The Virginia football team kept its recruiting momentum going in the transfer portal when Drake Metcalf chose the Cavaliers on Thursday. The former Stanford and Central Florida offensive lineman gave UVA its fifth commitment from the portal in this cycle.
Metcalf will be reunited with his position coach from Stanford with this move. He played for coach Terry Heffernan with the Cardinal for two seasons in 2021 and 2022, but transferred to UCF for one season after coaching changes at Stanford. He made 15 appearances under Heffernan’s guidance while in school there.
He announced his decision on social media.
Ready to rock! #GoHoos 🔹🔸🔹🔸 pic.twitter.com/T7JJQT1qgU
— Drake Metcalf 🇺🇸 (@DrakeMetcalf60) December 15, 2023
Metcalf joined receiver Chris Tyree (Notre Dame), tight end Tyler Neville (Harvard), hybrid linebacker Corey Thomas Jr. (Akron) and defensive back Kendren Smith (Pennsylvania) as portal commitments for the Wahoos. Each player fills into a position of need as the coaching staff shows a clear understanding of where some holes exist on the roster from a depth and numbers standpoint. That includes the offensive line where multiple starters played with injuries late in the season and where competition will hopefully raise the play of the entire unit as younger players develop.
Metcalf’s addition should bolster that competition on the interior of the line. The 6’2″, 292-pounder has played both guard and center at times in his career. The Cavaliers shuffled multiple players inside this season with Dayton transfer Brian Stevens eventually taking over the center role full time, while Ty Furnish and Ugonna Nnanna played some at right guard. Noah Josey held down the fort at left guard throughout the season, but could miss spring practices pending injury rehabilitation as he was one of the starters playing hurt late in the season.
Metcalf has two years of eligibility to push for playing time. The 2020 season is a non-counter year as the NCAA froze eligibility for the pandemic. He played in all 12 contests for Stanford in 2021, but then saw action in only 3 games in 2022 to make that a redshirt year. At UCF in 2023, he played in 6 games with 4 starts. Prior to joining the college ranks, he played at St. John Bosco High School and earned 4-star recruiting rankings from Rivals.
Check out highlights for Metcalf here.
