Virginia Football Notes: OL Transfer Andrew Canelas Commits

By: Kris Wright |

The Virginia football team picked up a transfer addition to the roster at a position of need this weekend. Offensive lineman Andrew Canelas, a sophomore with four years of eligibility remaining, committed to the Cavaliers from Lehigh on Saturday.

Canelas joined seven other transfers to move to the Hoos this offseason. Defensive end Jack Camper (Michigan State), defensive lineman Paul Akere (Columbia), defensive lineman Kam Butler (Miami of Ohio), defensive lineman Devontae Davis (South Carolina), offensive lineman John Paul Flores (Dartmouth), running back Cody Brown (Miami of Florida), and receiver Devin Chandler (Wisconsin) previously transferred in to the program. Offensive lineman Mac Hollensteiner (Georgetown) originally indicated he would transfer to UVA as well, but recently told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that he is staying at Georgetown.

Canelas announced his transfer on Twitter.

Virginia lost all five starters from the 2021 offensive line and key substitute in the offseason. Olu Oluwatimi (Michigan), Bobby Haskins (Southern Cal), Ryan Swoboda (Central Florida), and Joe Bissinger (Southern Methodist) all transferred out this winter, while Chris Glaser and Ryan Nelson have decided to pursue professional football careers. Glaser signed with the Chiefs this spring. With Hollensteiner now not coming, the overall attrition continued to make offensive line a position of need on the roster. The Cavaliers spent much of the spring practice period with fewer than 10 healthy linemen available.

UVA originally recruited and offered Canelas out of Leesville Road High School in North Carolina so he was a logical transfer target once he entered the portal. The 6’9”, 315-pound lineman did not appear in any games last season but he earned all-state honors in high school. A three-star recruit in 2021, he will be one of eight new linemen with the Hoos as they infuse the roster with more depth and competition.

Dontayvion Wicks Turns In Big Spring

Virginia receiver Dontayvion Wicks turned in a record-setting season this fall.

Wicks became UVA’s single-season record holder for receiving yards with 1,203 on the season as he passed legend Herman Moore, who had 1,190 yards in 1990. He became just the fifth Cavalier with 1,000 receiving yards in a season and matched Moore by getting there the quickest (10 games). He also tied Germane Crowell for the most games with 100+ receiving yards in a single season for the Hoos with six.

The sophomore receiver had the team’s longest play from scrimmage (77 yards vs. Georgia Tech) in 2021 and led the ACC (fifth nationally) at 21.1 yards per reception. The production led to First Team All-ACC honors last fall and he’s on the preseason first team released by Athlon Sports as well. The Pro Football Network had him as an honorable mention All-American in 2021.

So how did Wicks follow that up this spring? The Louisiana wideout posted a strong 3.2 GPA in the classroom!

That fit in with full department success for the Cavaliers. Virginia reported a 3.2 GPA as the cumulative mark in the spring for its student-athletes.

Virginia Safety Javin Burke Enters Portal

As noted above with the incoming O-Line transfer, the Cavaliers saw quite a bit of action in the transfer portal in December when former coach Bronco Mendenhall resigned. In the months since, the program has not seen as much activity in the portal with outgoing players early in the Tony Elliott era. Late last week, however, a Virginia name entered his name.

Sophomore safety Javin Burke appeared in the portal on Friday. He committed as part of the 2021 class and enrolled in January of last year out of Bradley Central High School in Tennessee. Burke did not play in any games in 2021. A cornerback and quarterback in high school, he joined the Cavaliers as a 3-star recruit.

The transfer decision came from a somewhat crowded position group, particularly within the 2021 recruiting class. Burke, Jonas Sanker, Aidan Ryan, Micah Gaffney, William Simpkins III, and Langston Long all landed in the defensive backfield from that class. Sanker and Long saw some time as freshmen last fall, while Simpkins had some notable moments this spring and Ryan caught the eyes of fans at the Virginia Blue-White Spring Game. Throw in the fact that some of the listed upperclassmen at defensive back – take senior Antonio Clary or junior corner Fentrell Cypress II as examples – have bonus eligibility available due to the pandemic and a path to playing time could have been challenging.

Virginia did not slot any signees at defensive back in the 2022 class initially, but has taken a commit from 2023 prospect Jarvis Lee out of Florida. He is projected at defensive back.

3 Responses You are logged in as Test

  1. Good article, fun to think about their being a surplus of talent at the DB position. At the end of the season, was sure this was the main area that needed an infusion of new blood but the Spring showed there is talent back there. Sucks to see Burke leave and wish him well.

Comments are closed.