With the initial offseason transfer portal cycle opening last weekend, the Virginia football staff has begun to add veteran pieces to their roster to complement the returners. On Wednesday, they secured
two commitments: former Tennessee running back Peyton Lewis and former Baylor edge Matthew Fobbs-White.
Lewis is a native of Salem, VA and was heavily recruited by the UVA staff out of high school. The 6-foot-1, 212-pounder was used as a change-of-pace option in two seasons for the Vols, totaling 629 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. The explosive numbers were not quite there, but do not get it twisted — this man can fly.
The running back position is once again looking like a strength for the Wahoos headed into 2026. Incoming Middle Tennessee transfer Jekail Middlebrook accounted for over 1,000 yards last season and joins Xavier Brown and Noah Vaughn — both of whom were prevented from fully breaking out in 2025 by season-ending injuries — in a stacked room.
Louisiana-native Fobbs-White was not as much of a target as a high schooler, but grew impressed by Virginia’s recent surge and aspires to help propel them to an ACC Championship victory. While his box score numbers at Baylor do not jump off the page, he was constantly getting to the quarterback, finishing in the top 10 of the Big 12 in pressures.
Fobbs-White enters a defensive line room that is looking to replace the production of key departures such Mitchell Melton and Jahmeer Carter, who have exhausted their collegiate eligibility. Securing returns from Anthony Britton and Jason Hammond is also massive in that regard.
All in all, Virginia has added seven transfers through Wednesday night:
- Christian Ellis (S, Virginia Tech)
- Jekail Middlebrook (RB, Middle Tennessee)
- Jacobie Henderson (CB, Rutgers)
- Peyton Lewis (RB, Tennessee)
- Matthew Fobbs-White (ED, Baylor)
Expect several more acquisitions to be announced over the ensuing days, as we remain eight days from the end of the main window — which is eons in transfer portal time. Of course, the primary focus remains on the quarterback position, as the staff looks to balance adding a game-ready starter to the roster with the possibility that Chandler Morris will his waiver to come back for another year.
