With the season in the rear view and the calendar flipping to December, the focus for UVa’s coaching staffwill be closing out the 2022 roster and focusing on the 2023 team and beyond. Tony Elliott and Co. will be looking to finish strong in their 2023 class with Signing Day approaching, and as more clarity comes with regards to their current group of players and their futures, the staff will attack the transfer portal and look to fill any holes left by departures.
UVa’s most-important roster need became much clearer last week, when senior quarterback Brennan Armstrong entered the transfer portal with one year of eligibility remaining. At this time last year, it seemed a safe bet that the 2022 season would be Armstrong’s last in Charlottesville before he turned his attention to his professional future. But as the year wore on and the struggles mounted, many started to wonder if the record-setting signal caller might have another year of college football in his future as he looks to rehabilitate his stock. And now, barring some change of heart, we know that any more college ball he plays won’t be at Virginia.
Armstrong’s name is all over the Virginia record books, but his time in Charlottesville had plenty of highs and lows. The Ohio native was solid in his first season as a starter but not as proficient as he would be the following year. In 2020, Armstrong played nine games, losing nearly two games to a concussion. He threw for 2,117 yards with 18 touchdowns and 11 interceptions and made plenty of plays with his legs. Ultimately, Armstrong led UVa to a 5-4 record in games that he started.
In 2021, he of course went from solid to spectacular as UVa’s offense went more pass heavy. The southpaw threw for 4,449 yards and 31 touchdowns, setting a slew of school records in the process. In his starts, UVa went 6-5, and ultimately missed its bowl game as the team dealt with a COVID-19 outbreak. And then, 2022 was a major step back for UVa’s offense as a whole and Armstrong in particular. His production was virtually cut in half, throwing for 2,210 yards and just seven touchdowns to 12 interceptions. Granted, the scheme change and losing an entire offensive line played a major part in the regression but so too did some sloppy play from the quarterback himself.
Still, Virginia has had more stability at the quarterback position since Bronco Mendenhall arrived than it had in many, many years prior. Kurt Benkert did a solid job helping UVa turn it around after a 2-10 season, and he gave way to Bryce Perkins, who led the Cavaliers to the ACC Championship Game and the Orange Bowl in his two years. Armstrong’s teams didn’t win as much, though that’s not all on the quarterback of course, but he was very productive and at his best was among college football’s top quarterbacks. Now, the program heads into the quarterback wilderness, with more uncertainty around the position than we’ve seen since Benkert left and UVa went out and found Perkins.
The staff will be looking to replicate what the previous staff did, identifying a special though overlooked quarterback and convincing him to come to Charlottesville and reclaim his career. While UVa will likely be aggressive in the transfer portal at the QB spot, it’s also fair to mention the quarterbacks on the current roster. Jay Woolfolk would be the natural successor to Armstrong when looking at the roster but his situation is far more complicated given his ongoing baseball career. Woolfolk has been more of a standout on the diamond than he has on the gridiron, in large part due to the amount of opportunities he’s been given in the two sports. Still, Woolfolk could decide to give up football for baseball if he wants to make a run at the majors. And even if he does continue to play football, Woolfolk won’t be available for spring ball as he’ll be playing with the baseball team. Last year UVa could work around his absence with Armstrong taking most of the first-team reps. But now, if Woolfolk isn’t around, UVa will have to have someone else to take over. The Wahoos could give a young quarterback like Davis Lane or Delaney Crawford those reps, but if neither of those players are going to factor into the QB battle in the fall, then that seems like a bad way to spend so many pivotal practices.
Virginia will be looking for a talented signal caller that can compete with Woolfolk at a minimum (if he keeps playing) or potentially compete with another transfer, or to come to Charlottesville to be the new starter. And ideally, a player that can be enrolled in time for spring football to help with the transition and make sure UVa has a QB taking reps that is capable of being the team’s quarterback in the fall.
The UVa staff is already exploring options, starting with an offer to Monmouth quarterback Tony Muskett. The Springfield native is the definition of an under-the-radar gem that is quickly picking up interest from FBS programs. In addition to an offer from UVa last week, Muskett also received offers from Missouri, Troy, and a bunch of MAC programs. He threw for 1,997 yards in eight games last season with 17 touchdowns and eight interceptions, and missed some time with an injury. In the 2021 season, Muskett threw for 2,651 yards and 25 touchdowns to just six INTs in 11 games, leading Monmouth to a 7-4 record.
