As expected, Virginia football has had an aggressive first week in the transfer portal, acquiring five transfers. With 16 of his players departing via the portal and several more graduating, Coach Tony Elliott faces considerable work in retooling the roster.
Elliott wasted no time addressing the team’s most pressing need, bringing in two transfer quarterbacks — freshman Daniel Kaelin from Nebraska Sunday and graduate Chandler Morris from North Texas Monday. Both Morris and Kaelin were three-star recruits in high school but now join the Cavaliers at very different stages of their collegiate careers.
Morris brings a wealth of experience, having enrolled at Oklahoma in 2020 before transferring to Texas Christian, then North Texas and now Virginia. Last season, Morris threw 31 touchdown passes for the Mean Green, ranking fourth nationally — albeit against AAC competition. Morris has appeared in 32 career games and joins the Cavaliers with one remaining year of eligibility.
Kaelin, on the other hand, was a redshirt freshman in 2024 and has yet to make a collegiate start. He has not had too many chances to prove himself, but he brings talent and depth to the position.
One notable similarity between Kaelin and Morris is their experience in quarterback rooms with high-profile college signal callers. At Nebraska, Kaelin did not receive playing time because he sat behind Dylan Raiola — a five-star recruit and the second-ranked quarterback prospect in the Class of 2024. Morris shared a room with Caleb Williams at Oklahoma in 2020 and with Max Duggan at TCU in 2022, the year the Horned Frogs reached the national championship game.
Virginia has also focused on bolstering its defense, acquiring three defenders through the portal — sophomore cornerback Ja’son Prevard from Morgan State Sunday, senior safety Devin Neal from Louisville Sunday and junior defensive tackle Jacob Holmes from Fresno State Monday.
Prevard and Neal will contribute to a revamped Virginia secondary, which will be missing several of its 2024 starters — namely senior safety Jonas Sanker, who just declared for the NFL Draft.
The Cavaliers are set to host several transfer prospects in the coming days as they work to address remaining roster needs. Notably, the offensive line is yet to be addressed — a recurring source of frustration during the Elliott regime. But for now, the first week of the portal window has been successful. Expect more additions before the Dec. 28 deadline.
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