UVA Football Adds Tennessee Tech Defensive End Daniel Rickert

Daniel Rickert/IG

Virginia scored again in the transfer portal late on Friday night (April 25), as Tennessee Tech defensive end transfer Daniel Rickert, a two-time First-Team All-Big South-Ohio Valley Conference selection who racked up 19 sacks over 43 games with the Golden Eagles, announced his commitment to the Cavaliers in a social media post.

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— Daniel Rickert (@Daniel51rickert) April 26, 2025

A 6'2", 232-pound defensive lineman from Nolensville, Tennessee, Rickert stayed in state and committed to Tennessee Tech, where he played in six games with five starts as a freshman in the spring 2021 football season. In an abnormality of the COVID-19 pandemic, Rickert played a second freshman season that fall, appearing in 11 games with another five starts and posting 15 total tackles, including his first career sack.

After playing just four games in the 2022 season and taking a redshirt, Rickert came back better than ever in 2023, setting career-highs across the board as he amassed 49 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss for a total of 55 yards, and nine sacks. He also forced two fumbles and recovered two fumbles and broke up three passes en route to his first selection to the All-Big South-Ohio Valley Conference First Team.

This past season, Rickert had some injury setbacks, but still played in all but one of Tennessee Tech's games and earned another First-Team All-Big South-Ohio Valley Conference selection after registering 37 total tackles, 11 tackles for loss, seven sacks, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery, which he returned 50 yards for a touchdown.

For his career, Daniel Rickert has played in 43 games and has recorded a total of 129 tackles, 64 solo stops, 19 sacks, 33 tackles for loss for 149 yards, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and five pass breakups. Now, Rickert will move up to the FBS level and head to Virginia to play his final season of college football.

At least on paper, Virginia is expected to have a very deep defensive line unit in 2025. The Cavaliers return Jahmeer Carter, Jason Hammond, Terrell Jones, and Anthony Britton and added Alabama transfer Hunter Osborne, Ohio State transfer Mitchell Melton, Elon transfer Cazeem Moore, and UNLV transfer Fisher Camac in the winter transfer window. Now, the Cavaliers will add Daniel Rickert to that mix in the hopes of producing significant improvements for a Virginia pass rush that has ranked near the bottom of the ACC in sacks in each of the last two seasons.

Daniel Rickert is the fourth transfer Virginia has picked up in the spring transfer window, joining New Mexico and Kentucky offensive lineman Wallace Unamba, Colorado running back Isaiah Augustave, and Cincinnati cornerback Jordan Robinson. The Cavaliers have also hosted several other transfer targets this spring, including Hawaii cornerback Caleb Brown, Wyoming running back Harrison Waylee, FIU defensive end Eddie Walls III, Tennessee defensive back Christian Charles, Arkansas State offensive tackle Makilan Thomas, Army cornerback Donavon Platt, Wyoming running back Wrook Brown, and Fresno State cornerback Julian Neal.

Stay tuned to Virginia Cavaliers On SI for all the latest news and updates regarding UVA football's activity in the spring transfer portal window.