In December UVa was very active in the portal, tackling positions of need across the board. Virginia was in the market for an impact player at the linebacker position, and found one in Eastern Kentucky transfer Maddox Marcellus. The former Colonel chose Virginia after visiting before the holiday period, selecting the Hoos over offers from Kansas State, Houston and others.

Marcellus entered the portal after two years at EKU, and a breakout 2024 season. The Miami native recorded 97 tackles last fall, starting all 12 games for the Colonels. Marcellus made a lot of impact plays, including seven tackles for loss, one forced fumble, another fumble recovery and two interceptions. Marcellus had three double-digit tackle performances, with 14 against Southern Utah, 11 against Abilene Christian, and 10 in the playoff loss to Villanova. Marcellus saw a major uptick in playing time last fall after playing sparingly as a true freshman. In 2023, Marcellus played in 10 games, recording five tackles and one sack. Marcellus signed with EKU out of high school, choosing the Colonels over offers from Charlotte, FAU and many other FCS programs.

Virginia is actually positioned relatively well at linebacker, but the addition of Marcellus could end up being an impactful one. UVa returns star linebacker Kam Robinson for 2025, which is a win in itself as he certainly would have had a robust market if he chose to enter the portal. UVa should also have James Jackson and Trey McDonald back, a pair of players who were mainstays on the Cavalier defense at the linebacker spot. So with all of those key players back, Marcellus won’t be guaranteed a starter’s role, but he will certainly have a chance to compete for one. Marcellus’ EKU film shows a great athlete who can fly around and make plays. Frankly, he looked like a P4 player at the FCS level, and if he can translate his game at Virginia he should be able to, at a minimum, be in the rotation.

UVa needs more athleticism across the roster, and linebackers in John Rudzinski’s scheme are asked to do a lot, both in run defense and coverage. Marcellus looks like the type of athlete that can come in and make an impact on defense right away, whether he’s officially a starter or not.

Like many of UVa’s transfer additions, moving up to the P4 level provides opportunities to showcase one’s talents against top-end competition. For Marcellus, the move from Eastern Kentucky to Virginia should be dramatic, but he has the physical tools to be successful in the ACC. And if he is, he should turn the heads of NFL scouts. Marcellus has good size and speed for the position, and is still relatively young, with two years of eligibility remaining. In addition to NIL resources, which surely are much greater for him than they were at EKU, Marcellus has the chance to make himself some future money at the professional level if he can succeed at UVa.

As we stated above, we expect Marcellus to make an impact on UVa’s defense this fall, whether its as a rotational player, or supplanting one of the returning starting linebackers atop the depth chart. Marcellus has a knack for creating plays in the backfield, and the Hoos could certainly use more havoc plays. Perhaps Marcellus could even be used on the edge a bit, to bolster a Cavalier defense that for two years in a row, has been near the bottom of the country in sacks. And even if Marcellus isn’t a 2025 starter, UVa has a player that could certainly move into that role in 2026.