Happy Portal Day everyone, figured Iād make a dedicated thread to help easier track all thatās gonna be going on over the next couple days/weeks with the portal window officially opening. Will try my best to update this first post with relevant names as we go along, but bear with me if itās not immediate.
And a personal list of guys Iād like to see us reach out to:
QB Malachi Singleton, Arkansas (Three years left)
QB Devin Brown, Ohio State (Two years left)
QB Mikey Keene, Fresno State (One year left)
QB Braylon Braxton, Marshall (One year left)
QB Darian Mensah, Tulane (Three years left)
QB Preston Stone, SMU (if he enters) (One year left)
QB Avery Johnson, Kansas State (if he enters) (Two years left)
RB AJ Turner, Marshall (Two years left)
RB Demond Claiborne, Wake Forest (if he enters) (Two years left)
TE Tanner Koziol, Ball State (One year left)
LB Nate Johnson, Appalachian State (Two years left)
CB Matthew McDoom, Coastal Carolina (One year left)
Yeah itās REAL heavy on QB prospects, but we gotta add someone and thereās a lot of good options available. Avery Johnson and Demond Claiborne are both rumors as it currently stands, but there is some smoke behind them. And Preston Stone is a guess but also the writing is very much on the wall for him at SMU, would be very surprised if he doesnāt enter.
I suppose we can find difference makers and upgrades at this time? I would think that many do not pop up until after bowl season and season exit meetings with coaches.
Itāll come in waves. Thereāll be a ton of entries as it first opens up, then itāll slow down until more and more bowl games finish up and more teamsā seasons end.
Am cautiously optimistic about who weāll be able to land and retain this offseason. The newly found funds from that anonymous donor have apparently opened up a ton of opportunities for our NIL game, so maybe weāll be able to swim in a deeper end of the pool this time around.
Whether or not that new roster is properly utilized by the staff is a whole other conversation, but for now best to stay positive.
I think so? When I checked 247ās transfer portal list earlier they had Aiden Gobaira from ND listed, even though heās also medically retired from football.
Avery Johnson would be a dream, very hot commodity if he did enter but we were in the race for him when he was in HS.
Iām very intrigued by Malachi Singleton from Arkansas. Another guy we offered/pursued in HS, he came in after an injury to help Arky beat Tennessee earlier this year and Razorback fans thought he shouldāve been the starter at QB over Taylen Green. Youād be banking on upside much more than production but heās a true dual threat and someone I really like, hope we make a push for him.
I like Singleton but I feel like my UVA fandom wonāt allow me to believe that he could come to UVA and fulfill his potential. Feels like like itās a lock we are running the Simms experiment back.
I get that, the one thing I keep fighting myself over is my dream of a true dual threat QB leading an effective run heavy offense for us next season, but then the reality hits that itāll likely never come to fruition the way I want with Des as our OC.
Iām with you. Iām all in on the idea of a dual threat and moving to a RPO based system. But you nailed it, if Des is calling the plays it doesnāt matter. More vanilla out routes to the boundary.
