UVA Football: Tyshawn Wyatt Brings Experience to the Offensive Line

An hour down I-81, maybe not this week with the snow, is all it takes to travel from Harrisonburg to Charlottesville, a distance perfectly aligned with Tyshawn Wyatt's goals for picking his new school when he entered the transfer portal.

"Played a huge factor," said Tyshawn Wyatt. "With me and my family, we're really close, so being able to just have transportation be easier for them was a big thing for me."

The hour down south brings Wyatt another hour closer to his family, who reside in Richmond, Virginia.

From high school to now, Wyatt has thrived in the Commonwealth, earning second-team All-State his senior year at Henrico High School before heading about two hours via I-64 to James Madison University.

At JMU, Wyatt burst onto the scene his second year, starting in 14 games at left guard as a member of an offensive line that ranked fifth in scoring in the Dukes' final year in the FCS.

In 2022, Wyatt started 11 games at left tackle, which included a 36-35 victory over Virginia on a day the Dukes' offensive line only allowed one sack. In 2023, Wyatt remained at left tackle, where he started the first eight games before suffering a season-ending injury, leading him to miss the entire 2024 season as well.

After over a year of not playing, a healthy Wyatt entered the portal searching for a new home, leading Coach Terry Heffernan to reach out as the two quickly established a connection.

"Building my relationship with Coach Heff [Heffernan] really helped me; just constant communication with him…made my decision a lot easier," said Wyatt.

The 6'4", 318-pound OL, Wyatt is a versatile add for the Cavaliers as he brings experience playing left tackle and guard, which Wyatt will look to use, alongside other transfers and returners, to help get Virginia to the top of the ACC.

Read about Louisville transfer offensive lineman Monroe Mills: Monroe Mills Expects New-Look UVA Offensive Line to Quickly Develop Chemistry

"Honestly, I was told I would just want to come in here and do what I can to help the program," said Wyatt, one of four offensive line additions by the Hoos this past transfer cycle.

"On paper, you feel a lot better about the situation than years past," said Tony Elliott about Virginia's current offensive line personnel. "I'm excited about the experience. There is a lot of experience just from total snaps and games started."

Arriving on grounds, Wyatt believes the OL room has "a lot of characters" that will quickly mesh this spring. He joins an offensive line unit composed of a ton of transfers, including himself, Kevin Wigenton II (Illinois), Monroe Mills (Louisville), and Brady Wilson (UAB), alongside returners Noah Josey, McKale Boley, Blake Steen, and Ben York.

For our first projected spring depth chart: UVA Football Depth Chart Projection Heading Into Spring Football

Wyatt will look to battle in spring and fall practices with either McKale Boley for the starting left tackle spot or Noah Josey for the left guard spot while serving as versatile depth for the two positions.

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