CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – The University of Virginia football program added 19 recruits on the first day of the fall signing period, with six of them hailing from Virginia. Defensive end Evan Ward was the last to commit, announcing his signing after head coach Tony Elliott’s press conference. Among the recruits are two quarterbacks: 6-foot-1 Cole Geer and 6-foot-3 Bjorn Jurgensen. Geer, who played at Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts, dealt with a hand injury this fall but still impressed the coaching staff.

“The athleticism, the competitor, that’s what we fell in love with in the beginning,” Elliott said.

Jurgensen, from Bishop Moore Catholic High School in Orlando, Fla., joined the recruiting class later in the process.

“He was a guy we got on a little bit later in the recruiting process because we knew we were going to take two [quarterbacks] in the class,” Elliott said. “He had a monster season down in Florida. We had to work hard to keep some of the bigger guys off of him, so to speak.”

Elliott added that the two quarterbacks bring complementary skills to the team. “A little bit different, but they complement each other well,” he said. “Excited for those guys to get here in the summer and compete.”

Six players in the recruiting class will enroll early and participate in spring practice: wide receivers Josiah Abdullah and Dillon Newton-Short, tight end Justin Zames, offensive lineman Jim Harris Jr., defensive tackle Sichan John, and defensive back Corey Costner.

The Cavaliers are navigating transitions at the quarterback position. Fifth-year senior Tony Muskett has completed his eligibility, and sophomore Anthony Colandrea announced he is entering the transfer portal.

“Unfortunate situation with AC,” Elliott said. “The intention with the decision I made [for the Virginia Tech game] was never to get him to entertain or think about the portal. I was planning on him coming back and being the guy for us going forward.

“Things change. Now we will have to go and look and find a veteran guy in the portal. We’re going to be aggressive from that standpoint, because I think we got a lot to sell. I wish AC well. He’s leaving here on good terms. There’s no bad blood from my perspective … I was excited about getting back to work this offseason and helping to get him to a place of getting his confidence back at the highest level. Also, I knew that I have a responsibility this offseason to go put some more pieces in place around him. Unfortunately, we’ll be doing that with another veteran quarterback through the portal process.”

The transfer portal opens next week, and UVA is expected to prioritize finding experienced players to strengthen its roster for the 2025 season.