Breaking down UVA football’s 2026 signing class

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

Virginia football announced the official additions of 14 new ‘Hoos during National Signing Day on Wednesday. 

Half of those commits will enroll early to participate in UVA’s spring practices after this season. Half of the Cavaliers’ commits are also from Virginia, with North Carolina being the second-most frequent representative with two commits. Virginia’s 2026 recruiting class is ranked 17th in the ACC and 78th nationally, according to 247sports’ overall ranking. 

Lets breakdown each of Virginia’s newest and youngest additions to their roster: 

Derek Uran, linebacker/safety, four star, No. 25 LB (Cincinnati, OH) 

Uranis Virginia’s highest-rated prospect according to 247sports. The 6-foot-2 linebacker/safety originally committed to Virginia on June 11 after de-committing from his hometown university, Cincinnati. He was named the 2025 Ohio Prep Media Association Defensive Player of the Year this past season after totaling 20 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks and three forced turnovers for Elder High School.

Alex Dunn, cornerback, three star, No. 65 CB (Rustburg, Va.) 

Dunn has a limited social media presence and hails from the greater-Lynchburg area, specifically Rustburg High School. He grabbed six interceptions during his junior season, returning two of them for touchdowns. Dunn has mostly fallen under the radar as Virginia was his only offer, but head coach Tony Elliot didn’t mind taking a chance on the 6-foot-1 cornerback. 

Elliot said on Wednesday that Virginia defensive coordinator John Rudzinski evaluated Dunn live during one of his high school games.

“[He] felt like, ‘Hey, this is a guy that kind of fits the mold of some of the other players in our previous classes, that we’ve been able to identify as maybe some hidden gems,” Elliot paraphrased. “And I think he’s going to be, once he gets in our weight room with our nutrition and our training, I think we’re going to see something out of him in the future.” 

Dylan Cope, wide receiver, three star, No. 89 WR (Trussville, Al.) 

Cope will be one of the seven early enrollees out of this class. He originally committed to Virginia on June 25 despite holding offers from Georgia, Ole Miss, Tulane and Memphis among others. The 6-foot-2 wide receiver was praised by Elliot during Wednesday’s press conference. 

“Dylan Cope is smooth,” he said. “[He] comes from a great high school program down there in the state of Alabama. Very developed for his age. I anticipate you’ll see him pretty quickly.” 

DaMari Carter, wide receiver, three star, No. 86 WR (Richmond, Va.) 

The 6-foot Carter was named a First Team All-Region wide receiver out of Varina High School this season. He is still competing for a State Championship at Varina at the time this article is written. He committed to Virginia on June 13 with offers from Virginia Tech, App State and Indiana among others. On Wednesday, Elliot mentioned how Carter’s basketball-prowess was a contributing factor to his decision to offer the Richmond, Va. native. 

“DaMari Carter is a guy that I had my eye on for a long time,” he said. “I started out watching him play basketball and saw just the leaping ability, the above-the-rim type of skills, and now you’re starting to see that [in football].” 

JaySean “Bull” Richardson, defensive line, three star, No. 122 DL (Richmond, Va.) 

The 6-foot-1, 300-pound Richardson plays alongside Carter at Varina High School and had similar offers, including Indiana and Virginia Tech. However, the ‘Hoos were able to beat out in-state rival James Madison for the defensive tackle. Richardson is the only defensive lineman in this year’s class. 

Elliot said on Wednesday that Richardson has the play strength to play early in his career, but another trait stood out to him the most. 

“What stood out is he’s a no-nonsense kind of guy,” he said. “He’s a team guy. He’s all about the team. He’s a loyal guy, been committed for a long time, didn’t waver at all. You go watch him play, man, he’s strong, but he’s got good lateral quickness. He can get off of blocks and make plays.

