With Virginia set to return all of its players with eligibility for the 2026-27 season, there are just a handful of graduated players leaving the roster. This feat achieved by Coach Ryan Odom represents an unusual degree of continuity in the portal era.
Still, those now-empty spots demand to be filled by capable transfers who can fulfill, or exceed, the role vacated by the previous Cavaliers. The 2025-26 Virginia roster was one that reached the ACC Tournament final and the second round of the NCAA tournament, where a difficult loss at the hands of a tough and well-coached Tennessee ended the whirlwind of a season.
Expectations will be high. Odom and his staff impressed in year one, playing a brand of basketball characterized by pace, movement and pressure. Building a wishlist of players that fit that system and are accessible with Virginia’s admittedly bountiful resources will require first weeding out players that embody a set of simple parameters, before narrowing down to a few enticing names.
With all of that in mind, the heuristic used is as follows.
First, can these players recreate the impact of the graduating player? On a simple production level, does it look like they can match the output of who they are expected to replace on the lineup?
Second, scoring aside, does this player have a path to minutes on the Cavaliers? Do they fit the Virginia scheme and do they have ways to help the team win without taking a lot of shots?
Third, what looks easy for this player? At whatever level of play they are coming from, do they have a clear X-factor that would allow them to carve out a role on Odom’s squad?
Dallin Hall — Georgetown junior PG Malik Mack
Graduate Dallin Hall’s outsized impact, though not always visible in box scores, makes finding a clear replacement in the portal tough. An exceptional passer, steady leader and competent full-court defender, Hall made Virginia basketball work. What Odom and his staff will be looking for — both qualitatively and quantitatively — is a playmaking guard that can run a fast offense, limit team turnovers, play well in high-pressure situations and bring their own unique flair, too.
Junior point guard Malik Mack has demonstrated a similar ability to run an offense while getting his own buckets as he does it. Mack has a near-identical assist percentage as Hall — just over 25 percent while Hall was just under. Though a less efficient scorer, the Hoya offense demanded more shots from Mack than Virginia did of Hall. Mack scored more than 15 points in 16 games, something Hall did just twice.
Mack is no stranger to new settings, either. The 6-foot-1 Maryland native arrived at Georgetown after earning Ivy League Rookie of the Year honors at Harvard in 2023-24, averaging 17.2 points and 4.8 assists per game as a freshman.
With the returning Cavaliers, Mack will not have to be a leading scorer. 2025-26’s leading scorer freshman forward Thijs De Ridder and other offensive weapons such as junior guard Sam Lewis can help Mack pick his spots to score while focusing on facilitating the offense.
While Georgetown groveled at the bottom of the Big East standings, Mack still gained experience against nationally ranked teams in St. John’s and national runner-up Connecticut — experience vital to making a transition to the ACC possible.
Malik Thomas — Arkansas State junior SG Christian Harmon
Graduate Malik Thomas is the second and final starter that Virginia will not return for the 2026-27 season. A second scoring option for the Cavalier offense, Thomas had 11 games in which he scored 15 points or more. Virginia will need another second option scorer comfortable with high usage and the tools to score on multiple levels.
Junior shooting guard Christian Harmon averaged 12.8 points per game compared to Thomas’ 12.4 but went about it somewhat differently. Harmon finished at the rim less often than Thomas, often opting to kick the ball out on his drives. Harmon overall is more of an outside player, shooting almost 40 more three-pointers than Thomas with nearly the same efficiency.
Named to the 2025-26 All-Sun Belt third team, Harmon is no stranger to grinding his way up. He arrived at Arkansas State from Gulf Coast State College, a Florida JUCO where he was the 2025 Panhandle Conference Player of the Year, drilling 47 percent of his threes en route to the FCSAA Region 8 Championship game.
Harmon’s biggest discrepancy is the comparative lack of transition offense, a point of emphasis in the Virginia system. However, Harmon was still efficient in his transition shots and could see more opportunities to flip the court under Odom than with the Red Wolves.