Former Georgia Tech QB Jeff Sims is a familiar face to the UVa staff and vice versa. Sims was Tech’s starting quarterback for more than two seasons, though his time in Atlanta has been tumultuous as the Jackets have struggled and eventually changed coaches. Sims has the arm talent to take his game to another level and a fresh start could be a great thing for him. The former four-star recruit threw for 1,115 yards and five touchdowns this season, missing the second half of the season as he dealt with various injuries. In 2021, He threw for 300 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 65 yards on 10 carries in a 48-40 loss at Scott Stadium. The line is probably going to be pretty long for Sims now that he’s in the portal.
One quarterback that has been in the portal for some time now is former Boise State signal caller Hank Bachmeier. After his offensive coordinator was fired four games into the season, Bachmeier entered the transfer portal. He threw for 497 yards and six touchdowns this season in three full games played. Bachmeier became Boise’s starter as a freshman and has a lot of game experience. He threw for 3,079 yards and 20 touchdowns last season, his best as a Bronco. His recruitment from the portal has been pretty quiet since he entered in September.
Miami (OH) QB Brett Gabbert entered the portal this fall as well, and is another player that should drum up a lot of interest and makes sense for UVa. Gabbert, the brother of NFL QB Blaine Gabbert, got hurt in the season opener against Kentucky and didn’t return until late October, playing just four games this season. He was the MAC Freshman of the Year back in 2019, and has more than 5,000 career passing yards with the Redhawks.
Virginia could also try to convince a talented backup quarterback from a bigger program to come to Charlottesville with a chance to start. Ole Miss backup Luke Altmyer should be a player of interest now that he is in the portal. He has played sparingly as a backup to Matt Corral and Jaxon Dart, but was forced into action in last year’s Sugar Bowl, going 15-for-28 for 174 yards and a touchdown with two picks in relief. Altmyer was a four-star prospect ranked 239th nationally coming out of high school, and would have three years of eligibility remaining.
UNC backup Jacolby Criswell entered the portal on Sunday. Another former four-star prospect lost the competition for the starting job to ACC Player of the Year Drake Maye, and will be looking to start somewhere else.
There will be plenty of other names to look at, too. Notre Dame’s Drew Pyne, who threw for 22 touchdowns after starter Tyler Buchner got hurt, entered the portal on Friday. Perhaps he knows the Irish are already in the portal looking for a transfer of their own? We’ll see.
BC’s Phil Jurkovec has had an injury-plagued career but has been good when healthy, is also looking for a new home. And many more players are going to enter soon enough, too.
There will be plenty of speculation about Clemson’s D.J. Uiagalelei, who was benched in the ACC title game for Clemson’s QB of the future and is now reportedly in the portal. While it’s easy to connect the dots between ‘DJU’ and his former offensive coordinator, does a reunion really make sense, given his struggles in Elliott’s offense last year and the very-similar Brandon Streeter offense this year? Like Armstrong, Uiagalelei would probably be looking for a clean break and a new system altogether, should he enter the portal.
And that’s a great thing to keep in mind as UVa goes out looking for a quarterback. Elliott, Taylor Lamb and Des Kitchings have to find a quarterback that fits what Virginia needs schematically, and is also good enough to win games at the Power-5 level, whether that player has demonstrated that ability in games, or the offer is based on potential. But also, that player has to see a fit at Virginia. UVa is in a position to sell playing time and, at a minimum, a chance to compete for the job. That, the education angle and ACC football is probably enough to give them a shot with some of these players.
But the coaches are also going to have to find a way to sell this program—and in particular this offense—to a prospective transfer. UVa really struggled to move the ball and score points this season, and it would be easy for a transfer to be afraid to come here, given what happened to Armstrong. UVa’s coaches have to sell a new guy, like they did Armstrong last season, and convince them that the 2022 campaign was part of an overhaul and now the program is ready for their quarterback of the future to jump in and turn things around.
