The Commitment: Virginia grabbed its first transfer commit over the weekend, landing Florida State guard Jalen Warley following a visit to Charlottesville. Warley, originally from Philadelphia, spent three years with the Seminoles before entering the portal in April. He was a four-star recruit in the 2021 recruiting class, ranked No. 38 overall that year, and chose FSU over an offer from UVa and many more. The commitment was UVa’s first offseason addition and left the Hoos with three open scholarships.
What it means for UVa: Obviously with four spots open on the roster, UVa had to add several players across the roster. Warley can fill a couple different roles at once, which explains the interest in locking him down. Warley played some point guard at FSU and is certainly a capable ball handler. Out of high school, he was seen as a bigger point guard who could also play as a combo and he did that at FSU, which deploys a rather positionless half-court offense. So with Reece Beekman and Dante Harris gone, Warley can add some ball handling for Tony Bennett and Co.
Warley is also a wing player that should compete for minutes at a minimum and could end up claiming a starting role depending on who the other additions are and how things shake out leading up to the season. Warley also brings athleticism to UVa’s roster, a trait it desperately needed. The former Seminole can guard 1-through-3, which should give UVa some lineup flexibility depending on opponent and situation.
Warley’s addition also allowed UVa to continue exploring several different solutions in the portal and his versatility could help those plans work. Assuming they don’t see Warley as a primary option at the point guard spot, and we don’t think they do, the Cavaliers still needed a player there and Warley can play some minutes at the 1 as a reserve. He is an athlete who can get down hill but he isn’t a particularly good shooter, so there’s still a need in that area despite this addition.
What he brings: Warley was one of several combo guards at FSU that played significant minutes and while he had some productivity, the Philadelphia native wasn’t a prolific scorer. He averaged 7.5 points per game in 24.1 minutes of action and finished sixth on the team in scoring. He did have a strong finish to the season, though, scoring 13 points in the regular-season finale against Miami, 18 in the ACC Tournament against Virginia Tech, and 10 the following day in a season-ending loss to UNC. Warley played a little more in 2022-23, averaging 28 minutes per game, scoring 6.8 per contest.
He did a lot of his damage at the rim on an FSU roster full of slashing guards. In fact, I think it would be fair to say that Warley has more success scoring at the rim on layups and dunks than the rest of UVa’s current roster combined. His length and athleticism allow him to have a legit chance on contested layups “in the trees” and he has some explosiveness as well, with several highlight-reel dunks.
Warley is also a good distributor, averaging 2.8 assists per game in 2023-24, and 2.9 per game for his career. He’s able to get in the lane and dump off to bigs when help defense arrives, and he could potentially be an asset as a drive-and-kick guard with shooters waiting for the ball.
His length will also allow him to guard several positions and he averaged 1.3 steals per contest this season. Warley also takes good care of the basketball, with just 1.3 turnovers per game for his career, and 1.1 as a junior.
Now for what he doesn’t bring to the roster. Warley has not had a lot of success as a spot-up shooter, a trait that was very make-or-break for UVa’s offense last year. Warley made just 14.3 percent of his 3s last season, making him a virtual non-threat from beyond the arc. He did shoot 32.3 percent as a sophomore, though, making 10 of 31 attempts. Three-point shooting isn’t a big part of Warley’s game and neither are long twos.
This feels like a situation where Warley understands his role, his strengths, and weaknesses, therefore attempting about one 3 per game, which limits potential damage but offers very little upside as a shooter. He also scored a good number of points in transition, a skill unlikely to translate to Charlottesville since UVa plays almost exclusively in the half court.
The Projection: Warley’s experience and versatility should all but guarantee him a prime spot in UVa’s rotation, especially given the current state of the roster. He can give you spot duty at point guard or could take on a larger role there if UVa needs it. Warley has the skill of a ball handler with the size of a wing, so he should be able to play 1-3 in UVa’s scheme. He is also a bit a of a known commodity, having played three seasons in the ACC. It’s clear that there’s a ceiling but he’s played enough at the ACC level that we know he can hang in there with players at this level.
Warley’s minutes per game and overall contributions will be shaped by how the rest of the roster comes together. If UVa is able to add a key contributor at the 3 spot, or if Andrew Rohde makes a big step forward, Warley might play a little less overall and serve more as a reserve point guard than at the wing. If that doesn’t happen or if UVa needs Warley’s skillset more than Rohde’s, which is quite possible given the athleticism deficit the roster currently has, Warley could be a starter or the most-used reserve on the team.
While this addition doesn’t fix all of UVa’s issues, he should help the team and seems like a good fit for the pack-line. We’d project that Warley is a borderline starter at the 3 for now but is just as likely to come off the bench and play 20+ minutes per game at any of the 1-3 spots. And while he shouldn’t be the team’s go-to weapon on offense, he should be able to provide a bit of a lift with his ability to drive and score in the paint as well as a veteran presence on a transitioning roster.
