UPDATED: Virginia football adds two graduate transfer wide receivers

The Virginia Cavaliers added a quasi-local graduate transfer to the football program on Monday as Richmond’s Dejon Brissett committed to UVA.

The Brissett name ought to be familiar to Hoo fans: Dejon caught 4 passes in two games for the Spiders in Charlottesville (2016 and 2018), and his younger brother Oshae plays basketball for Syracuse.

Over his four seasons with the Spiders, Brissett hauled in 86 receptions for 1,282 yards—a healthy clip of 14.9 yards per reception. 2017 was Brissett’s breakout year, accounting for more than 60 of his total receptions and almost 900 of his total receiving yards.

At 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, Brissett brings an element of size to the Virginia receiving corps that is missing from among the Hoos’ more experienced pass-catchers. But don’t discount Brissett’s speed or shiftiness: he was a capable return man for UofR early in his career.

When Brissett initially went on the grad transfer market this offseason, he committed to Illinois before re-opening his recruitment and coming to Virginia.

Brissett will compete for targets with Hasise Dubois, UVA’s leading returning receiver with 52 receptions and 578 yards in 2018. Senior Joe Reed and fellow Canadian product Terrell Jana are the other top returners; underclassmen Tavares Kelly, Ugo Obasi, and Darnell Pratt could also find contributing roles, as should freshmen Dorien Goddard, Nathaniel Beal, and Dontayvion Wicks.

Update: Terrell Chatman, Arizona State

Later Tuesday afternoon, UVA officially announced the addition of Brissett and broke the news that Terrell Chatman would also be coming to Charlottesville:

Chatman was a teammate of UVA quarterback Bryce Perkins while the two were at Arizona State (where they trained under current UVA strength coach Shawn Griswold); Chatman and Perkins were even roommates during their time in Tempe. A native of Louisiana, Chatman has seen limited playing time for the Sun Devils, but his 6-foot-3, 200-pound frame is a welcome addition to the Hoos’ receiving corps.

Both Chatman and Brissett will play out their final year of eligibility in 2019.