QB Armstead enters the transfer portal

By Jerry Ratcliffe

It comes as absolutely no surprise that Virginia third-team quarterback Ira Armstead has entered the transfer portal.

With true freshman Jay Woolfolk coming on strong during practices throughout the season and establishing himself as the backup to starter Brennan Armstrong, there was nowhere for Armstead, a redshirt freshman, to go.

The telling story about Armstead, a dual-threat quarterback from South Bend, Ind., was he lacked as a passer. Playing in nine games this season, he didn’t complete a pass, attempting only two. It seemed that when Armstead dropped back to pass, if the first option wasn’t available, he would tuck it and run. He did have 54 yards rushing in his brief appearances as quarterback.

Virginia has also recruited around him, adding two quarterback commitments to the 2022 signing class, including Liberty Christian QB Davis Lane (Lynchburg) and speedy QB Delaney Crawford from Corona, Calif. In fact, Crawford committed to UVA on Monday. The Cavaliers also have Jacob Rodriguez, a freshman from Texas, who is a dual-threat QB. Rodriguez played some receiving roles this season in order to get on the field.

It was clear that when Brennan Armstrong was injured or came out of games for various reasons, that Woolfolk was Virginia’s guy. Bronco Mendenhall essentially anointed Woolfolk as the Cavaliers’ future quarterback.

Armstead played in four games in 2020 before an injury ended his season in the Miami game.

Four players have now entered the transfer portal, including Tenyeh Dixon (cornerback), Jesiah Davis (receiver) and Jairus Satiu (linebacker).