UVa’s football staff has been busy since the conclusion of the 2023 season. The coaches have seemingly done a nice job recruiting their own locker room, keeping most of their key contributors with eligibility remaining out of the portal and on the roster heading into the spring. Tony Elliott and Co. have also been aggressive in getting players from the portal, making 11 additions since the season concluded.

It can be difficult to project how good a transfer will be at their new school, especially if they are moving up or down a level or didn’t play much at their previous school. UVa has added a few such players, but also has a few additions that are safer bets to play a significant part in the 2024 season.

As the 2023 campaign fades in the distance and spring ball begins to rapidly approach soon, we’re taking a look at UVa’s 11 newcomers from the portal and doing our best to project how much they’ll play in the fall.

Chris Tyree, WR

If he started at Notre Dame, he’s probably going to start at Virginia. Tyree comes to UVa after a solid career with the Irish that started at running back before a shift to receiver. He finished his Notre Dame career with 3,284 all-purpose yards and 17 touchdowns, and in 2023 he led the Irish in receiving yards.

UVa is looking to replace Malik Washington’s production, which will be easier said than done of course; Washington recorded 110 catches for 1,426 yards and nine touchdowns last year. Tyree had a very solid year but caught just 26 balls. Perhaps there’s a chance that he can have a Washington-like breakout year at UVa. After all, Washington’s career-best receptions mark was 65 in 2022 before coming to UVa and recording more than twice as many receiving yards and eight more touchdowns.

Tyree doesn’t necessarily need to catch 100+ passes to be successful in 2024. If he can simply be the guy he was at Notre Dame and UVa can develop options around him, that would be a big boost to the Cavalier offense. But Tyree does probably have some untapped potential, and could end up having a career year as one of the main guys in Virginia’s offense. He should also be considered a top contender for return duties, as he had multiple return touchdowns in his Notre Dame career.

Tyler Neville, TE

Like Tyree, we’re penciling Neville in as a starter given his career success but also need at the position. The staff has gone out in the portal in years past and tried to get a tight end that could come in and start, but struck out until landing Neville, a Williamsburg native.

At Harvard, he was an All-Ivy selection and caught 62 passes for 698 yards and eight touchdowns in his Crimson career. In 2023, he brought in 24 passes for 283 yards and four touchdowns. At Virginia, it's easy to imagine that Neville can slot right into the starting spot, especially with plenty of playing time available. It’s not always easy to project productivity when players move up a level but UVa has had some success of late getting Ivy League players and plugging them into key roles.

Virginia has recent success getting production from the position out of the portal, with Tony Poljan (2020) and Jelani Woods (2021) having the best tight end seasons in recent memory. UVa hasn’t had a lot of production from the position under Elliott and perhaps Neville will turn that trend around this fall.

Kempton Shine, DB

One of UVa’s most-recent additions, Shine is one of several defensive backs that will compete for a starter’s role or at least for playing time this fall. He transferred to UVa from Eastern Michigan earlier this month after a successful career with the Eagles. Shine started 40 games for EMU and recorded 176 tackles and 27 PBU’s in his career, with one interception.

Shine’s experience at the FBS level could make his projection to Virginia a little easier than some of his fellow transfers coming up from the FCS level; Shine has played several games against P5 competition in his career already. As for playing time and whether he can start, it’s a difficult projection to make as UVa has added so many DBs and they all have different strengths and weaknesses and experience. It’s difficult to project transfers, period, but even more difficult when there are so many guys competing with each other for time.

Still, Shine has qualities that make him a strong candidate to compete for snaps at corner and we’d expect him to be in the mix for a two-deep spot right away.

Corey Thomas, DB

UVa went out and identified Thomas early in the portal window and was able to close out his recruitment quickly. Thomas, a Pittsburgh native, played 40 games at Akron before landing with the Hoos in December. Like Shine, he will have to earn his playing time but he has a good shot to do so.

Thomas recorded 105 tackles for the Zips, with three fumble recoveries, an interception, and a sack. UVa added a bunch of cornerbacks to the roster via the portal but Thomas is more of a box safety or hybrid player and that could help him get on the field this year. He is listed at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, and in 2023 Akron listed him as a linebacker after several years at safety. His role was somewhere in between, not unlike how UVa envisioned Lex Long’s role in 2023 before he got hurt.

Thomas’ size and versatility should give him a shot to play a lot in 2024, but his role will be different from the other transfers added.

Kendren Smith, DB

UVa started recruiting Smith before the season was complete and he made two visits to Charlottesville before eventually committing. Smith is UVa’s other Ivy League transfer, coming over from Penn. The Charlotte native started his career in 2019 but lost the 2020 season when the Ivy League didn’t compete during the pandemic and suffered a season-ending injury in 2021 that gave him a redshirt year. In 2022 and 2023, Smith started all 20 games for the Quakers, and was second-team All-Ivy in 2023, recording 58 tackles and 8 PBUs.

Smith is listed at 6-foot-1, 195 pounds, and should compete with Shine and others for playing time at cornerback. He was also a captain at Penn, and could bring instant leadership qualities to the locker room as the defense looks to find their way after a rocky 2023 season. Smith was a very solid player in the Ivy League and now we’ll see if he can transition to ACC-level football, as others in his position have in recent years.

