Virginia’s first public transfer commitment (by just minutes) this cycle came from quarterback Danny Kaelin, who signed with the Wahoos later on Sunday. Kaelin comes to UVa from Nebraska, and having redshirted in his lone season with the Cornhuskers, brings four years of eligibility to Charlottesville.

Kaelin is ranked #265 in the Rivals Portal rankings, a three-star transfer prospect. Kaelin was a high three-star prospect out of high school, and committed to Nebraska in May of 2023. In addition to the Cornhuskers, Kaelin held offers from Florida State, Miami, Ole Miss, Missouri, Arizona State, Vanderbilt, and yes, Virginia.

from Bellevue, Nebraska, a suburb of Omaha. Kaelin was a very productive high schooler, throwing for 2,225 yards and 17 touchdowns as a senior. Kaelin was also an Elite 11 quarterback selection, where he won the accuracy competition.

Kaelin was UVa’s first overall transfer commit, and their first on offense, as well. Had he signed with UVa a year ago out of high school, he would’ve been UVa’s highest-ranked pro-style QB commit since Greyson Lambert in the 2012 class.

This is UVa’s biggest position of need, and you can’t play football without a quarterback. Both Tony Muskett and Anthony Colandrea departed in the transfer portal, leaving the Hoos with Gavin Frakes and a pair of incoming freshman. The staff simply had to be aggressive and go after several quarterback options, and they might not be done at the position, either.

UVa liked Kaelin when he was a high schooler, and lost out to the Cornhuskers. Now, they get a shot to develop Kaelin to either play quickly, or down the road. Kaelin has the tools to be successful in this scheme, too. UVa’s offense is built for a pro-style quarterback that can move when they need to, but do most of their damage from the pocket. Kaelin fits the bill.

This is also an upside play for UVa. Kaelin has four years of eligibility left, so if things work out, he could be a quarterback of the future. And UVa doesn’t necessarily need him to be his best self right away, but that will depend on what comes next. Still, this is an addition that seems like a no brainer for UVa, unless he’s the only player they’re going to take, which would be a big risk.

Kaelin had a bit of bad luck, as we see it. He picked Nebraska over a bunch of other impressive scholarship offers, and was probably excited to commit to Matt Rhule and his in-state school. But then, on signing day, Nebraska flipped five-star Dylan Raiola from Georgia, and Raiola was named the day one starter in Lincoln. That relegated Kaelin to the bench, and ultimately, it made sense that he’d go in the portal. Raiola isn’t going anywhere, at least for now, and could theoretically block Kaelin from seeing the field until 2027 or so.

Kaelin had other interest, but UVa has an opportunity for playing time that most schools wouldn’t be able to offer the redshirt freshman. UVa currently has no starting quarterback, and if the season started today, Kaelin would probably be the guy, as crazy as that sounds, just hours after he signed. UVa’s offense, or at least what it’s supposed to be, is a fit for Kaelin’s skillset.

This is a bit of a bold move for him in one way, however. UVa’s staff is going to be on the hotseat in 2025. They could also certainly still take a veteran QB who will start over Kaelin for a year, and if that season doesn’t work out, Tony Elliott and his staff could be gone and Kaelin may have to go in the portal again if he doesn’t fit with the new staff. That’s all tomorrow’s problem, however, and if Kaelin believes in this staff’s ability to turn things around in 2025, Virginia makes a lot of sense as a destination.

This is a bit of a cop-out but Kaelin’s 2025 outlook really depends on what else happens at quarterback for Virginia. As we said above, as of now, Kaelin is probably the de facto starter in the spring, if UVa is unable or uninterested in adding another quarterback. We know though, that they hosted North Texas transfer Chandler Morris on a visit last week and have been interested in other older QBs prior to taking Kaelin’s commitment, so they’ll probably keep searching.

If UVa is able to add a Morris or someone similar, Kaelin probably goes into spring practice and fall camp as QB2, and perhaps if he plays really well, could make an unexpected run at the starting job. And if that doesn’t work out, he’s a play away from being called upon to lead the team, and would be the penciled-in 2026 starter if the other QB is a senior.

The addition of Kaelin is as much a play for the future as it is one for right now, but his impact on next season will come down to who else comes in, if anyone, and then what happens when those players get on the practice field to battle it out.