Locker Room Access - Virginia

This year’s college basketball transfer portal season has been the wildest so far.  Certainly for the University of Virginia program dealing with the extreme roster turnover that goes with the territory of a coaching change.  After losing all but two players to the portal, new head coach Ryan Odom has been busy restocking the roster.  There’s been encouraging progress, with still lots of work left to do.   

Celebrate the Returners

The deadline for players to enter the transfer portal was yesterday.  Schools have 48 hours to process requests.  Barring a major surprise, Virginia will have a pair of returning sophomores.  Guard Elijah Gertrude and center Carter Lang. Both coming off a redshirt year.  Gertrude spent this season rehabbing from knee surgery, while Lang chose to redshirt after transferring in from Vanderbilt.  

Those guys have seen three head coaches in six months. All of their other teammates are leaving.  You can bet they’ve had people in their ear advising them to enter the portal too, and likely even had coaches from other schools try to recruit them through backchannels. Yet, they’re still Wahoos. 

Fans celebrate every recruit that commits this time of year.  I hope we’ll be even more appreciative of Gertrude and Lang.  They’ve shown real commitment to UVA.  

Quick Recap

Virginia has added a total of seven new players so far this offseason, five transfers and two incoming high school recruits.  Shooting is the theme.  The one constant among Ryan Odom’s teams has been that they put up a ton of three-pointers.  He’s certainly building a UVA squad to continue that pattern. 

Next season’s starting point guard will most likely be Dallin Hall. The BYU transfer is a true floor general with a 2.5-1 career assist to turnover ratio, and a 36% shooter from deep.  North Dakota State transfer Jacari White has been described as a 3&D combo guard.  He scored over 17 per game this season while hitting from long range at a 40% clip.  And 6’6” wing Sam Lewis was Toledo’s leading scorer at better than 16 per game, hitting 44% of his three-pointers. 

There have been two transfer additions in the frontcourt.  Former UC-Irvine star Devin Tillis, a very skilled 6’7” power forward, averaged 13.7 points and 7.8 rebounds this past season.  He’s another 40% three-point shooter too.  And VCU transfer Martin Carrere followed his coach to Charlottesville.  A 6’8” combo forward from France known for his shooting, he redshirted this year.  

Dallin Hall, Jacari White, and Devin Tillis will all be one-year players at UVA.  Sam Lewis has two years of remaining eligibility, and Martin Carrere is a long term prospect with four years left to play.  

There was also a decommitment sprinkled in.  Oklahoma transfer guard Duke MIles announced for UVA, then backed out four days later after Dallin Hall committed.  Miles is headed for Texas A&M now.  

We can’t forget the two incoming class of 2025 recruits.  St. Anne’s Belfield (VA) point guard Chance Mallory re-committed to his hometown school in late March.  I expect him to carve out a role right away, another elite shooter.  He was joined by Woodside (VA) forward Silas Barksdale, a former VCU commit, in early April.  A pair of in-state recruits right off the bat for Odom, after UVA hadn’t signed one in over a decade.  

Big Budget Hoos

This portal season has been peak craziness, driven by an out of control NIL market. Most of the incoming transfers will be paid more than anyone on last year’s team.  That’s not only happening at UVA, it’s the same all over college basketball.  Hopefully the revenue sharing plan set to be finalized soon will help bring some form of stability.  But for now, the situation is completely out of whack.  Getting an average ACC starter can cost nearly the same as the minimum NBA salary.  

Depending who you choose to listen to, UVA started with somewhere in the $7-9 million range available for next season’s roster. That sounds like a lot, and of course it is, but everyone is well-funded now.  There are a dozen or more teams who will reportedly top the $10M payroll mark. The way things are going, if they’re lucky enough to get the right players, UVA might pass that threshold too. Kentucky is rumored to be approaching $20M.   

Here are the CBB programs that are *estimated* to have spent the most NIL money on incoming transfers this offseason so far.

Michigan 8.8 million
Kentucky 7.6m
Maryland 7.1m
Miami 7.1m
Iowa 6.6m
Virginia 6.2m
Washington 5.9m
Creighton 5.6m
Georgetown 5.5m
Xavier 5.5m

These are…

— Evan Miyakawa (@EvanMiya) April 14, 2025

Evan Miya’s estimates may be a little high, but UVA has definitely shelled out serious money for transfers already.  The four upperclassmen probably averaged over a million dollars each.   All of them committed suddenly, and before visiting.  It’s not hard to guess what brought on those decisions, But again, it’s not just a UVA thing.  The same thing is going on everywhere.  There have never been so many out of nowhere strange commitments as we’ve seen all around college basketball the past few weeks.  

Rumored Big Man

There’s been heavy rumors over the past several days that Odom might be close to landing another of those out of nowhere commitments.  The name being mentioned is Kansas State transfer center Ugonna Onyenso. We’re just waiting to see if anything comes of it.  

A former top 40 ranked recruit, Onyenso played his first two seasons at Kentucky. He led the SEC with 2.8 blocked shots per game as a sophomore. That’s what he does best, one of the better rim protectors in college basketball.  This year didn’t go well for him, posting modest stats in only 11 minutes per game on a disappointing Kansas State team.  So, he’s on the move again with one year to play.  

Awaiting Decisions

Houston transfer Terrance Arceneaux visited this week.  A 6’6” combo forward with two years to play, Arceneaux averaged 6.5 points in 20 minutes per game while helping the Cougars reach a Final Four.  He visited NC State last week. All signs point to a decision coming soon between the Hoos and Wolfpack. 

Kansas transfer wing Rakease Passmore visited recently. The freshman was a prized top 50 high school recruit, but only lightly used in his first college season.  UVA is well-positioned in his recruitment thanks to some helpful connections on the new staff.  His decision may depend on how the roster shapes up though. Passmore has also visited Miami.  

We’re still waiting on a verdict from VCU transfer center Luke Bamgboye too.  I’m not sure how involved UVA is at this point though. He’s since taken other visits to Texas Tech and Grand Canyon. 

It’s been a weird pattern so far. UVA has gotten recruits without visits, and none of transfers that have visited prior to deciding. Hopefully, one of the guys listed above will change that.  

Waiver Needed

It’s no secret that Virginia would be the likely destination as things stand for San Francisco guard Malik Thomas if the NCAA grants him a waiver for another year of eligibility.  He was the West Coast Conference leading scorer this season at 19.9 PPG.  

Thomas only played 18 minutes total as a freshman, and is hoping the NCAA will grant him a redshirt for that season. From what I’ve heard, the UVA side isn’t optimistic about his case.  We’ll see what happens. There are lots of seniors in the portal hoping blanket waivers are handed out.  And if the NCAA bends at all, Thomas would be at the front of the line.  

It’ll be interesting to see how Odom handles the situation. Another guard isn’t a necessity. but UVA would like to add a go-to scorer such as Thomas.  They’re rumored to have offered him upwards of $2 million if he’s cleared.  Odom could use that money to take swings at other high-end guards in the meantime. 

Another somewhat similar situation to watch is with Charleston transfer center Ante Brzovic. He’s suing the NCAA for another season, based on the idea that his freshman year played at the Division II level shouldn’t count.  UVA is one of the teams positioned to be a contender if he wins his case.  The Croatian big man averaged over 18 points this past season. 

New Names

UVA has reached out to several fresh portal entries this week.  All frontcourt players, where the Hoos have the biggest need.  

Texas Tech transfer center Federiko Federiko mentioned Virginia among the list of teams in contact.  You might remember him from his first two college seasons at Pittsburgh.  

Brown grad transfer forward Nana Owusu-Anane is back on the market after decommitting from SMU.  Virginia is in contact.  

And another former ACC player, forward Baba Miller is transferring from Florida Atlantic.  The Spaniard began his college career at Florida State.  UVA and many others were quick to reach out.  

There’s also been talk of involvement with a big man prospect in Europe. Not surprising, given Odom’s history of recruiting overseas. 

The crazy season continues.  Stay with us on Locker Room Access for full recruiting coverage all offseason.  And please take the time to check out our partner Fan Fund, the credit card that gives back to your favorite student-athletes. 

Virginia’s recruiting hot streak continued Friday.  UC-Irvine transfer Devin Tillis announced his commitment to play for the Wahoos,  The 6’7” forward from Los Angeles was a second-team All-Big West selection this season, while averaging 13.7 points and 7.8 rebounds.  He’s a graduate transfer with just one year left to play in Charlottesville. 

GO HOOS!!! #commited pic.twitter.com/7sOL48Zkg9

— Devin Tillis (@devin_tillis) April 11, 2025

Tillis is Virginia's fifth transfer addition in a span of six days.  He joins former Toledo wing Sam Lewis, North Dakota State transfer guard Jacari White, VCU freshman forward Martin Carrere, and former BYU point guard Dallin Hall.  Virginia also lost a commitment today from Oklahoma transfer guard Duke Miles.  

About Devin Tillis

Devin Tillis will be a sixth-year senior.  He began his college career at UNLV in 2020-21, the season that was later ruled as the free covid year.  Tillis transferred to UC-Irvine and redshirted the following season, then played the last three for the Anteaters.  Leaving him with the one extra year still available for the 2025-26 season.  

He’s a very skilled inside-out scorer at the power forward position.  Most of his damage is done on the interior.  He’s also a really good three-point shooter, knocking down just under 40% of his attempts this season.  His offensive game fits really well into Ryan Odom’s analytic-friendly style, as nearly all of Tillis’s scoring comes either from long range or at the rim.  

Tillis played for head coach Russ Turner at UC-Irvine.  Turner and Virginia coach Ryan Odom are both graduates of Hampden-Sydney and good friends. No doubt that connection helped get Tillis to Charlottesville.  Turner’s UC-Irvine teams are known for their tough defense.  So, Tillis comes from a culture that expects great effort on both ends of the floor.  

Another very quick quiet recruitment, and commitment before visiting.  Tillis has only been in the transfer portal since Monday.  There were no reports of which teams he was considering.  Again, it’s the same pattern we’ve seen with other recent Virginia commits.  

He’s obviously a very important addition for Odom and staff.  Virginia has assembled a nice collection of veteran guard transfers.  Now, they have a starting-caliber piece in the frontcourt.  

Virginia’s Recruiting Going Forward

With the addition of Devin Tillis and today’s de-commitment from Oklahoma transfer guard Duke Miles, Virginia has nine projected players on the 2025-26 roster.  They’ll probably add at least four more before it’s over. 

The so-called dead period ended today, meaning recruits can visit again.  Kansas transfer wing Rakease Passmore is expected at UVA this weekend.  He’s a former highly rated recruit out of Combine Academy (NC).  Definitely one to watch.  

There’s been a lot of smoke surrounding San Francisco grad transfer guard Malik Thomas, one of the best pure scorers in the portal. We’ll see if anything comes of that.  

VCU transfer big man Luke Bamgboye still hasn’t decided.  He visited before the dead period.  It seems to be between UVA or staying at VCU. 

Virginia is interested in Houston transfer forward Terrance Arceneaux.  They’re after Alabama transfer forward Jarin Stevenson too.  

Now that the dead period is lifted, there should be other visitors on Grounds.  And as we’ve seen, commitments can happen without visits too.  

The Wrap

UVA badly needed a dependable veteran piece in the frontcourt, particularly a scoring presence.  Devin Tillis checks that box.  Odom continues to assemble  a rotation of quality players out of the transfer portal.  He’s not just trying to rebuild, he wants to compete at the top of the ACC right away.  Still lots of work left to do.  

Stay tuned to Locker Room Access for full coverage of Virginia Basketball recruiting.  We’ll have portal season covered every step of the way.  And please take the time to check out our partner Fan Fund, the credit card that gives back to your favorite student-athletes.  

(Featured Image Credit: UC-Irvine)

The last week has been a blur, just an absolute flurry of transfer commitments for Ryan Odom and Virginia.  All of them during a recruiting dead period without visits taking place.  I’ll recap and then get into what’s ahead. 

New Commitments

It started with Toledo wing Sam Lewis on Saturday, almost out of nowhere. There was at least a mention of UVA interest reported in his case.  He’s a 6’6” wing with two years left to play, averaged 16.2 points and shot 44% from deep this season.  Toledo often used him as a small-ball power forward.  We’ll see what happens with the rest of the roster, but it’s not unthinkable that Odom may use him there at times too.  

Sunday brought a major surprise, North Dakota State transfer guard Jacari White.  He had already named finalists, which did not include UVA.  So, pretty wild out of nowhere commitment.  I’ve seen him described as a 3 & D guard.  He averaged 17.1 points, hitting 39% from three this year.  One year to play.  

It was Duke Mies on Monday, the Oklahoma grad transfer.  He averaged 9.4 points and 2.0 assists this season at Oklahoma, shooting 43% from long range.  Before coming to Oklahoma, he played a season at High Point.  That’s where UVA Associate Head Coach Griff Aldrich became familiar.  His role at Oklahoma was different, playing more off the ball, whereas at High Point he was the primary point guard.  

Two more on Wednesday, starting with VCU transfer Martin Carrere.  A 6’8” combo forward from France, he redshirted this season, still four years left to play.  Essentially, he becomes part of the 2025 recruiting class.  He’s a young guy, only 18, with good size who shoots the ball really well.  VCU sources told me that Odom was really really high on Carrere’s potential, so it’s not surprising that he wanted to bring the sharpshooter along. 

Then Wednesday night came BYU guard Dallin Hall, with one year to play.  He was the starting point guard for BYU his first two years, then his role dipped a little this year.  Pure floor general, averaged over 5 assists last season.  And he shoots the three-ball well, 36%, a common theme here.  Interestingly, Hall is a rising senior who hasn’t yet graduated.  Everyone else above either has multiple years or is a graduate already.  It’s often been difficult for UVA to get transfers like Hall because of the rule that 60 credit hours must be completed at UVA in order to graduate.  So, Hall’s commitment shows it’s not impossible to get those players.  

Everything that’s happened in the last week has been very unusual.  The timing is related to the coming changes in the NIL landscape.  Transfers are being encouraged to get deals done before the NCAA’s final approval of the revenue sharing changes and potential restrictions on outside NIL deals that goes with it.  

