Three Virginia Cavaliers make Bruce Feldman's 2026 'College Football Freaks List'

The Athletic's Bruce Feldman just released his annual "Freak's List" for the 2026 college football season, and three Virginia football players were named in this year's publication.

Let's take a look at what Feldman said about each of the three Cavaliers listed:

OT McKale Boley (No.22)

"The son of Super Bowl champion linebacker Michael Boley, McKale has had an outstanding career at UVA and looks like he’s going to have a promising one in the NFL. At 6-5 1/2, 330 pounds, the younger Boley broad jumped 9 feet, 3 1/2 inches this offseason. He’s also hit 19.12 mph on the GPS and clocked a 4.50 in the 5-10-5 shuttle (that would have topped the best time by any O-lineman at this year’s NFL combine by .04 seconds) and 7.60 in the 3-cone drill."

Boley is going to be the starting left tackle for the Cavaliers this season and should be one of the best offensive linemen in the entire ACC. Not only that, but Boley is one of the leaders of the team and should set the tone for Tony Elliott's team as they look to return to the ACC Championship game.

OG Makilan Thomas (No.44)

"A standout at Arkansas State, Thomas transferred to Virginia before last season but broke his foot two days into camp. The 6-2 1/2, 320-pounder has had an excellent offseason, showcasing some impressive strength and athleticism, especially for his size. He did 480 pounds on a close-grip bench press and back-squatted 600 pounds for three reps with every rep faster than 0.60 m/s.

He vertical jumped 30 1/2 inches and broad jumped 9-2. His 4.38 shuttle time would’ve been the fastest by any O-lineman at the NFL combine in the past three years. His 7.59 3-cone is also quite good. In addition, he hit 18.43 mph on the GPS."

While UVA"s offensive line was very good last season, a huge improvement from where they were previously under Elliott, it could have been even better if Thomas had been able to play last season for the Hoos'. Thomas is expected to give UVA an even better offensive line than they had a season ago and should bee seen as a big addition.

QB Beau Pribula (No.90)

"The speedy transfer, who started his career at Penn State before going to Missouri last year, is now on his third P4 conference team in three years. He started 10 games for the Tigers last year and went 7-3, completing 67.4 percent of passes for 1,941 yards, with 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also rushed for 297 yards and six touchdowns. The 6-2, 212-pounder is on this list because of his wheels, most notably his elite change of direction."

"He clocked a 3.94 shuttle time, quicker than any time put up at the NFL combine in four years since Jaxon Smith-Njigba did it at 3.93 seconds in 2023. Pribula also ran a blazing 6.84 3-cone time, which would’ve been the second-fastest of any player at last year’s NFL combine behind Alabama’s Germie Bernard (6.71)."

Pribula is not the most polished passer in the country, but he is one of the best athletes at the quarterback position and I think he will add a different dimension to this Cavaliers offense.

Chandler Morris was not immobile, but he was not a traditional dual-threat quarterback. Pribula is a huge upgrade in that regard and when you count in the fact that Virginia feels that their running back room is one of the best in the ACC, it would not be a surprise at all to see Pribula spearhead a very versatile rushing attack.

Virginia fans were well aware that all of these players were pretty athletic, but maybe not to this extent. It's incredibly exciting and intriguing to see players developing into these types of athletes at UVA.

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