Virginia acquires Unamba, much-needed OT from New Mexico/Kentucky

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Virginia missed on Wallace Unamba the first go-around, but nabbed the big offensive tackle on Sunday, signing the former Kilgore-Florida Atlantic-New Mexico-Kentucky lineman to its transfer portal class, now numbering 22.

Unamba, a 6-foot-6, 335-pound redshirt senior with one year of eligibility remaining, decided on UVA, signing on Easter Sunday. He flirted with the Cavaliers back in December, but instead signed with Kentucky, participated in spring ball, then bolted and is now a Wahoo.

While at Kentucky, Unamba worked at both right guard and right tackle, playing with the first and second O-Line units. At the end of spring, the Wildcats signed several new linemen via the portal, and projections were that Unamba would be the backup right guard, sending him quickly into the portal.

Last season, Unamba played for Bronco Mendenhall at New Mexico, where he started 10 games at right tackle and did not permit a single quarterback sack. The season before that (2023), he played at Florida Atlantic.

Unamba spent his first three seasons of college football at Kilgore Junior College in Texas, where he was a two-time NJCAA All-American and in his last two seasons at Kilgore, he didn’t surrender a single sack. He is a native of Kilgore, Texas.

Certainly Unamba fills a need with projected right tackle Monroe Mills — a transfer from Louisville — suffering a torn ACL midway through spring drills, which will cause him to miss the 2025 season. UVA’s returning right tackle, Blake Steen, hit the transfer portal after the Cavaliers’ spring game, leaving a void at the position, which Unamba should fill.