UVA gains second portal commit in one day, adding Stanford/UCF lineman Metcalf

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Posted on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023, 11:24 pm

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By Jerry Ratcliffe

Photo: UCF Athletics

Two former members of Stanford’s football team have been reunited on the East Coast in Tony Elliott’s Virginia football program.

Drake Metcalf, who played three years at Stanford for offensive line coach Terry Heffernan (now UVA’s O-line coach), announced on his Twitter account Thursday night that he has committed to the Cavaliers. Metcalf has two years of eligibility remaining and can play any position on the line.

He is transferring from Central Florida (UCF), where he played both center and guard in six games for the Knights this past season. Prior to his UCF experience, Metcalf played in 15 games at Stanford — three (one start) in 2022 and 12 in 2021. He made the Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll both seasons after redshirting in 2020.

Metcalf left Stanford following the 2022 season when Coach David Shaw was fired. That’s when Heffernan came to UVA, and now the two can work together again.

Prior to leaving Stanford, Metcalf worked for the office of Condoleezza Rice.

Originally from Orange, Calif., Metcalf was a 4-star prospect out of St. John Bosco High School, where he was a consensus top-40 player in California and was ranked the No. 5 center in the nation by Rivals. He was offered out of John Bosco by Oregon, TCU, USC and Northwestern, but chose Stanford.

He was UVA’s second pickup out of the portal on Thursday, joining Penn cornerback Kendren Smith. Metcalf is the fifth commitment from the portal along with Smith, Notre Dame wide receiver Chris Tyree, Harvard tight end Tyler Neville and Akron linebacker Corey Thomas.