The core of the offensive line is the center. Over the past two years, the Cavaliers, who have had their issues at offensive line, allowing 47 sacks in 2024, second-most in the entire country, had Brian Stevens as a reliable and concrete option as the captain of their offensive line. Stevens sported the fourth-highest Pro Football Focus grade (77.3) for centers in the country and was the top-graded run-blocking center in the ACC in 2023 and played in 11 games in 2024.
At the end of the year, Stevens’ departure due to exhausted eligibility left a massive hole for the UVa offense to fill. It became apparent that it would be near impossible to find a replacement even close to the level Stevens had produced in Charlottesville, but the Cavs had other ideas.
On December 19th, only ten days after the transfer portal opened, the Hoos received a commitment from Brady Wilson, who ranked as one of the best available interior offensive linemen in the transfer portal and certainly one of the most experienced.
“He told me that Brian [Stevens] did really well here, and he was hoping that I could fill that void,” said Brady Wilson, referencing what Virginia offensive line coach Terry Heffernan told him during the recruiting process. “He’s coached in the NFL, he has that experience, and that’s the highest level of coaching you can get.”
Brady Wilson was a three-year starter at UAB, appearing in 37 games and playing more than 2,300 snaps. In 2023, Wilson allowed only two sacks on 485 pass-blocking snaps and received an 81.6 pass-blocking grade, according to Pro Football Focus. Most notably, Wilson was twice named to the watch list for the Rimington Trophy, which is presented annually to the top center in college football.
Wilson is a massive addition to the Hoos offense as Wilson not only brings his ability and leadership to Charlottesville but also a belief in succeeding, noticing Virginia’s recent commitment to building a winning culture.
“You want to go and you want to compete, you want to win championships, and this is definitely the place where you can do that,” said Wilson. “They’re building this awesome facility here too…you can tell the university and the coaching staff, they’re all on board. They want to win bad.”
The trip to Charlottesville is a big step for Wilson, who attended Spanish Fort High School before choosing to attend the University of Alabama Birmingham, remaining in the state of Alabama. Wilson also had to consider his wife when deciding to leave the deep south, but he quickly found a sense of family in the Commonwealth.
“Having her move from Birmingham to up here, she’s leaving her job to come up here, and just seeing how welcoming everybody was… that was a big factor,” said Wilson.
Wilson arrived on Grounds alongside fellow incoming transfer offensive linemen Tyshawn Wyatt (JMU), Kevin Wigenton II (Illinois), and Monroe Mills (Louisville) and joined returners Noah Josey, McKale Boley, Blake Steen, and Jack Witmer. Wilson and his new unit have quickly gone to work, knowing they are potentially on the precipice of something special.
“We would just come into the weight room every day and just compete. Everybody comes in. Everybody works hard,” said Wilson. “When you have a group like that who’s committed and just coming in, waking up, 5 am-4 am coming up here to work out, it’s a big part.”
With a passion for winning, Wilson quickly established a relationship with his signal caller, North Texas transfer quarterback Chandler Morris.
“Right away, you know we’re gonna be buds,” said Wilson of Chandler Morris. “It’s been going really well, and we’re ready to get things rolling.”
Wilson will look to continue to establish bonds with his quarterback and fellow offensive lineman throughout spring practices, which are set to begin on March 3rd.
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This content is reposted from the source: https://www.si.com/college/virginia/uab-transfer-center-brady-wilson-looks-to-win-with-virginia-football