Jacari White — Boston University junior CG Michael McNair
Graduate Jacari White quickly elevated himself to a Cavalier fan favorite. Spawning the famous Jacarmy, a thunderous, wrist-breaking dunk against Maryland and a legendary NCAA tournament performance totaling six three-pointers and 26 points. White’s speciality was the three-pointer, draining them at a 43 percent clip. White’s replacement should bring much of that prowess from behind the arc, as well as being able to shoot under pressure and keep up with a fast-paced Virginia team.
Six-foot-five junior guard Michael McNair brings pure shooting ability with the bonus of added size on the wing. McNair averaged 16.9 points and 5.1 rebounds per game this season for the Terriers, attempting 12 field goals a game at a 47.9 percent clip. McNair connected on his three-pointers 44.4 percent of the time. McNair touts both catch and shoot sniping ability and the skills to create his own shot off the dribble, something that made White a headache for wing defenders.
McNair’s game is elevated by his ability to get to the rim more often than White, using his added size to finish under the hoop. His complete offensive package was on display all season as Boston’s leading scorer, earning him All-Patriot League First Team honors.
Devin Tillis — Iowa junior PF Alvaro Folguieras
Graduate forward Devin Tillis finished his career with a migration from the West Coast and UC Irvine to Virginia for his final season. Though freshman forward Silas Barksdale may continue to develop and earn himself more minutes, another forward should be brought in to bolster the roster.
Tillis split time with freshman forward Thijs De Ridder in a fashion where the pair almost never shared the court at the same time. While Tillis was not nearly as ball dominant or impactful under the hoop, he was proficient from beyond the arc, making threes at a 37 percent clip. Odom should scour the portal for a backup forward who can be efficient in limited minutes, bring size and length to the defensive end and have the potential to step into a larger role to lead the second unit.
Though junior forward Alvaro Folgueiras may not be a bona fide shooter from the forward position, making a third of his shots from three-point range, the 6-foot-10 Spaniard brings immense value in his feel for the game and ability to help facilitate the offense. Posting an assist percentage of 21.3, Folguieras demonstrates excellent touch and awareness in his passing ability.
His flair for the moment was demonstrated in this year’s NCAA Tournament, where he drilled the game-winning corner three against No.1-seeded Florida in the Round of 32 — sending Iowa to its first Sweet 16 since 1999 and knocking out the reigning national champions.
Folguieras has experience working in high-level basketball systems, being coached under Coach Ben McCollum in his time at Iowa under his “impose your will” philosophy — emphasizing getting exactly the ideal shot. While that system may be slower paced than the one Odom wants to install, Folgueiras has experience being coached hard and can be adaptable.
Ugonna Onyenso — Charleston sophomore C Chol Machot
Of the handful of players Virginia needs to replace for next season, senior center Ugonna Oyenso may stick in fans heads more than most. A dominant ACC tournament run cemented his place as an elite defensive stalwart. With freshman center Johann Grünloh set to return, he’ll need a new running mate, and while Oyenso’s abilities are difficult to replicate, Odom can look for transfer portal targets with comparable size and unique skill sets that give opponents pause when gameplanning.
Sophomore center Chol Machot is perhaps the definition of a high-upside young center. He certainly has the frame — standing seven feet tall with an incredible wing span, Machot has all the length to seal opponents and block shots. Additionally he’s athletic for his size, catching his fair share of lobs and using his mobility to get on and off the perimeter with exigency.
The Australia native averaged fewer than 20 minutes a game with the Cougars, but filled the stat sheet whenever he graced the floor, averaging 2.5 blocks — ninth nationally — nearly nine points and over five boards a game on his way to the 2026 CAA Defensive Player of the Year Award.
The only red flag for Machot is that he may be susceptible to a strong gust of wind. Listed at just 190-200 pounds compared to his incredible frame, he runs the risk of getting pushed around against established high-major centers — a serious weight room regimen may be in order should he find himself in Charlottesville.
Aimee Crosbie and Thomas Baxter contributed reporting.
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