UVa’s second transfer commitment of the weekend came from North Dakota State’s Jacari White. After playing three years in Fargo, White entered the portal, granted an extra year of eligibility after the JUCO ruling last year which removed time played at junior colleges from exhausted eligibility years. White was UVa’s second commit and one of three received over the past few days, joining former Toledo wing Sam Lewis and Oklahoma guard Duke Miles.

White, a 6-foot-3 guard from Orlando, was a highly sought-after guard in the portal. White actually released a final five that didn’t include UVa, but the Hoos were able to come over the top and seal the commitment despite not receiving a visit. White’s final five schools prior to his pledge were Houston, Ole Miss, Virginia Tech, Texas and West Virginia.

At North Dakota State, White was a quality player on both ends of the floor. White improved his scoring each year in Fargo, going from 7.5 points per game, to 10.3 last season, and 17.1 this year. White shot 45.2 percent from the field this year, and 39.8 percent on threes, attempting over seven per game; he’s a 40.6 percent career three-point shooter. White was also an 85 percent free-throw shooter, and snagged 4.3 rebounds per game. White played a little bit of point guard at NDSU but was mostly off-ball, though he did average 2.3 assists per game this year. White was second-team all Summit League this year, and was on the league’s all defense team the in 2023-24.

Prior to North Dakota State, White spent a year at State College of Florida.

Virginia’s roster was a blank canvas just a week ago, so any talented players were wanted. But White has a skillset that UVa needed in a major way, and he should fill a key scoring role on this team. White didn’t play the toughest competition in the Summit League, but he was a prolific scorer. White had three 30+ point games this season, and in NDSU’s only game against a major-conference program, he went for 27 points against Butler.

White’s experience is key here, too. The former Bison guard has played a lot of college basketball and has demonstrated ability on both ends of the floor. And while transfer additions are always a gamble, particularly those that come from lower levels, White has some transferable skills that are obvious when reviewing his clips. First, White has shooting ability. His shot is a little unorthodox, but it goes in and that’s what counts. He can also get downhill, though he will need UVa to pick up some good screeners for him to be able to do that.

Ultimately UVa was looking to completely overhaul the roster, and like most teams, a lot of the scoring will come from the guards and wings. White scored more than 17 a game last year, so that’s a good start for the Hoos in their roster rebuild.

For White, this is a chance at major-conference basketball. Like many transfers, White has proven himself more than capable of dominating at the mid-major level and was part of a very good NDSU offense this year. Now, he’ll try to showcase his ability in the ACC, and try to get the UVa program headed back in the right direction. There’s obviously the NIL piece, as well, and UVa surely made quite a pitch to get White to commit without taking a visit, when he’d already whittled his list down to five other schools. There’s the added bonus here that White gets to come back to the east coast for his final season of college basketball. White should be a good system fit, too. Ryan Odom has had offense that featured versatile guards that can knock down outside shots, and White fits the bill.

As of now, we’re penciling in White as the starter at the shooting guard position. He has three years of D1 basketball under his belt, and has demonstrated ability to score in a variety of ways, and is arguably the best defender that the Hoos have added via the portal, if not on the roster, period. With the additions of Miles, Lewis and with more to come, White will obviously have to earn whatever he gets. But with his ability to defend, make plays off the bounce and shoot, White should have a significant role on the 2025-26 team, and could contend to be the team’s top scorer.