CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – A year ago, Virginia football had its most successful season ever on the backs of a transfer-infused roster that came together just months before the opening game.

Tuesday, following a less complete but still significant overhaul, the Cavaliers opened spring practice hoping to recapture that same magic with their cast of new magicians, including 27 transfers.

“That’s one of the first things I noticed the first couple of weeks I’ve been here, the culture of the team and how close everyone is,” said quarterback Beau Pribula, a transfer from Missouri. “You have to be close off the field if you want to be a good team on the field.”

That certainly played out last season as UVA won the ACC’s regular-season title and came within a conference championship game loss to Duke of reaching the College Football Playoff.

The offense was led by transfers at quarterback, running back and on the offensive line. Virginia returns four likely starters up front but will be working in newcomers at center, running back and quarterback, where Pribula will compete with Pittsburgh transfer Eli Holstein.

Defensively, UVA returns a lot on the defensive line and at linebacker, including star Kam Robinson who is out for spring as he recovers from a knee injury, but will once again be largely remaking its defensive backfield.

Elliott said last season showed him the importance of getting more 11-on-11 practice repetitions, while also managing the workload for a team loaded with veterans.

“It’s still different because it’s a new team,” coach Tony Elliott said. “So, we’re proceeding very similar structure-wise to how we did last spring, but also being conscious of the high rep guys that we brought in. So, just really trying to figure out who this group is, but you got to get out there, you got to run around, you got to see what you got.”

The team has been having dinners together on Fridays and has held a few other team-wide social gatherings since the semester started. Pribula, who started his career at Penn State before becoming the starting quarterback at Missouri, said it quickly became evident that was part of the culture of the program – everyone spends time together.

“We’ve had a couple of hangouts as a football team and a lot of the guys came out,” said offensive lineman Monroe Mills, who transferred to UVA before last season, then sat out the year with an injury. “I already feel great chemistry. Everyone’s been pretty tight, honestly.”

The personality of every team is different and Elliott knows that will be the same for the 2026 Cavaliers. But he and his staff worked to bring in players that fit the program’s culture as they assembled this roster.

If there was a secret sauce to 2025, it was chemistry, and Elliott and company want to replicate that recipe as closely as possible.

“That fit matters,” Elliott said. “I think you can get enamored with ability, especially with the portal, but fit matters. So, you have to try and find that balance of guys that improve the talent level, but at the same time fit the institution, fit the program, fit the team, and are willing to come together as a team.”