LOOK: Former Virginia offensive lineman announces transfer destination

After almost a month in the NCAA transfer portal, former Virginia starting offensive lineman Ryan Swoboda has his new home. The Windermere, Florida, native announced that he is heading back to the Sunshine State to play for Gus Malzahn and the UCF Knights.

At 6-foot-10, 325 pounds, the experienced senior was a hot commodity on the market. During his time in the transfer portal, Swoboda received interest from Penn State, Miami, FSU and Mississippi State, among others.

As the move from Virginia to UCF is the first transfer of his career, Swoboda will be immediately eligible to play in 2022.

BOOM! Let’s do this Knight Nation! #ChargeOn @UCF_Football @CoachGusMalzahn @CoachHand pic.twitter.com/4WMIspWETh

— Ryan Swoboda (@ryan_swoboda) January 12, 2022

Swoboda came to Virginia from the Class of 2017 and has anchored the Cavaliers’ offensive line the last two seasons. He’s a big part of Virginia’s pass protection, which allowed Brennan Armstrong to throw for 404.5 yards per game this season — a mark that ranked second in the nation.

Last year, he won ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week honors once and helped Virginia become the No. 1-ranked offensive line in the ACC. However, the line took a step back this year, allowing six sacks per game compared to two sacks per contest in 2020.

UCF holds on to top running back

UCF running back Isaiah Bowser is returning to the field for the Knights for another year, and he incorporated his name to cleverly announce the decision.

The back appeared in seven games for UCF this season, and he made five starts. Bowser was out for five games with a leg injury. He bookended his year nicely, finishing UCF’s first game against Boise State with 201 all-purpose yards and a touchdown. He concluded the bowl game against Florida with 155 rushing yards and two scores.

In total, the senior had 168 touches, 778 all-purpose yards and nine scores in 2021.

Bowser transferred to UCF from Northwestern before the 2020 season. He had 334 carries for 1,300 yards and seven touchdowns over three years with the Wildcats. His freshman year, he was third in the Big Ten among first-year rushers in yards per game, averaging 91.9 yards on the ground every time he saw the field.

On3’s Ashton Pollard contributed to this report.