Portal news: UVA gains a linebacker; loses Herard and Rawlings

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Virginia added two players from the NCAA transfer portal on Monday, but two more Cavaliers announced they had entered the portal.

The Cavaliers got a commitment from former Akron outside linebacker, grad transfer Corey Thomas Jr., originally from Pittsburgh. Thomas, who has one year of eligibility remaining, is 6-foot-4, 215 pounds.

UVA also gained a commitment from Harvard tight end Tyler Neville, a 6-4, 235-pound standout, who helped lead the Crimson to the Ivy League title. Neville, who is originally from Williamsburg (Lafayette High School), was a two-time, first-team All-Ivy League tight end. He hauled in 24 receptions for 283 yards and four touchdowns in 2023 and posted 62 receptions in his 30-game Harvard career, for 698 yards and eight scores.

Neville was a “good get” for Coach Tony Elliott’s staff with Grant Misch’s eligibility having expired and Josh Rawlings transferring. In fact, it would appear that Neville is an upgrade at the position for an offense that desperately needed a third receiver to emerge, but that didn’t happen. Neville was a hot prospect in the transfer portal with Virginia beating out South Carolina, UCLA, Colorado, Houston, TCU and Boston College for his services.

Because of the Ivy League’s rigid eligibility regulations, Neville, a graduate, couldn’t return to Harvard and quickly became a target for recruiters nationally. Elliott’s Cavaliers offered him and he visited two weeks ago. Elliott and offensive coordinator Des Kitchings flew to Massachusetts on Monday for an in-person visit. Neville announced his commitment to Virginia on Monday night via his social media.

Meanwhile, Akron’s Thomas posted 51 tackles (28 solo), had 4.5 tackles for loss, a fumble recovery, and broke up three passes. In 2022, he played in 10 games and had 12 tackles, while in 2021, Thomas played in 11 games, including four starts and had 29 tackles. He was an Academic All-MAC selection both years.

Thomas was a three-star at Penn Hills HS, and was rated the No. 19 overall prospect in Pennsylvania his senior season.

Meanwhile, two more UVA players have entered the portal: part-time starting cornerback Dave Herard and reserve tight end Josh Rawlings. Both are seniors.

Herard, from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., had 40 tackles in 11 games (seven starts), 25 solo tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble. Herard, a 3-star prospect out of high school, appeared in 20 games at Virginia during his career.

Rawlings, a 6-6 tight end from Pittsburgh, appeared in 26 games for UVA and played in all 12 games this past season . He had two receptions for 10 yards, one of those a 9-yard TD reception against Georgia Tech.

UVA has had 12 players enter the portal thus far, and only one (as of Monday afternoon) had committed elsewhere. Safety Lex Long has committed to South Florida.