Virginia adds to O-Line depth with Dartmouth transfer Sipe

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Virginia added some much-needed depth to its offensive line on Wednesday when the Cavaliers picked up a commitment from one of the better linemen in the Ivy League.

Ethan Sipe, a 6-foot-5, 310-pound grad transfer with two years of eligibility remaining, announced on Twitter that he had committed to UVA. Sipe has a 6-8 wingspan and a 30-inch vertical leap.

The Cavaliers attempted to gain Sipe, a native of Nashville, Tenn., when the 2023 season ended and he entered the portal, but he was out of the country and couldn’t arrange a visit. The big former Dartmouth lineman officially visited Charlottesville over the weekend and liked what he saw.

Sipe started every game for the Big Green the past two years and was one of the top pass protectors in the Ivy League, not giving up a single sack in ‘23. In fact, Dartmouth’s offensive line led the Ivy last season by allowing a mere five sacks for the entire campaign. The Big Green also finished second in the Ivy League the past two seasons in a row in rushing offense.

Other than UVA, Sipe was also offered by Old Dominion, UTEP, Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee, while both Notre Dame and Kansas State offered him preferred walk-on (PWO) status.

Tony Elliott pinpointed beefing up his offensive line, which returns almost intact from the ‘23 season, although many of those linemen missed all or parts of the spring with injuries or recuperating from offseason surgeries.

The addition of former Central Florida/Stanford offensive line transfer Drake Metcalf was slowed when he suffered an Achilles injury and was diagnosed to require six to nine months of recovery time.