Cavaliers Now

Virginia Football Reinforces Offensive Line With Dartmouth Transfer Ethan Sipe

Matt Newton

Dartmouth offensive line transfer Ethan Sipe announces his commitment to the Virginia football program.
Dartmouth offensive line transfer Ethan Sipe announces his commitment to the Virginia football program. / Ethan Sipe/X

With injuries stacking up on the offensive line, Virginia made a key move to bolster that unit, picking up a commitment from Dartmouth graduate transfer offensive lineman Ethan Sipe on Wednesday afternoon.

A 6'5", 300-pound tackle from Nashville, Tennessee, Sipe started every game in each of the last two seasons for a Dartmouth team that had one of the top offensive lines in the Ivy League over that span. The Big Green ranked second in the Ivy League in rushing offense in each of the last two seasons, were top 25 in the FCS in fewest sacks in 2022, and allowed just five sacks in the entire 2023 season, fewest in the Ivy League. Sipe did not allow a single sack in the 2023 campaign.

Sipe entered the transfer portal at the end of the 2023 season as a graduate transfer with two years of eligibility remaining. He picked up offers from Old Dominion, Western Kentucky, Middle Tennessee State, UTEP, and Kennesaw State and got preferred walk-on offers from Notre Dame, Kansas State, and Vanderbilt.

Sipe took an official visit to Virginia this past weekend and made it official by committing to the Cavaliers on Wednesday.

Sipe's commitment comes at a good time for Virginia, who had several key offensive linemen miss spring practice due to long-term injuries. While most of UVA's starting offensive line is expected to return by the beginning of the season, some of the injuries have been more damaging, namely UCF transfer Drake Metcalf, who could miss between six and nine months with an Achilles injury, according to Tony Elliott.

Virginia has had a successful few weeks on the recruiting trail, with Sipe's commitment coming on the heels of a stretch in which the Cavaliers nearly doubled their 2025 recruiting class with five commits in a seven-day span. Read more about those new recruits here: Virginia Football Lands Five Recruits From Class of 2025 in One Week

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Matt Newton

MATT NEWTON

Managing Editor and Publisher, CavaliersNow Email: mattnewton@virginia.eduTwitter: @mattynewtssWebsite | LinkedIn | Instagram Matt Newton is the managing editor and publisher at CavaliersNow. He has been covering UVA athletics since 2019 and has been the managing editor at CavaliersNow since launching the site in August 2021. Matt covers all things UVA sports, including Virginia basketball and football news and recruiting, former Wahoos in the pros, and coverage of all 23 of the NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. A native of Downingtown, Pennsylvania, Matt grew up a huge Philadelphia sports fan, but has also been a UVA sports fanatic his entire life thanks to his parents, who are alums of the University of Virginia. Matt followed in his parents' footsteps and attended UVA from 2017-2021, graduating with a degree in Media Studies and a minor in Economics in May of 2021.