Virginia’s transfer portal additions have been backcourt heavy, but they did make a key add to their future frontcourt earlier this month, landing UC Irvine transfer forward Devin Tillis. The Los Angeles native is listed at 6-foot-7, 225 pounds, and comes to Virginia with one year of eligibility remaining after stints at UNLV and Irvine. Tillis was named second-team all Big West this season, and helped lead the Anteaters to a second-place finish after back-to-back regular-season titles the previous two years.

Tillis is another older player that has taken advantage of loosened eligibility rules over the last half decade. Tillis began his collegiate career in 2020-21, at UNLV. That year didn’t count for anyone as it was the free COVID year, and he averaged 3.7 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, playing in a reserve role. When then Running Rebels coach T.J. Otzelberger left for Iowa State, Tillis went in the transfer portal and landed at UC Irvine. He redshirted his first year with the Anteaters, and then played the next three, which gives him one final year of eligibility to play with the Wahoos.

Tillis saw his role increase with the Anteaters year over year. Starting all but two of UC Irvine’s games over a three-year period, Tillis increased his points per game from 7.3 in 2022-23 to 9.7 in 2023-24 to 13.7 this season. Tillis also became a much more prolific rebounder with UC Irvine, averaging at least 6.1 per game in each of his three seasons playing there, and a career-high 7.8 this season. In addition to his work around the rim and on the glass, Tillis can pop out and hit threes as well. Tillis is a 38.6 percent career three-point shooter, and made 39.5 percent this season on 3.3 attempts per game. Tillis is a solid free throw shooter as well, at 79 percent for his career and 81.7 percent in the 2024-25 season. Tillis recorded seven double-doubles this season with the Anteaters, and eight 20+ point games, including two in the NIT, leading UC Irvine to the final.

Simply put, UVa needs everything in the frontcourt and Tillis is a pretty good start. During his time at UC Irvine, Tillis was a prolific rebounder, something the UVa staff will be hoping translates to ACC play, when he has to fight with bigger players for boards. Tillis fits what Odom wants to do offensively as well, and can play inside out. Tillis for the most part is a below-the-rim player and probably isn’t quite 6-foot-7, but the fact that he can work around the rim and also drift out to the three point line and make defenses respect his shot, can make him a matchup problem for the opposition. This transfer was another one that happened quickly, with Tillis committing just a few days after entering the portal. But UVa’s staff certainly had an inside track on what Tillis is like around the locker room and so on, as his coach at Irvine was Russell Turner, who played at Hampden Sydney and knows fellow HSC alums Odom and Griff Aldrich well. In a quick recruitment, having character references that coaches can trust can be very helpful.

Moving to Virginia after completing a full career (and degree) at UC Irvine makes sense for Tillis. He gets to showcase his ability at the high-major level and should be able to contribute to a new-look Cavalier roster. Tillis is unlikely to play in the NBA just given his physical attributes, and while you never say never, making this move and being able to capitalize on NIL opportunities at Virginia in his final year of eligibility seems like a smart move, too. And with UVa’s roster being such a blank slate at this time, it’s impossible right now to say that Tillis doesn’t have a clear path to the floor. If anything, he should be penciled in as a starter until further additions can be made and a better analysis of what the team could look like, can be made.

As we stated above, UVa’s frontcourt is a major work-in-progress as UVa tries to work through their portal options and restock the roster. But regardless of who they’re able to add, Tillis should have a significant role on this team. He is an experienced player that brings versatility. If he can rebound at a high level, that could be a huge asset, as Odom’s 2024-25 VCU team shot a ton of threes and rebounded a lot of their misses, creating second-chance opportunities. Tillis’ ability to step out and shoot should keep him on the floor, too. UVa’s offense is going to be a modern approach that’s more reliant on the three, and Tillis is one of several portal additions that can shoot in the high 30’s or low 40’s from three. Because of his size, Tillis could be sized out of some matchups at the four, but he can also play the three if UVa needs to go with a bigger lineup. Tillis has a great motor too, and if nothing else, he should bring great energy to UVa’s roster. We figure, at this point, that Tillis will either be a starter, probably at the four, or will be the first player off the bench with flexibility to play at the three or four spot.