As Virginia begins to gear up for the 2021 football season soon, the Cavaliers will look to rely on a good number of returning players on both sides of the ball but also several new faces as well. This has become common across the college football landscape, and UVa has been no different. Transfers like Keytaon Thompson, Ra’Shaun Henry, Tony Poljan, and others had big roles on the 2020 team and the Wahoos dipped back into the portal this year to supplement the roster.

This year, Virginia has added five key players from the portal that could have significant roles this fall. That number isn’t including Georgia Tech transfer defensive end Chico Bennett, who was unfortunately lost for the season in spring practice when he suffered an ACL injury.

As we move closer to football season and the depth chart starts to take shape, let’s take a look at what UVa is adding from the transfer portal heading into Bronco Mendenhall’s sixth season with the Hoos.

Virginia added grad transfer defensive back Anthony Johnson to the program just before Christmas and the former Louisville Cardinal should be able to make an impact for the Wahoos in 2021.

Experience at Louisville: Johnson saw plenty of action at UL, playing in 32 games and starting five of them. In his career, he recorded a pair of interceptions with 42 career tackles, including four for a loss. Johnson finished his degree last fall but had a quiet junior season, playing in nine games and finishing the season with just a pair of tackles.

His advanced stats from 2020 won’t blow anyone away but the then junior cornerback played just 119 snaps. The smaller sample size might make it harder to evaluate what UVa is getting but Johnson posted better numbers as a sophomore and was Louisville’s top defensive grade as a freshman in the 2018 season. That Louisville defense was abysmal in a lame duck season to end the Bobby Petrino era, but Johnson posted an overall Pro Football Focus grade of 79.4, nearly 10 points better than his next-closest teammate. Johnson also led the Cardinals in coverage grade (84.2) while playing nearly 100 snaps in coverage.

Prior to Louisville, Johnson had an impressive prep career at Chaminade-Madonna Prep in South Florida. He was a three-star recruit when he signed with the Cardinals and now hopes to build on his first three years of college ball in the other ACC division.

How he fits at UVa: The Cavaliers like bigger corners and Johnson fits the mold. Listed at 6-foot-1, 205 pounds, he should be able to play the way Nick Howell wants corners to in Virginia’s defensive scheme, coming up to stop the run and using physicality to slow down receivers. Johnson was a solid tackler as a freshman but his numbers dropped off a bit in the next two seasons. He enrolled early and participated in spring practice, which should help him even more as he tries to earn playing time this fall. Looking at Johnson’s early career at Louisville versus the smaller role he took on more recently, there’s reason to believe UVa may have gotten a steal here. Whenever there is a coaching change, like there was at Louisville after Johnson’s freshman year, there are players that don’t fit exactly what the new staff wants, and get lost in the shuffle. That may have been the case for Johnson, who should have a new lease on life in Charlottesville, playing for a UVa team that needs more consistent cornerback play this season.

Johnson wasn’t the last defensive back that the Wahoos would add via the transfer portal this year. UVa also added North Dakota State cornerback Josh Hayes in late April, just a week before the Cavaliers’ spring game. Hayes entered the transfer portal in the middle of NDSU’s spring season and according to his coach was looking for a place to play closer to home (Florida).

Experience at NDSU: Hayes saw plenty of action for a good North Dakota State team during his four years in Fargo. He started 25 career games, including 22 over the past season and a half. Hayes played a decent amount in his first two seasons with the Bison but was a role player on an experienced team. Then in 2019 as a junior, he had his breakout season: Hayes finished with 59 tackles, an impressive 10 pass breakups, and a pair of interceptions. For his efforts, he was named All MVC Second Team and was tabbed as the MVC Defensive Player of the Week once. Hayes looked to carry that success into 2020 but the FCS season was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic, eventually postponed to the spring. Hayes played six games for NDSU, recording 30 tackles before departing the program and eventually resurfacing at Virginia.

How he fits at UVa: Hayes comes from a very successful, blue-collar NDSU program and now gets to take his skills to a bigger stage in the ACC. He could be the next Jabril Cox, a star linebacker in Fargo who entered the transfer portal last year looking to prove himself at a high level. He ultimately landed at LSU and was drafted this year. Granted, a player doesn’t need to leave NDSU to get drafted but if Hayes can prove himself against ACC receivers it can only help his stock. Unfortunately we don’t have much in the way of advanced stats for Hayes as he played at the FCS level, but his numbers speak for themselves. Hayes is a productive player who worked his way from a special teams contributor to, in the words of NDSU coach Matt Entz, the best cornerback in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Virginia’s coaching staff didn’t have to wait for Christmas morning to get a big gift last year. Oklahoma State transfer tight end Jelani Woods picked the Wahoos on Christmas eve, adding a big-time athlete to a position of need on offense. Woods participated in spring ball and is the likely starter at tight end this fall.

