Virginia landed a bunch of commitments from last weekend’s visitors, including a promising defensive back in Ja’Son Prevard. Coming to UVa from Morgan State, Prevard chose the Hoos on Sunday following a trip to Charlottesville. Prevard is one of many FCS players looking to move up a level and showcase their abilities, and when entering the portal, Prevard picked up interest right away. Prevard didn’t announce his offers as they came in, but was going to take a trip to Texas Tech after UVa, but the Hoos closed his commitment out before any other trips were made.

It’s easy to see why UVa was interested in Prevard. A big DB at 6-foot-3, 185 pounds, the Atlantic City native has been one of the best defenders in the MEAC in his two years with Morgan State. Prevard broke onto the scene as a freshman, leading the conference in pass breakups and hauling in one interception, and was named FCS Freshman All-American as a result. This fall, Prevard recorded 19 tackles with one interception and six pass breakups, along with a fumble recovery. After the season, Prevard was named second-team All-MEAC.

Prevard has two years of eligibility remaining.

Virginia went into the offseason with a major need in the secondary. UVa loses Corey Thomas, Kendren Smith, Kempton Shine and Jonas Sanker, at a minimum. Prevard, at least gives the UVa defense another option at cornerback. His size also makes him a fit for a role in the box safety role, but it doesn’t appear he really did that at Morgan State so the possibility of him making that switch is to be determined.

Prevard brings an interesting profile to the secondary as well. His size makes him different than other cornerback options that have come through, but UVa has had success with bigger corners in the past and perhaps Prevard can use his size to disrupt opposing receivers.

Based on what we saw on the field in 2024, UVa should have competition across the roster in the spring and in fall camp. That extends to the secondary. UVa’s defense had a few key issues this year, and the lack of pass rush certainly didn’t do the secondary any favors. UVa’s pass defense looked good at times and bad at others, and there’s no reason that Prevard shouldn’t at least be able to fight to play.

As we mentioned above, Prevard is one of many players that are looking to move up in competition level to showcase their skills. Prevard has proven that he can play in the FCS ranks, and he has the size and speed combination that would make him a candidate to play at a higher level. So now, at UVa, he’ll get a chance to showcase those skills.

If he ends up starting, Prevard will get to go up against some quality receivers in the ACC and will have opportunities to flash on tape and get more attention than he would in the MEAC. The NFL would certainly value a good player with his size at corner, so if he can come to Virginia and play well, he could set himself up for a meteoric rise from a little-known prospect headed to Morgan State to something bigger.

This one is hard to predict. Some of these transfers work out, and some don’t. UVa took Jam Jackson from Robert Morris last year, and Jackson had a similar size and skillset, and production level to what Prevard has, and Jackson came in and started from day one. Could Prevard do the same? Only time will tell. UVa probably isn’t done in the secondary though, as they continue to vet defensive backs and host them on visits. So there should be plenty of competition for playing time.

Prevard is an intriguing addition though, and we wouldn’t be shocked if he breaks through and plays quite a bit. If nothing else, he’s a player that should be on the two-deep ready to contribute whenever called upon, with upside. It makes sense for UVa to add a cornerback with two years of starting experience, and it makes sense for Prevard to bet on himself and take this opportunity to play at a power conference program.