Virginia picked up a verbal commitment from three-star wide receiver Josiah Teasley last week, adding another offensive weapon to the Class of 2026.

Teasley’s high school football career started during his junior year at Quince Orchard in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The three-sport athlete ran track & field and played small forward in basketball, but soon switched his focus primarily to football. His dedication on the gridiron paide off, as he helped the Cougars win the Class 4A State Championship in 2024, just his second season.

While Teasley was initially committed to Howard for the Class of 2025, he made the decision to reclass and transfer following the 2024 season. In a recent interview with CavsCorner, he said he made this decision because he had missed his first two years of football and trusted himself and his ability to earn “better opportunities.” After a brief stint at Riverdale Baptist, he moved on to St. James Academy, where he will play his final high school season this fall.

Shortly after joining St. James, Teasley and his new team competed in the 2025 Sabre Showcase, a 24-team, 7-on-7 tournament run by UVA football. It was the first time its staff got a look at Teasley, and he did not disappoint, scoring 17 total touchdowns for St. James en route to its tournament win.

Head coach Tony Elliott and his staff began recruiting the receiver soon after, and it wasn’t long into his first visit before they left an impression on him.

“It feels like as soon as I got there, it felt like home,” he said. “As soon as I got to the hotel, all the coaches were there to greet me. It felt like a family.”

That sense of family and community stuck with him as his recruitment continued. He mentioned how Elliott talked about trying to cultivate a family-like community. Teasley added that he was telling the truth, describing the program’s culture and coach as a “beautiful vibe to be around.”

“It's a beautiful place,” he said of UVA, “even the community outside of the players and the coaches, it’s just beautiful, like it's all right, just feels like home, and it's not too far from home either.”

Teasley also got to talk with fellow Class of 2026 quarterback commit Ely Hamrick, incoming freshman wide receiver Josiah Abdullah and sophomore receiver Kameron Courtney, among others. Teasley will join them in 2026 as the program continues to move through its rebuild, a fact that the future Wahoo is well aware of.

“They're definitely rebuilding it, I want to be a part of that rebuild,” Teasley said, “so it's the perfect opportunity.”

But first, Teasley will have to finish his final season at St. James, while the Wahoos will look to improve upon last year’s 5-7 finish and become bowl eligible for the first time since 2019. Still, Teasley expressed his excitement to join UVA in 2026.

“I'm excited to be up there,” he said. “I'm just excited to ball, excited to show it in front of the fans, and hopefully they can hear my name. It's gonna be beautiful.”