UVa has already added several transfers in the winter window, filling needs along the roster. Because of injury and a portal defection, UVa suddenly needed an offensive lineman (or two), and were able to quickly land Kentucky transfer Wallace Unamba, who was one of their top targets in the winter portal window.

Like many players in the portal these days, Unamba has bounced around to a few stops. Unamba started his career at the juco level, playing at Kilgore in Texas for three seasons. After that, he transferred to FAU for one year, and then linked up with former UVa coach Bronco Mendenhall at New Mexico last season. Because of the ruling that allowed JUCO players another year of eligibility, Unamba has one year left to play.

At New Mexico, Unamba contributed to a major turnaround of the Lobos’ offense and was a stalwart at tackle. Unamba didn’t allow a single sack, and was part of a group that averaged 33.5 points per game and more than 250 rushing yards per contest. Unamba was a good find by Mendenhall and his staff, given that Unamba didn’t really play at FAU, and they had to rely on his work at the junior college level.

Unamba was highly sought after in the portal in the winter, and took visits to both Kentucky and Virginia. While it looked like Unamba and UVa was a good match, he opted to commit to the Wildcats, who had a more crowded picture on the offensive line. In the spring, Unamba competed to earn playing time at Kentucky but ultimately, for whatever reason, opted to go back in the portal. Because of the pre-existing relationship with Virginia and the fact that he had already visited Charlottesville and was familiar with the staff, Unamba’s re-recruitment to UVa was a quick one, and he signed with the Hoos just a few days after entering the portal.

UVa lost transfer tackle Monroe Mills to an ACL injury during spring practice, meaning that Terry Heffernan and the staff had a sudden need to go out and find a player that could fill that void. Frankly they may have taken Unamba even if Mills hadn’t gotten hurt, as he was a player they liked quite a bit in the winter transfer window. But with Mills down, Unamba can slide right into his vacancy and at a minimum, compete for snaps. UVa also lost tackle Blake Steen to the portal, which opens things up even further at the tackle spot heading into the summer.

Unamba has the flexibility to play different spots along the line, which also makes him a good fit. UVa can now have a wide-open competition for the five spots, as their other transfer additions also have tackle/guard flexibility. Unamba can fit in with that group and because of the flexibility within the group, Heffernan can pick the five players that fit best together and plug them in, And if a player goes down with an injury during the season, it’s easier for the staff to shuffle things, and move a tackle to guard, or vice versa.

Honestly, on paper, a move to UVa seemed more logical than a move to Kentucky in the winter portal window, just based on need. But there’s a lot more to consider in recruitments than just playing time available, and Unamba ultimately felt more comfortable picking Kentucky. But just a few months later, Unamba now gets to reverse course and go with another school that he seemingly liked quite a bit in the recruiting process, and now has a much clearer path to the field.

Unamba clearly felt like the Kentucky situation wasn’t working out as he’d hoped, or that the Virginia situation was clearly better heading into the summer. Luckily for him, he was able to go back in the portal having lost no eligibility and signed with the Hoos. Unamba only has one year of college football left to play, and if he wants a pro career, sitting on the bench won’t do him much good. At UVa he has a better chance to show what he can do.

It seems like a safe bet that Unamba will play somewhere along the offensive line. Though he’ll have to earn it in what looks like a pretty deep room despite the losses of Mills and Steen. Unamba could slide into a tackle spot, with McKale Boley taking the other, or if the staff feels that Tyshawn Wyatt or someone else is a better fit for tackle, Unamba can slide into one of the guard spots. This move seems like a great mutual fit given UVa’s need, familiarity on both sides, and Unamba’s positional flexibility. He may not have been as prolific in his prior stops as Mills was in his, but Unamba is more than a satisfactory replacement given the circumstances.