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Report: UVA Football Hosting Notre Dame WR Transfer Jayden Thomas

Matthew Newton|
MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Virginia Cavaliers

Virginia is still working in the transfer portal to reinforce its roster at key positions, including wide receiver. Last week, the Cavaliers plucked a linebacker from Ohio State just hours after he helped the Buckeyes win the National Championship. Now, UVA is targeting another transfer who played in the national championship game for the other team. Notre Dame wide receiver transfer Jayden Thomas is taking a visit to Virginia on Sunday (January 26th), as first reported by Greg Madia of the Daily Progress. Sources confirmed the visit to Virginia Cavaliers On SI on Sunday.

A 6'2", 218-pound receiver from Paulding County, Georgia, Thomas played in 43 games over the last four seasons in South Bend, including all 16 games this season for the Fighting Irish on their run to the national title game. A highly touted high school prospect, Thomas played for current UVA defensive ends coach Chris Slade when he was the coach at Pace Academy.

Thomas played in three games as a true freshman in 2021 and then made 12 starts and played in 24 games in the next two seasons. As a senior in 2024, Thomas played in all 16 games and recorded 18 receptions for 167 yards and two touchdowns, including one against Indiana in the first round of the College Football Playoff.

For his career, Thomas has 64 catches for 838 yards and seven touchdowns in 43 games played.

Thomas earned his degree from Notre Dame and entered the transfer portal as a graduate transfer with one year of eligibility remaining on January 22nd. A couple of days later, it was reported that Thomas was down to just four schools and Virginia made the cut along with Virginia Tech, Auburn, and UCLA. The Cavaliers will look to close the deal with Thomas on Sunday before he takes visits to other schools.

This would be the second year in a row that Virginia nabbed a transfer wide receiver from Notre Dame, as UVA added Chris Tyree before the 2024 campaign. It would also make something of a receiver trade between the Cavaliers and Fighting Irish, as Notre Dame landed Virginia's leading receiver Malachi Fields through the transfer portal last month.

UVA is expected to bring back Trell Harris, Suderian Harrison, Kameron Courtney, Andre Greene Jr., and Eli Wood in its receiver room and the Cavaliers have already added two pass-catchers from the transfer portal in Purdue's Jahmal Edrine and James Madison's Cam Ross. Securing Thomas would give Virginia an experienced receiver who has contributed significantly on a national championship caliber team.

Virginia has landed 18 transfer commitments from the portal this offseason:

Keep track of all of UVA's transfer portal activity, including outgoing and incoming transfers, here: Virginia Football Transfer Portal Tracker

Stay up to date on all of the transfers who have received offers from Virginia or who have scheduled visits to UVA here: Tracking UVA Football's Offers and Visits in the Transfer Portal

For More Virginia Football News

Here's What We Know About the 2025 UVA Football Schedule So Far


Breaking Down How UVA Football Replaces Malachi Fields

Meet the January Enrollees From UVA Football's 2025 Recruiting Class

UVA Football Lands Ohio State Linebacker Transfer Mitchell Melton

Virginia Football Roster Changes HQ: Hoos Staying, Hoos Going?

Virginia Football Has Top 25 Transfer Class After Latest Commitment

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Matt Newton
MATTHEW NEWTON

Matt launched Virginia Cavaliers On SI in August of 2021 and has since served as the site's publisher and managing editor, covering all 23 NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. He is from Downingtown, Pennsylvania and graduated from UVA in May of 2021.

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