Fall Report
Aaron Fitt – December 4, 2024

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — A year ago, Virginia rode one of the nation’s most fearsome offenses back to the College World Series for the second year in a row. The Cavaliers ranked among the national leaders in batting (third), OBP (seventh), slugging (fifth), scoring (sixth), doubles (fourth) and home runs (11th). The lineup featured absurd length, with 11 players who recorded at least 150 plate appearances while posting an OPS above .800, including five players above 1.000.

And even after losing mainstays Casey Saucke, Griff O’Ferrall and Ethan Anderson, Virginia is an ironclad lock to be one of the most terrifying offensive[…]

If only this real-life Grinch’s brain could grow three sizes.

A Virginia man was arrested after allegedly trying to steal more than $1,000 worth of items from a Walmart — right in front of dozens of cops who were at the store for a holiday event.

A Chesterfield County Walmart was hosting its annual “Shop with a Cop” event where local police partnered with impoverished children to help them pick out gifts for the holidays on Sunday when the would-be bandit struck.

Nearly 50 police officers and sheriff’s deputies were all around the store at the time of the attempted theft, Chesterfield County Police Lt. James Lamb told CBS 6.

But the overwhelming presence of law enforcement didn’t deter 32-year-old Hector Velazquez Maldonado from trying to make off with nearly $1,400 of merchandise, according to police.

Security footage showed Maldonado trying to hide bulks of items on his person as he attempted to leave the store, according to police.

The officers were notified of a shoplifting in process at the very store they were all stationed at and began scouring the floor for the suspect who they quickly found.

“As we approached from different directions, he tried to escape out the back of the store where he was apprehended. I think he was stunned,” Lamb told CBS6.

Officers were dumbfounded that Maldonado had tried to commit the crime even with the clear police presence all around the area.

“We had 30-40 marked patrol cars in the parking lot. When we found his vehicle, it was facing where our cars were parked, so he would have had to see them. It seems it just didn’t matter to him,” Lamb told the station.

Maldonado is a repeat shoplifting offender and had an active warrant out for his arrest for a failure to appear in court along with several open larceny cases in Chesterfield County, officials said.

On top of his open cases, he is now facing a felony charge of grand larceny for his squandered holiday heist, CBS6 reported.

The 2024 Virginia football season may be over, but a busy and important offseason started right away for Tony Elliott and his coaching staff, who have much work to do on the recruiting trail and in the transfer portal to shape their roster for the 2025 UVA football season.

The NCAA football transfer portal is open from Monday, December 9th through Saturday, December 28th, but that’s just the window for players to enter the portal. There is no deadline for when they have to make their commitments. Players on teams who are playing in bowl games or the College Football Playoff have up until five days after their final game to enter the transfer portal.

Many players announce their intentions to enter the transfer portal before the window actually opens and graduate students can enter at any time. The transfer portal will open again in the spring from April 16th through April 25th.

See below for a list of players who have either announced their intentions to enter the transfer portal or have officially entered the portal, as well as incoming transfers who have announced their commitment to Virginia.