CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – For the third time in four years, Virginia will go into spring football practice with an open competition at the quarterback position. The Cavaliers have added Missouri’s Beau Pribula and Pittsburgh’s Eli Holstein through the transfer portal this week.

That duo is expected to compete for the starting position in spring practice. The wildcard remains last year’s starter, Chandler Morris. Morris applied for an NCAA waiver to play a seventh year, but was denied in December. His appeal is still pending.

With or without Morris, UVA will have its first true competition at quarterback under coach Tony Elliott and offensive coordinator Des Kitchings since Tony Muskett and Anthony Colandrea competed for the job ahead of both the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

Muskett won the job in 2023, but suffered injuries that opened the door for Colandrea to start six games that season. In 2024, Colandrea started 11 games before Muskett got the start against rival Virginia Tech in the season finale. Colandrea transferred to UNLV after that season.

In 2025, Morris transferred to UVA from North Texas and led the Cavaliers to one of the best seasons in program history. The Cavaliers went 11-3, their most wins ever, and won the ACC’s regular-season title. They lost in the ACC title game to a Duke team it had beaten three weeks earlier.

That loss kept Virginia from a spot in the College Football Playoff. Instead, it played in the Gator Bowl, defeating a Missouri team that played without its starting quarterback – Pribula.

Monday, Pribula – who spent two seasons at Penn State backing up Drew Allar before moving to Missouri last year – committed to Elliott and UVA. ‘

A day later, Holstein – who redshirted at Alabama in 2023, then jumped to Pitt where he started 10 games in 2024 and the first four games of 2025 – also committed to the Cavaliers, setting up the competition.

In the 6-foot-2, 210-pound Pribula, Virginia added a quarterback comfortable running RPO-style and quick-pass offenses.

He completed 67.4% of his throws for the Tigers, passing for 1,941 yards with 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Running Missouri’s wide zone offense, Pribula also rushed for 297 yards and six scores,

Holstein is an even bigger QB, at 6-4, 225. During his two years at Pitt, he threw for 3,309 yards and 29 touchdowns, with 13 interceptions, while completing 61.8% of his attempts. He ran for 416 yards and four scores.

Virginia actually faced Holstein in 2024 with Pittsburgh. He went 10 for 23 for 121 yards in a 24-19 UVA win.

Whichever player wins the starting job, he’ll take the reins of an offense that averaged 30.8 points and 417.9 yards per game, ranking seventh and fourth in the ACC in those categories.

It’s a unit that appears to have reloaded through the portal, while retaining some key pieces.

Virginia retained five key offensive linemen in Drake Metcalf, Noah Josey, McKale Boley, Noah Hartsoe and Monroe Mills, who missed the last season with an injury. It added USC transfer tackle Alex Payne.

Following a huge season from transfer J’Mari Taylor, UVA restocked its the running back group with Peyton Lewis (Tennessee), Jekail Middlebrook (Middle Tennessee) and Solomon Beebe (UAB).

At wide receiver, Jahmal Edrine is returning and UVA adds UCLA’s Rico Flores Jr.