Experience at OSU: In an odd coincidence, UVa’s transfer tight end was initially recruited to play quarterback at his previous school. After Poljan made the transition to tight end before landing at UVa last year, Woods made the same transition. He took a redshirt year in 2017 then transitioned to TE and started seeing playing time in 2018. In his redshirt freshman campaign, Woods caught seven passes for 120 yards, averaging 17.1 yards per catch, and scored a pair of touchdowns at his new position. He was named Honorable Mention All Big 12 and was named to the same team the following season. In 2019, Woods caught 16 balls for 112 yards and one score. Last fall, he closed his Cowboy career with an eight-catch season before entering the transfer portal. Woods wasn’t always used a lot in the passing game but he was a big-time contributor as a blocker. His run blocking grade in 2020 was 72.6, a solid number for a tight end.

How he fits at UVa: Woods and Virginia seem to be a great match for one another. He was not targeted often in Oklahoma State’s scheme but did help Chuba Hubbard become one of the nation’s top running backs as a blocker. Woods is a physical presence at 6-foot-7, 275 pounds, and he can move well for his size. It’s rather incredible that someone so big was initially thought to be a quarterback but Woods seems built to play tight end. UVa didn’t use the tight end in the passing game a lot before last year, when Poljan transferred in and became a key piece of Robert Anae’s offense. Woods could have a similar role in Charlottesville, being used often as a red zone target but also in the middle of the field, and in the running game as an inline blocker. It was also promising that Mendenhall raved about Woods’ performance in spring practice, when he said that he was one of the team’s standout performers. Expect Woods to be a big player in Virginia’s offense come September.

Virginia fans may have forgotten by now but UVa added Harvard running back Devin Darrington to the fold just before the 2020 season kicked off. There was no season for Darrington as the Ivy League cancelled competition, so the future Cavalier worked on his degree before joining the Wahoos this Summer.

Experience at Harvard: Darrington played a significant role in Harvard’s backfield in 2018, his sophomore campaign. The Maryland native finished second on the team in rushing that year, with 70 carries for 435 yards and five touchdowns. But in 2019, he was the main man for the Crimson on the ground. As a junior, he rushed 182 times for 734 yards and seven touchdowns in 10 games. Darrington also caught six passes for 48 yards out of the backfield, and was named All Ivy League by Phil Steele. Darrington had three 100+ yard rushing performances as a junior, including a three-touchdown effort against Howard. Expectations were high for Darrington heading into his senior year before the season was called off in the summer.

How he fits at UVa: Darrington should be able to contribute, but the backfield is getting crowded. Wayne Taulapapa is back, and Ronnie Walker should be more involved after becoming eligible to play in the middle of last season. UVa also adds Mike Hollins, who opted out of last season, giving the Hoos a serious competition. Darrington is on the smaller side at 5-foot-9 but he runs hard and has quick feet. He could be a Shane Simpson-like change of pace back but without the special teams/pass-catching bonafides that Simpson brought last season. Darrington should see the field, but it remains to be seen how the carries will be distributed amongst a group of solid backs.

Finally, Virginia got another transfer wide receiver several weeks ago in Marshall’s Artie Henry. UVa added Henry not long after the potentially season-ending injury to Lavel Davis opened up some playing time at the position.

Experience at Marshall: It has been a long road for Henry to get to UVa, starting at junior college in California before two seasons in Huntington. He had his first season with the Thundering Herd cut short after three games because of an injury but he showed flashes in 2020 when he got back on the field. Henry finished the season with 22 catches for 308 yards (14 yards per catch) and three touchdowns. He also contributed on special teams, returning five punts for 60 yards.

How he fits at UVa: Henry isn’t a one-for-one replacement for Davis, as they aren’t really similar players. At 6-foot-1, 179 pounds, Henry could be a good fit for the slot. He has impressive speed, so his ability to make plays down the field could help replace what UVa is losing in Davis but not in the same schematic ways that Davis was used. Henry could also contribute on special teams, where UVa could use some stability at returner.

JOIN CAVSCORNER TODAY!

If you are not already a member of CavsCorner, come join us and see what all of the buzz is about.

Click HERE to subscribe and get all of the latest news and join hundreds of other UVa fans in talking about Cavalier football, basketball, and recruiting. You won't be disappointed!