Dallas Brannon, linebacker, three star, No. 134 LB (Charlotte, NC) 

Brannon was one of the more nationally sought after recruits in Virginia’s 2026 class. The 6-foot-2 207-pound linebacker totaled 11 tackles for loss, three sacks and 108 total tackles during his senior season at Independence High School. He was named the 2025 Luke Kuechly High School Defensive Player of the Year, which is given to an outstanding Charlotte-area high school player for their efforts both on and off the field. 

He turned down offers from Duke, Ole Miss, and Miami, among many others. He will also be an early enrollee this coming spring. 

Dylan Biehl, offensive tackle, thee star, No. 93 IOL (Suwanee, Ga.) 

Biehl was the second commit to Virginia’s 2026 class in January. The 6-foot-4, 275-pound tackle held offers from Duke, Florida State and Miami, among others. He was a three-time All-Region selection out of Lambert High School. 

Michael Gildea, offensive tackle, three star, No. 130 OT (Princeton, NJ) 

Gildea was named to the All-New Jersey Prep First-Team as a left tackle this season for the Hun School. The 6-foot-4, 290-pound offensive lineman told 247sports that he was attracted to Virginia’s scheme, which requires athletic blockers. He was offered by Duke, USF and North Carolina, among others. He will enroll early this coming spring. 

Jayden Covil, cornerback, thee star, No. 90 CB (Chesapeake, Va.) 

Covil originally committed to Virginia on July 6 while holding offers from Penn State, James Madison and Virginia Tech, among others. He was recently named a 6A All-Region First-Team defensive back out of Oscar Smith High School, which is still competing for a state title. 

When asked which of the early enrollees could stand out early, Elliot mentioned Covil’s name first. 

“I’m excited to see Covil when he gets here,” he said. “He’s a guy that I believe from a skill set standpoint is different than what we’ve been able to recruit in the last couple of cycles in that he’s a true, pure corner. I mean, everything that he does just says corner. Probably not the biggest guy, but man, he’s physical. Very, very good feet, great instincts.” 

Luke Hatfield, offensive guard, three star, No. 111 IOL (Haymarket, Va.) 

Hatfield was ranked as the 34th player in Virginia, according to 247sports. He became the first linemen out of Prince William County to be named a District Offensive Player of the Year since 2021 this season. He chose Virginia over Air Force, Army and Memphis. 

Jack Rhodes, wide receiver, three star, No. 240 WR (Augusta, Ga) 

Rhodes is another one of the under-the-radar prospects on Virginia’s 2026 class. The 6-foot-2 wide receiver only has a few FBS offers, but has had a productive career out of Aquinas High School, totaling 1,054 receiving yards and 15 receiving touchdowns during his senior season. He also threw for 899 yards and nine touchdowns. He de-committed from Navy to join the Wahoos’ class.

Ely Hamrick, quarterback, three star, No. 116 QB (Asheville, NC) 

The only true quarterback in Virginia’s 2026 class, Hamrick is 247sports’ 61st top player out of North Carolina. He turned down offers from Kentucky, App State and East Carolina, among others, to play for the ‘Hoos. He will enroll early.

“Really excited about Ely,” Elliott said. “He was the first guy who committed in his class. He was also the first one to get his paperwork in one second after 7 a.m…. Super excited about his potential.”

Jae’Oyn Williams, running back/athlete, three star, No. 108 RB/ATH (Baltimore, Md.) 

Williams has played quarterback at Saint Frances Academy, but could find his niche at running back for the ‘Hoos. Still, 247sports reported that he’ll have an opportunity to prove himself as a quarterback. He will also enroll early.

Really, what stood out is we knew we were gonna take a running back and he came to camp, and he worked out at quarterback,” Elliot said. “He also worked out at running back, but showed enough to say, you know what, ‘hey, you can compete at quarterback.’”

Isaiah Harris, cornerback, three star, No. 223 CB (Richmond, Va.) 

Harris was a late commitment to Virginia after de-committing from Old Dominion on Nov. 2. Harris played cornerback and wide receiver at Thomas Jefferson High School, but will join the ‘Hoos as a cornerback. He is listed at 6-foot, 180-pounds. 

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos