CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Beau Pribula will be Virginia’s starting quarterback this season. In case UVA sending him to Charlotte to represent the program at ACC media days Wednesday wasn’t enough of an indicator, coach Tony Elliott confirmed the decision during media sessions.

In fact, Elliott said he told the team that Pribula would be the starter earlier this summer. That means the Missouri transfer will be able to establish himself in that role when the Cavaliers open camp, developing chemistry with the first-team offense and exerting a level of leadership that can be challenging without holding the official title of starter.

“Since the day I arrived at Virginia, (Offensive Coordinator Des Kitchings) has been super collaborative, probably the most collaborative I’ve been around as far as a coordinator,” Pribula said Wednesday in Charlotte. “He’s always kind of picking my brain and vice versa. Just the other day we were in the QB room drawing up different plays that I ran in the past that I’ve been comfortable with. He’s great from that aspect and always trying to find the ways to make me more comfortable.”

For UVA, like many teams in the ACC and across college football, that’s about as good a situation as one could hope for.

Of the ACC’s 17 teams, 11 are expected to start a transfer quarterback when the season kicks off. That list includes signal callers with a varying degree of experience in college football, in the ACC and with their coaches.

Pribula spent three seasons at Penn State in the Big Ten, then transferred to Missouri last year, where he was the Tigers starter in the SEC. But, outside of spring practice, he’s a newcomer to UVA and coach Tony Elliott.

The biggest names in the conference – at quarterback, at least – are familiar ones. North Carolina State – UVA’s season-opening opponent – brings back C.J. Bailey, SMU returns Kevin Jennings and Cal managed to retain Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele.

“I was thinking like, ‘Why would I go anywhere else to learn a new offense, build a new relationship with other people, when I got a good home right now, right here?” Bailey said Wednesday in Charlotte. “They going to prepare me for the next level. I’m ready to win with those guys.”

Darian Mensah stayed in the conference, though he jumped from Duke to Miami.

“We were in the market for a quarterback,” Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal said. “We felt the team was really set in so many areas. When Darian hit the portal, we felt this is a guy we would love to pursue. Watching crossover tape with so many opponents we faced, we saw his level of talent and play. What really took us by surprise in a great way is what an incredible young man he is. His levels of leadership, care factor, time invested in his craft, football IQ, just natural human IQ, just an elite person along with the guys beside him.”

Pittsburgh returns Mason Heintschel, whose elevation to starter led to Eli Holstein’s offseason transfer to Virginia, and Syracuse gets Steve Angeli back from injury. Clemson is expected to make two-year backup Chris Vizzina its starter behind center.

But after that, most teams are in Virginia’s situation – taking a flyer on a transfer quarterback and pinning the hopes of their season on that signal caller.

Florida State is likely to do that with Auburn transfer Ashton Daniels, who started his career at Stanford. Georgia Tech added the younger brother of Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, Alberto, from Indiana. At North Carolina, Bill Belichick is turning to Wisconsin transfer Billy Edwards Jr. Virginia Tech’s James Franklin brought Ethan Grunkemeyer with him from Penn State.

And so on, and so on.

A year ago, Virginia struck gold with that approach. They added North Texas transfer Chandler Morris and the rest is UVA Athletics history. Morris quarterbacked Virginia to an 11-3 record and a spot in the ACC title game.

Of course, Morris was no stranger to Elliott. Morris’s father, Chad, a former and one-again coordinator at Clemson, worked with Elliott and Elliott knew Chandler since he was a young boy.

The familiarity with Pribula doesn’t run as deep. Although, the quarterback did get a good look at Virginia during the Cavaliers’ Gator Bowl victory over his former team, Missouri, last season.

“I had zero idea I would be headed to Virginia at the time they played Missouri,” Pribula said.

In the portal era, it’s hard to know what the future holds.