Column: Transfer recruiting is a source of success for the Hoos
Over the course of the next month and a half, the Wahoos are going to bring in roughly two dozen recruits for official visits, some of whom are already members of their 2022 class. The hope is that a number of the others, including a five-star in-state OL and several four-stars, will join them (sooner rather than later, of course).
The bulk of UVa’s recruiting work typically gets done before the season begins and this year, with the (very) long dead period finally ending in a few weeks, will almost certainly be one of the most hectic cycles in modern history.
And as impactful as those recruits can (and should) be, there’s another reality that has changed the fabric of college football. What was once a spot factor here or there has now turned into a driving force all on its own:
If you can’t recruit the transfer portal, chances are you aren't going to be able to recruit.
The size and scope of the phenomenon has exploded, of course. Used to be that a grad transfer could come in and make an impact. Now? You better hope the grad transfers you bring in have a big impact because there are going to be grad transfers making impacts elsewhere. Teams you thought you were beating on the recruiting trail will turn that thing around in a hiccup. And the NCAA codifying the one-time transfer rule won’t stem the tide that surely has turned.
As Bronco Mendenhall said recently, some schools are thinking seriously about recruiting solely from the portal since players who have already transferred once would no longer have that option available without sitting out.
It remains to be seen just what kind of impact this (and the NCAA-infused numbers dance) could have on “traditional” recruiting but the numbers issues inherent in the question threaten to make for some extremely difficult decisions on the part of coaches…and players too for that matter.
But one need only look at Virginia’s recent history with transfers to see just how important they can be to a program.
Kurt Benkert. Jack Powers. Brandon Pertile. John Montelus. Bryce Perkins. Marcus Applefield. Terrell Chatman. Dejon Brissett. Even Olu Oluwatimi.
That list of players encompasses the “old” way, where Mendenhall and Co. recruited transfers based on need without many expectations on how immediate an impact a player could have, outside of QBs of course. Granted, Perkins is among the very best players in program history but all told, it was a different world when Virginia brought in these guys to help bridge the gap between the past and the future.
Now think about the players Virginia brought in just last year: D’Angelo Amos. Adeeb Atariwa. Ra’Shaun Henry. Tony Poljan. Shane Simpson. Keytaon Thompson. Ronnie Walker. One could make a strong argument that without several of those players, the season would have been if not lost certainly pretty close to it.
They weren’t just additions. They were necessities.
Now, think about the additions (thus far) as the Cavaliers hurtle toward what will feel like a short offseason into an important fall ahead: Devin Darrington. Jacob Finn. Josh Hayes. Anthony Johnson. Jelani Woods.
Though it remains to be seen what kind of impact Darrington will have on Virginia’s running game—the stable of backs looks as strong today as it has in years—three of the others figure to be absolutely vital. UVa needed improvements in the secondary and the Cavaliers got two experienced pieces to add to the mix. They also added arguably the best tight end prospect on their board for the second year in a row.
It’s in Woods’ potential, especially coming off such a dominant spring, that the real crux of this argument lies. He’s a player who could come in right away and provide not just a boost to UVa’s offense but he could be the best tight end in the league by year’s end. With Lavel Davis sidelined due to a knee injury, Virginia can look to Woods to give the offense the type of mismatches it hoped would be available come fall. And that's before you even factor in the depth of talent the Hoos do have at receiver.
And then there’s Finn, whose inclusion above highlights just how integral transfer recruiting can be but in a different way. At Florida, he didn’t get to punt a lot but he sure was productive when he did. And just like that, a potential area of concern was shored up and the Cavaliers have a big question mark that if it’s not wiped off the board is at least most of the way gone.
And here’s the key: Virginia has shown itself to be a place where kids can transfer to and shine. Woods said as much when talking about Poljan and the opportunity he saw in Charlottesville with Poljan moving on to the next level.
At a time when the portal is exploding, Mendenhall and his staff have shown they not only know which guys to go after but they’ve shown they can do a lot with them.
Even better, they get an additional year with the likes of Atariwa and Henry as well as potentially two more of Thompson and Walker to help that group maximize their potential. Every success is more momentum at Virginia’s back when the staff heads into the portal.
Winning on the field used to give you a recruiting bump. And it still can, as traditional recruiting remains important. But there’s also the fact that winning on the transfer recruiting trail can give you a bump everywhere, including wins right away on the field.
The vicious cycle turns. And thus far, UVa is doing exactly what it takes to make sure the Hoos stay ahead of it.
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