Virginia football coach Tony Elliott said that the secondary would be a top priority in the transfer portal this spring and the Hoos continued to execute that plan this week. Georgia State defensive back Ja’Maric Morris committed to the program on Tuesday night, the fifth addition in the secondary for the Cavaliers during this window.

Morris announced his decision on social media.

Morris joined Emmanuel Karnley (Arizona/Miami), Christian Charles (Tennessee), Da’Marcus Crosby (New Mexico State/Sam Houston/Kilgore College), and Jordan Robinson (Kentucky/Cincinnati/Livingstone) as portal commitments this spring in the secondary. During the winter transfer portal window, UVA also added Devin Neal (Baylor/Louisville) and Ja’Son Prevard (Morgan State) to the secondary group and both participated in spring practices.

Like many of the incoming prospects, Morris offers length in the secondary. The South Carolina native is listed at 6’3” and 205 pounds on the Georgia State roster, making him the sixth player among these seven portal additions to measure at least 6’1”. Robinson is listed at 6’4”, while Karnley and Prevard both stand at 6’3”. Crosby is 6’2” and Charles is 6’1”. Neal, who earned third-team All-ACC honors at Louisville in 2023, comes in at 5’11”.

Virginia is clearly looking for that type of frame and versatility in its transfer portal prospects. Morris potentially could play either cornerback or safety in that regard. At Georgia State, he worked mostly at safety and finished second on the team with 2 interceptions. He had 11 tackles on the season. Pro Football Focus rated Morris with a 62.4 defensive grade. His strength in that data was run defense where he had a 67.4 mark.

Prior to that, he spent one year at Central Florida where he appeared in one game and one year at Hutchinson Community College where he had 33 tackles and 5 interceptions in 2022. His career began at Georgia Military College where he had 26 tackles and 4 interceptions in 2021.

Competition should be fierce among the defensive backs this fall as no one has a clear hold on positions in the secondary. The Virginia defense lost safety Jonas Sanker, who led the team in tackles each of the least two seasons while earning first-team All-ACC honors each season, as well as corners Kempton Shine and Kendren Smith, who each finished their college careers. Jam Jackson, a potential returning starter at corner, suffered a potential long-term in jury in the spring.

The focus on the secondary throughout the offseason comes after Virginia ranked 121st in pass defense (263.1 yards per game) last season.

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