By Jerry Ratcliffe

On Monday morning, Virginia fans were wondering what was going to happen to the Cavaliers’ offense. Chandler Morris was denied a seventh year of eligibility and his backup, Danny Kaelin, signed with Nebraska.

Woila.

By the end of Tuesday night, UVA has two quarterbacks, both with starting experience on the Power 4 level.

Virginia, which had gained a commitment from former Missouri starting quarterback Beau Pribula on Monday, added another strong signal caller on Tuesday with former Pitt starting QB Eli Holstein.

UVA didn’t stop there, adding Southern Cal offensive tackle Alex Payne, a former 4-star, to the Cavaliers’ roster to protect those two QBs.

Holstein (6-foot-4, 225 pounds) was a bigtime recruit out of Zachary, Louisiana, in 2023, signed by Alabama’s Nick Saban as the No. 7 QB prospect in the nation in that ‘23 class.

Holstein has two years of eligibility remaining.

In 2024, Holstein transferred to Pitt, where he won the starting job in fall camp and led the Panthers to a 7-2 record before he suffered a leg injury. Pitt, which started 7-0, lost its last six games.

During that season, Holstein threw for 2,225 yards and 17 touchdowns (7 interceptions), completing 62 percent of his passes (180 for 291). He also rushed for 328 yards (second on the team) on 81 carries and 3 TDs. He led the Panthers to a pair of early-season comebacks, overcoming a 27-6 deficit against Cincinnati in the third quarter, winning 28-27. He also directed a comeback against West Virginia, scoring two touchdowns in the final four minutes to prevail 38-34.

His 17 TDs and four 300-yard passing games tied for third-most by a Pitt freshman since Alex Van Pelt in 1989.

Pitt started out 2-0 last season, then lost to West Virginia in overtime, and Holstein struggled to finish that game and struggled the following week vs. Louisville, with Coach Pat Narduzzi deciding to make a quarterback change at halftime. Still, Holstein passed for 1,081 yards and 12 TDs (six interceptions) and completed 62 percent of his passes for the season.

Meanwhile, Payne is a 6-5, 305-pound wide body, originally a 4-star out of Gainesville, Ga. He was the No. 124 player in the nation by 247Sports coming out of high school and the No. 16 offensive tackle in the country, the No. 17 prospect out of the state of Georgia.

He was a freshman at USC this past season and was expected by the Trojans to become a foundational player in the future of its offensive line.