There was a flurry of activity in the transfer portal window for UVa in December and January, as the coaching staff attempted to build a competitive roster for the 2025 season. While most of the additions were locked down in December, UVa went right up to the beginning of the spring semester with a few commitments, locking them down before classes began to get them on the field for spring practice.

Virginia ultimately landed two players that played all the way through mid-January in the National Championship game, with both having to quickly wrap their respective seasons and find a new home, then move to Charlottesville and start classes and workouts. One of those two players was Notre Dame receiver Jayden Thomas, who played for the Irish in the title game on January 20th, and was a Cavalier within a week.

With Notre Dame last year, Thomas played quite a bit as a rotational receiver, and caught 18 passes for 167 yards and a pair of touchdowns, one of those scores coming in the College Football Playoff win over Indiana. In his career in South Bend, Thomas hauled in 64 catches and seven touchdowns, and finished his Notre Dame career with a 33-8 career record.

Thomas, like many transfers, went in the portal seeking a situation that was a fit for him both personally and from a football perspective. But because his season ran so long, he needed to make it happen fast.

“It was insane, honestly,” Thomas said of his quick turnaround from title game to the transfer portal. “I literally came back, the day after I landed in South Bend I was in the portal. It was football, football, football and I never got a break, really. It was kind of stressful but it’s what college football is now. Some people may say it’s a little crazy but it was kind of exciting, looking for a new home.”

Once Thomas was in the portal, he knew he needed to find a new home quickly to enroll for the spring semester. People often compare portal recruiting to speed dating, and for Thomas, things happened quickly. A major factor in UVa’s benefit is a preexisting relationship between player and school. Thomas was coached by current UVa assistant Chris Slade at Pace Academy in Atlanta, and played alongside former UVa QB and grad assistant Jared Rayman.

“It was kind of crazy, the transfer portal in general. It was almost like high school again. I got the call from Slade and he was like ‘we want you,’ and he was just asking me if I was serious about it as an option, and I was like ‘yeah, for sure.’ Things picked up quickly from there and I ended up here in Charlottesville.”

Thomas said that having a few people he knew able to vouch for UVa and try to get him to Charlottesville was a big factor, given the compressed decision timeline he had to work with.

“It was definitely important to know the ins and outs before I got into a program. I think it was definitely a helpful factor, and I think it’s why I liked (UVa) so much, because I knew how safe it was,” Thomas said of how his relationships with Slade and Rayman helped seal the deal. “I have two great relationships here already. So that was definitely a huge factor in me committing here and I’m thankful for the opportunity this university has given me.”

But outside of the relationships, UVa was a strong fit for Thomas anyway. Coming from a Notre Dame program that obviously emphasizes success on the football field but also in the classroom, Thomas was able to see similarities at UVa, and bought into Tony Elliott’s vision for the program as well.

“I just think what Coach Elliott is doing, and what Coach Mims has done for wide receivers in his room. And just the culture of the school; I took a visit and immediately fell in love,” Thomas said of his draw to Virginia. “Just the history, the tradition, it’s similar to what I’m used to, the academics. Everything that me and my family wanted, for my next school and next home.”

Now that he’s on Grounds, Thomas has begun competing for a significant role on this year’s team. Having history in a program that recently competed for a national championship should help Thomas meet the standard required to be excellent at Virginia, and he quickly noticed that his teammates appear to be pushing to raise the bar as well.

“I see a lot of guys out there, whether it's offense, defense or special teams, who just love to compete. That’s what I love about this team; I’m used to playing on teams that love to compete,” Thomas said after a recent spring practice. “And they’ve made me feel like I’m at home here; everyone’s busting their butts out there, high energy. I’m just excited to see what the next step is for this team.”

Thomas knows that nothing is promised in what figures to be a competitive receiver room that includes three transfer additions, some promising true freshmen and a bunch of returning players. But he also knows, from his time at Notre Dame, that the work to earn a role on the 2025 team starts now, in practice.

“I’m just used to competing every day. Every practice, that’s what I’ve done at every level. I’ve always taken practice very serious because if you don’t sharpen your tools, you won’t get better,” the new Cavalier receiver said. “Coach Elliott says iron sharpens iron, so everyone has to give it their all every day if we want to go where we can go.”