Virginia has used the portal to remake their roster, and has been busy in the secondary this offseason. UVa has landed a big group of promising defensive backs, including New Mexico State safety Da’Marcus Crosby.

Crosby has played two seasons of FBS-level football, playing at Sam Houston State in 2023, and New Mexico State last fall. Before that, Crosby played at Kilgore College in 2021 and 2022, a junior college program. Crosby actually overlapped with UVa transfer offensive lineman Wallace Unamba at Kilgore. Crosby was an all-conference player at safety, recording 134 tackles over two seasons, with four interceptions and four forced fumbles. Crosby then transferred up to Sam Houston State, where he quickly showed himself capable at the FBS level. Crosby was First Team All-Conference USA with the Bearkats, in large part because of his four interceptions recorded. He also had 55 tackles and had back-to-back 10+ tackle games.

After one year at Sam Houston State, Crosby moved on to another G5 program, landing at New Mexico State. Crosby continued to demonstrate excellence in the secondary with the Aggies, starting seven of 12 games, and finishing second on the team with 81 tackles, including 46 solo stops. The Houston native had three games with 10+ tackles, including a career-high 14 stops against Fresno State. Crosby recorded one interception last season, in their loss to Western Kentucky.

Crosby comes to UVa with one year of eligibility remaining, and is one of seven incoming transfers in the secondary added since the end of spring ball.

There’s no such thing as too much depth, particularly at defensive back. Lots of players can play throughout a game or over the course of the season, and injuries have been an issue at times in the secondary, so having more playable depth is a good thing for Virginia’s defense. Crosby will have a shot to earn a starting role or at least a spot on the two deep, and his strong tackling and interception record could make him a top candidate to earn some playing time. A player like Crosby is a no-brainer addition for Virginia, who really needed an in flux of experience and production in the secondary. Crosby now joins a solid safety group that includes veteran returnee Antonio Clary and Louisville transfer Devin Neal, both of whom seem likely to play significant roles on the 2025 team.

Crosby now gets to move up another level, and once again has an opportunity to prove himself. Crosby started at the junior college level, succeeded there, moved on to two stops at the G5 level, and was a quality player there, too. Now, he gets a chance to show what he can do at a P4 program, at UVa. Virginia’s secondary went from thin to quite crowded in the last month or so with all of the transfer additions, but playing time is certainly available for those that perform well in camp. Crosby will have a shot to do just that. And if nothing else, Crosby is certainly benefiting from NIL at UVa in a way that he wouldn’t have been able to at a program like New Mexico State that simply wouldn’t have the resources that an ACC school as at its disposal.

Crosby has a bit of an uphill battle to earn a starting job, just because he wasn’t with the program in the spring. Clary has also played three years with this coaching staff, and if he can stay healthy, can probably be pencilled in as a starter at one of the safety spots. Neal has a good chance to start too, and UVa returns a few other promising up-and-comers in Caleb Hardy and Ethan Minter. Still, Crosby has a lot of production and playing experience, so he may be able to surge to the top of the depth chart if he can show himself capable in camp. We expect Crosby to, at a minimum, find a spot on the two deep and contribute a good amount this year, both on defense and special teams.