UVA gets OL commit for class of 2026

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Virginia added its fourth commitment to its recruiting class of 2026 on Thursday morning when offensive lineman Michael Gildea of the Hun School announced on social media that he is a Cavalier.

The 6-foot-5, 290-pound, 3-star chose Virginia over offers from North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Duke, Pitt, Boston College, Wake Forest, Rutgers, Vanderbilt, USF and ODU.

A captain at the Hun School in Princeton, N.J., Gildea has played tackle, but projects as a guard in UVA’s system. He built a strong relationship with Cavaliers offensive line coach Terry Heffernan.

Gildea is rated the No. 77 offensive tackle prospect in the country and the No. 19 overall prospect in the state of New Jersey by the 247Sports composite rankings. Rivals has him No. 83 and 15, respectively, while On3 rates him No. 88 and No. 16.

He visited UVA on Junior Day last January and was offered, then returned for the spring game.

Gildea is the second offensive lineman to commit to UVA’s 2026 class.

The Wahoos also gained a late commitment to the 2025 class on Wednesday when Woodberry Forest’s Lukas Sanker, the younger brother of former Virginia star safety Jonas Sanker, announced he had flipped his commitment from Harvard to UVA.

Lukas Sanker is a 6-0, 180-pound defensive back who also was pursued by Duke and JMU.

His brother Jonas was an All-ACC player for Virginia last season and was drafted by the New Orleans Saints.