When the holiday season arrives in December, many probably feel the hustle and bustle of the moment. College football already had a similar quality this month with the yearly coaching carousel, but the addition of an early signing day for high school recruits and this year’s new designated transfer portal window has heightened the hysteria.

With fans still trying to get used to the growing transient nature of the sport, Virginia and past UVA connections certainly have been part of some storylines so far.

On the coaching front, offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator Garett Tujague made a move as he joined the coaching staff at NC State. Tujague was one of three assistants that remained on staff with Tony Elliott after last year’s coaching change for the Hoos. He’ll team up in Raleigh with former Cavalier offensive coordinator Robert Anae, who also flipped to the Wolfpack after a year at Syracuse. His departure from the Orange also opened up a promotion for former Virginia quarterbacks coach Jason Beck, who was elevated to the OC spot with Cuse.

That spin of the carousel caught UVA fans by surprise and it puts Elliott in search mode for a staff member for the second straight December. A few names have popped up in the public sphere, but there hasn’t been much concrete information yet.

Message board poster Zhoo was among those suggesting Ed Wariner as the type of pick he hoped to land. Wariner, the offensive line coach and run game coordinator currently for Florida Atlantic, previously coached the O-Line at Michigan with other stops at Army, Air Force, Ohio State, and more. He was the offensive coordinator at Ohio State when the Buckeyes topped Virginia Tech in 2015.

Streaking The Lawn pointed to Scott Wachenheim as a possible ‘Homecoming’ choice. He coached the offensive line for the Hoos from 2011 to 2014 with several players from that unit making it the NFL, including Morgan Moses. Wachenheim recently stepped down as the head coach at VMI after eight seasons, which included back-to-back winning records in 2020 and 2021.

While the offensive line coaching search takes shape, the offensive line itself is in the news as well. John Paul Flores, who joined the Hoos from Dartmouth as a graduate student, started five games this past season but saw his snaps decrease later in the year as he dealt with injuries. He entered his name in the transfer portal and will explore options.

On the other side of that coin, Virginia picked up an offensive lineman from the portal too. Daijon Parker pledged to the Wahoos as he moved on from Saginaw Valley State. Parker had offers from Washington State and Florida A&M among others as well. The 6’6”, 300-pound offensive tackle is a self-described “late bloomer” and could help the unit up front. He has one year of eligibility.

The Hoos also landed players at two other positions of need on offense. Monmouth quarterback Tony Muskett announced his commitment to Virginia after a solid run with the Hawks. He threw for 5,687 yards and 51 touchdowns (only 16 interceptions) over three seasons. With two years of eligibility still in hand, he’ll be in competition to replace departing starter Brennan Armstrong. The Cavalier record-setter entered the transfer portal and is visiting places like Wisconsin as he decides what to do with a final year of eligibility. In addition to Armstrong and Flores, Fentrell Cypress, Zachary Teter, Mike Green, Chayce Chalmers, and Nathaniel Beal III have entered and remain in the portal.

Northwestern receiver Malik Washington also decided to come to UVA. Washington has one year of eligibility remaining. He posted 120 catches for 1,348 yards and 3 touchdowns during his career with the Wildcats.

While the Virginia offense has added players, the defense has not yet from the portal. The Hoos did pick up a commit from high school edge player DJ Jones, a 3-star prospect out of Tampa Hillsborough in Florida. With the early signing day set for next Wednesday, December 21st, this is a solid pickup ahead of that period.

Expect more movement on these storylines throughout December. The Cavaliers continue to reach out and visit with other potential portal transfers as well as high schoolers with the window to sign both types of players on the calendar. Elliott will also want to get an offensive line coach in place quickly in order to prepare for winter workouts and meetings.