One week after the transfer portal officially opened, the Virginia football team has picked up some momentum on the recruiting trail. After getting three players in the fold Sunday, Fresno State defensive tackle Jacob Holmes added his name to the UVA list Monday. He’s the first commitment on either the offensive or defensive line this cycle.

Holmes announced his choice on social media and Virginia already announced that he has signed.

Holmes landed numerous offers after putting his name in the portal. In addition to Virginia, he reported offers from Mississippi State, Virginia Tech, Houston, Washington State, Florida Atlantic, Colorado State, and San Diego State. He had a similar offer list of recognizable names out of high school when schools like Arizona, West Virginia, Indiana, and Oregon State were among those showing recruiting interest. At that time, he was rated the No. 12 player in the state of Arizona by 247 Sports.

After choosing Fresno State, Holmes carved out a role for the Bulldogs. He played in 29 games over three seasons with 46 tackles and 8.5 sacks. The 6’3”, 300-pound tackle also had a forced fumble and 2 fumble recoveries. He led the team in sacks in 2023 with 5. At Chandler High School in Arizona, he tallied 144 total tackles with 29.0 tackles for loss so he’s been a disruptive player at both levels to date.

With multiple defensive linemen leaving the rotation, this addresses a significant area of need for Virginia. The Hoos’ Kam Butler and Chico Bennett Jr. have completed their eligibility, while Ben Smiley III and Michael Diatta have entered the transfer portal to look into other options for a final season. Jahmeer Carter is expected to be out as well, though he may still have one year available. All of those players have been taking regular snaps the past two seasons.

That leaves junior Terrell (T.T.) Jones and sophomores Jason Hammond and Anthony Britton as the only other players that were regularly in the mix this past season. Hammond saw his season end early with an injury as well so he’ll be on a recovery path in 2025.

Given that overview, Holmes provides immediate depth and starter potential at tackle. If he can provide some sacks and tackles for loss like at Fresno State, that will boost the unit as well. The tackle trio of Carter, Britton, and Diatta had 3 combined sacks last season.

High school highlights for Holmes can be found on Hudl here.

Discuss it on the message board