The Virginia Cavaliers football team continues to stay active in the transfer portal. Just a day after the Ohio State Buckeyes secured the National Championship, UVA landed a commitment from Buckeye linebacker. A graduate transfer, Melton spent four seasons at Ohio State, where he played in eight games over the past two years, recording 15 tackles and three sacks.
At Ohio State, the former four-star edge rusher was primarily a depth piece, seeing the field in blowout situations. Now, he arrives in Charlottesville seeking a larger role on a Virginia defense that has struggled to generate a consistent pass rush in recent seasons.
Mitchell Melton marks the third defensive line addition in the portal for head coach Tony Elliott and defensive coordinator John Rudzinski, joining Alabama’s Hunter Osborne and Fresno State’s Jacob Holmes. With nose tackle Jahmeer Carter and defensive tackle Jason Hammond returning, along with several young linemen, the Cavaliers are aiming to strengthen their pass rush.
This move also brings UVA’s transfer total to 18 this offseason, with Melton ranking as the team’s third-highest-rated pickup per 247Sports. As Elliott enters his fourth season under pressure to deliver results, the staff has aggressively targeted the portal, bringing in talent that could elevate the program in 2025. However, with ongoing uncertainty within the athletic department, the key question remains: how much improvement will these additions bring?