Jermarian “Jam” Jackson, DB

Yet another DB addition, Jackson has a bit more runway in his career and should be a multi-year player for the Hoos. He played sparingly in 2022 at Robert Morris, keeping his redshirt by appearing in just four games. And as a redshirt freshman last fall, Jackson had a breakout campaign, recording 40 tackles with five PBUs and a forced fumble. For his efforts, he was named Big South/OVC Co-Defensive Freshman of the Year.

Jackson has three years of eligibility remaining, and an intriguing skillset. Listed at 6-foot-2, 175 pounds, he has a long frame and could develop into a physical corner that can jam receivers and help out in the run game. Unlike some of his new teammates transferring in, Jackson doesn’t have to be a big contributor this year, as he has several years of eligibility remaining. But even as he comes from a smaller FCS program, like Brian Stevens did last year, Jackson appears to have the physical tools that could make him successful at Virginia, either this year or down the road.

Trell Harris, WR

Back to the offense, Harris is one of three transfer receiver additions for the Hoos. He played two seasons for Kent State, breaking out in the latter half of the 2022 season before a solid 2023 campaign. Harris caught 26 passes for 400 yards and one touchdown last fall before entering the portal. UVa was able to land him over offers from Michigan State, Minnesota, Kansas State and others, despite having already taken two receiver transfers in the portal.

Harris is less of a slam dunk than Tyree, who has been super productive at one of the biggest programs in college football. Still, Harris was sought after for a reason and should be able to play right away.

The Illinois native has great speed and the ability to turn short throws into long gains but also beat defenses over the top. And now we’ll see what he can do with better quarterback play at UVa and other quality receivers around him to take some of the focus off.

Andre Greene, WR

One of the most intriguing additions in this portal cycle, Greene comes back to his home state after two years at UNC. He was a borderline five-star recruit coming out of high school and has physical tools that are hard to find. Greene played in six games last season, catching just two passes for 17 yards. He had the best game of his career in the 2022 Holiday Bowl, catching three passes for 26 yards and a touchdown. Because of his limited playing time, Greene still has three years of eligibility remaining.

He should have a higher ceiling than any other player UVa has added via the portal this offseason. The only hesitation is the lack of productivity at UNC. Perhaps we’re about to find out that was a byproduct of being stuck behind pros like Josh Downs and Tez Walker or maybe he still has a ways to go. The good news is that the pressure to perform should be off a bit, with UVa having made so many other additions, and returning Malachi Fields. Still, if Adam Mims can get Greene playing at his best, UVa could end up with a downright scary group of receivers this fall.

Drake Metcalf, OL

Virginia’s lone offensive line addition (so far, anyway) Metcalf joins the program after stints at UCF and Stanford. With the Cardinal, Metcalf was coached by UVa OL coach Terry Heffernan, who should know exactly what he’s getting in the California native.

At Stanford, Metcalf played in 15 games over two seasons, before transferring. At UCF, he started the first four games of the year at center and then played in two more contests.

Part of the reason UVa hasn’t gone out and added a bunch of offensive lineman is because the Hoos return so many players. They had a couple of offensive linemen who weren’t playing go in the portal and add a crop of newcomers from the 2024 recruiting class. But all of their five starters from 2023 are back in 2024, which means projecting playing time for Metcalf is a bit difficult. Stevens started 10 games at center and did a nice job, and could either stay there or move back to guard if UVa determines Metcalf is the better option there. Or, if Stevens stays at center, Metcalf could slide in at guard, if he earns a starting role. If he doesn’t, at a minimum Metcalf is a solid depth addition who can be the easily thrown into action if there is an injury or underperformance at either center or guard.

Gavin Frakes, QB

Virginia added a quarterback to the roster in January, securing the commitment of the New Mexico State transfer. Frakes didn’t play in 2023 but started five games as a true freshman in 2022. He threw for 736 yards and four touchdowns, and helped the Aggies beat rival New Mexico. Frakes is originally from Norman (OK), and was originally committed to Princeton out of high school.

Barring something quite unlikely, Frakes is being added as the third scholarship QB and should backup Anthony Colandrea and Tony Muskett. I’m sure Frakes understands UVa’s QB situation, and was comfortable joining as a depth option that could be forced into action if the worst-case scenario comes to pass. Still, UVa couldn’t go into the season with just two scholarship quarterbacks, so the Frakes addition makes perfect sense.

Sage Ennis, TE

UVa added a second tight end to the transfer class this month, bringing in Clemson’s Ennis. The Florida native was originally slated to head back home and was committed to Florida A&M before a coaching change there, and then UVa’s involvement. He played a decent amount with the Tigers last year and was often used as a blocker but did get involved in the passing game here and there. Ennis caught six passes for 77 yards during his Clemson career, and had two career starts.

We’d pencil in Ennis at TE2 as a player that would be on the field plenty but there is a complication. He suffered an ACL tear in Clemson’s November win over Georgia Tech, and probably won’t be ready to play again until deep into UVa’s 2024 season, barring an irregular recovery timeline. Ennis still has his redshirt left to use and could play up to four games for UVa this year and then still return for the 2025 season, where he could make a bigger impact.