The UVA staff is clearly leveraging that to get commitments.  It’s safe to say they’ve overpaid for some of these transfers, coming in with heavy offers that quickly altered their recruitments.  But that’s going on all around college basketball.  There are “strange” commitments happening everywhere.  And in UVA’s case, because they have so many spots to fill, it’s been worth paying a bonus for players they really want so they could move on to the next one. 

The analytics firm that’s been hired to advise, led by UVA alum Michael Schwimer, has been involved in decision-making.  Associate Head Coach Griff Aldrich seems to be the chief deal maker.  He has his hands in everything. But it’s a team effort. The new staff is very much in their element when it comes to portal recruiting.  

Resetting the Roster

Virginia now has nine players on the 2025-26 roster.  They still have a lot of work to do in the frontcourt. We’re probably looking at five more additions total before it’s over, four at minimum.  

Recruiting Period Opens

It seems weird to say that recruiting opens back up Friday, considering all that’s taken place during the so-called dead period.  Recruits can visit again this weekend. I’ve heard UVA is expecting quite a few, six or seven total.  That’s the good news.  The bad news is I don’t know most of their identities. But stay tuned to the forum, that’ll probably get sorted out.  Some of them will be from the list above who’ve already committed.  

We do know that Kansas transfer wing Rakease Passmore is planning to visit, beginning Friday.  The freshman was a former prized recruit out of Combine Academy (NC). Tony Bennett tried to recruit him.  Rakease didn’t play much at Kansas, so he’s looking for a fresh start.  From what I’ve heard UVA is the heavy favorite here.  He played for Team Loaded AAU, where Virginia’s new Director of Recruiting Ahmad Thomas used to help coach. That relationship has the Hoos well-positioned with Passmore. 

There is a lot of smoke surrounding San Francisco grad transfer guard Malik Thomas, the West Coast Conference leading scorer this season (19.9 PPG).  UVA came in with a big offer like they did with most of the other recent commits.  When word of that got out, fans noticed that he and people close to him began following UVA accounts on social media.  The assumption was that a deal got done as it did with the others.  But so far, no announcement.  He’s a complicated recruit because he’ll need a waiver, and is also testing the NBA Draft.  So hopefully it’s just a temporary hold up.  We’ll be monitoring the situation closely for sure.  Unless or until we see signs of other teams involved again, it looks good.  But as we know, that can happen quickly.   

We’re still waiting on a verdict from VCU freshman center Luke Bamgboye (3.8 PPG).  He visited before the dead period.  VCU sources believe the odds slightly favor him deciding to stay there, as teammate Brandon Jennings did.  It could go either way though.  Virginia needs several frontcourt pieces, and Bamgboye would be a nice start if he chooses to follow Odom.  

New portal entry Terrance Arceneaux (6.5 PPG) from Houston is one to watch for sure.  He’s a 6’6” combo forward, predominantly used as a power forward at Houston this season.  UVA’s Griff Aldrich has connections to people around him, from his days in the Houston area.  The Hoos will be going after him. Two years left to play. 

Florida State transfer center Malique Ewin (14.2 PPG) included Virginia in his top five, announced Thursday.  There’s been noise tying him to Arkansas the past week.  He hasn’t committed yet, so we’ll see.  So while I do believe Arkansas is the favorite, it’s not over and UVA might actually be the leading alternative. The other finalists are Auburn, Mississippi State, and Kansas.  

A familiar name is in the portal, Alabama forward Jarin Stevenson (5.4 PPG). Virginia has been reported as one of the teams involved.  And according to a good source, the Hoos are in full pursuit.  He’s from the Raleigh area.  NC State is probably the main competition, maybe North Carolina.  UNC may not have room if they get another transfer that’s expected to commit there  

After that, it’s a lot of maybes and reports of interest.  

College of Charleston big man Ante Brzovic (18.4 PPG)  included Virginia in his list of interested parties. He’s currently suing the NCAA to be granted another year of eligibility.  He’ll probably get it in the end, but it’s a complicated situation.  Even more so for Syracuse big man Eddie Lampkin (11.5 PPG0 is a lot less likely to be granted another year. 

High Point center Juslin Bodo Bodo (5.3 PPG) is a possibility. His coach was just hired as an assistant at Creighton though, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he followed.  Texas A&M-Corpus Christi forward Gerry Clark (14.9 PPG) mentioned UVA.  I believe Virginia has at least contacted Robert Morris big man Alvaro Folgueiras (14.1 PPG), a very popular recruit. 

Back to a little bit of a normalized process this week with visits allowed again.  We’ll see who the coaching staff is able to get on Grounds and what other news may break.  Be sure to check the forum for updates, as things move quickly.  Thanks for subscribing to Locker Room Access.