a little bit more proactive because you knew  what the attrition was going to be or you could predict or plan for the attrition. Now you don’t know what the attrition is going to be.”

Few people expected the Cavaliers to be as successful as they were this past season — they shocked the nation in more ways than one. Now, Elliott is striving to reach the same level of success in the transfer portal that he had last year.

Will Virginia Be As Successful in the Portal?

Dec 6, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Virginia Cavaliers head coach Tony Elliott greets players during the second half against the Duke Blue Devils during the 2025 ACC Championship game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Elliott is adamant about keeping his options open in order to make the best decisions for his program moving forward. Last year, he was able to secure some key players from the portal, including Chandler Morris, Cam Ross, Ja'son Prevard and J'Mari Taylor. It's unclear who Elliott has his eyes on at this point ahead of the portal opening, but one thing is certain: he will do what it takes to lead his program back to the ACC Championship Game in 2026. To achieve this, he believes he will need to balance high school recruitment with the transfer portal. This would allow him to acquire some versatile talent and players with a wide range of experience.

"... 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. "

Last year, uncertainty regarding UVA's ability to succeed filled the air. However, now that Elliott and his program have experienced victory together, there is a newfound confidence and a high level of motivation that will push the program to acquire players who could help supplement Virginia's roster. It wouldn't be implausible to assume that they will see more success in the portal this year.