Virginia went into the December transfer portal window with a lot of needs, and while running back wasn’t chief among them, the Hoos had a lot of production to replace. Kobe Pace is graduating and moving on, so the running back depth chart had a big hole to fill this offseason. UVa does have a few promising young backs returning, but that didn’t stop the staff from going out and adding North Carolina Central transfer J’Mari Taylor earlier this month.

In addition to UVa, Taylor had interest from several P4 programs and many G5 schools, and visited Virginia Tech, while also cancelling a visit to Michigan State before committing to UVa.Taylor had a very successful season at NC Central before entering the portal for his final season of eligibility. In 2024, Taylor had a breakout year with the Eagles. He rushed for 1,146 yards and a whopping 15 touchdowns, averaging 5.8 yards per carry. He also hauled in 30 receptions for 271 yards and a pair of touchdowns. For his efforts, Taylor was First Team All-MEAC and Second Team All-American.

We mentioned Pace’s departure, and for that reason alone, it makes sense for UVa to add Taylor to the fold. Pace was the starting running back to begin the season, and ended up splitting carries with Xavier Brown more and more as the season wore on. Brown suffered a season-ending injury against SMU, and for the third year in a row, had an injury issue. Brown has a ton of potential and home-run ability, but he has shown an inability to stay on the field consistently throughout his career, so even if Brown breaks out, Taylor is a good compliment and insurance if the worst happens.

Taylor also brings production that UVa hasn’t really seen anytime recently. Taylor had 15 touchdowns for NC Central last season. Virginia hasn’t had a running back go for 15 rushing touchdowns in a season since Wali Lundy did it in 2004. Even having players get to double-digit rushing touchdowns has been a rarity. And like Brown, Taylor has home run ability, and had a bunch of long runs this season. He had several games where big plays propelled him to gaudy rushing totals. He ran for 196 against Morgan State with a 50 yard touchdown, and ran for 206 against Howard with three touchdowns, and a long run of 61 yards. UVa needs big plays, and Taylor looks like a guy that could bring them.

We’ve done these breakdowns for several portal additions already, and one commonality we’ve seen is that UVa is offering an opportunity for players to showcase their abilities against better competition. Taylor has been a good player in the MEAC, but now he can show that he fits in against ACC competition, which could give him a shot to play at the next level. Taylor did have one game against ACC competition last year, rushing for 46 yards and a touchdown against UNC. Now, he’ll get a season’s worth of opportunities.

And of course, the departure of Pace provides opportunity. While Brown and Noah Vaughn have demonstrated some potential, Taylor is a more proven commodity with far more career carries under his belt.

Taylor’s role might come down to two things: Xavier Brown’s health and development, and what else UVa does in the portal at running back. Because as of right now, we’d pencil him in as the starting running back, based on his career performance and experience. Worst case, Taylor is in the rotation and seeing lots of snaps. And because there’s some similarity between Taylor and Brown, UVa could also opt to find more of a heavy hitter in the backfield, and that player could become more of an every-down back with Taylor and Brown operating as the change of pace backs, and catching passes out of the backfield. But Taylor has the ability to take any run the distance, and that’s something UVa could really benefit from next fall.