13 Cavaliers enter portal, including 7 from two-deep

By Jerry Ratcliffe

A total of 13 players, seven of them listed on Virginia’s two-deep depth chart at season’s end, officially entered the transfer portal on Monday, the first day the portal was open.

While everyone was already aware that sophomore quarterback Anthony Colandrea intended on entering the portal, he was joined by several former teammates who plan to transfer.

Starting senior right guard Ty Furnish, his backup, Charlie Patterson (also a senior) and reserve offensive lineman Ugonna Nnanna (graduate), who played several spots on the line, all entered the portal, along with backup wide receiver JR Wilson (who played behind senior starter Malachi Fields) and reserve wide receivers Jaden Gibson, Titus Ivy and KJ Bratton.

Several defensive players also entered the portal, including senior defensive tackle Bryce Carter and senior nose tackle Michael Diatta. Other defensive reserves who entered the portal were defensive end DJ Jones and safety Trent Baker-Booker. Corner Malcolm Greene, who left the team several weeks ago with the intent of transferring, also entered the portal Monday.

Clearly Colandrea is the most notable player to leave the team, having announced his decision only days after he was benched for UVA’s regular-season finale at Virginia Tech.

Nnanna, who transferred to Virginia from Houston, started six games in 2023, and played a major role as a backup at various spots on the O-Line this past season.

Furnish was hobbled by injuries during the ‘24 campaign, but was a key figure on Virginia’s line, starting at right guard. He also had played at center for the Cavaliers, and had 20 career starts under his belt prior to this past season.

Diatta was a key backup on the defensive line, having played in 35 games during his career, including 11 games this season. He had 26 tackles, 12 solos and 1.5 tackles for loss in ‘24.

Wilson was a big wide receiver at 6-foot-4, 212 pounds, who the staff patiently waited on to develop into a threat, but Wilson was held back by injuries this past season. He had 8 catches in 8 games for 121 yards and a touchdown, including a 68-yard play for a score. For his career, Wilson played in 27 games and had seven starts (five in 2023), and had 26 catches for 305 yards.