Virginia forward Elijah Saunders enters NCAA Transfer Portal

Virginia Cavaliers men’s basketball forward Elijah Saunders has entered the NCAA Transfer Portal, On3 has learned. He averaged 10.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 0.8 assists for the ACC program during the 2024-25 season. 

Saunders played high school basketball at Sunnyslope (Phoenix, AZ), where he was a three-star prospect in the 2022 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Prior to his time in the ACC, Saunders played for the San Diego State Aztecs. He spent two seasons with the team, averaging 6.2 points during the 2023-24 campaign. He’ll be hoping to improve upon his numbers wherever his next stop ends up being.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire.

The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.

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Moreover, VCU‘s Ryan Odom will be taking over the Virginia program moving forward. He’s been the head coach of the Rams for the past two seasons. 

In his debut campaign with the Rams, Odom led the team to a 24-14 record and an appearance in the NIT. However, Odom and Co. took a leap forward this season and were the regular-season and conference tournament champions of the Atlantic 10 Conference.

VCU was unable to keep its magical season alive in the NCAA Tournament, when they fell 80-71 to 6-seed BYU in the first round. Nonetheless, VCU fans won’t forget this season anytime soon.

The Virginia faithful likely won’t forget this past season either but for far different reasons. Just weeks before the Cavaliers kicked off the season, longtime head coach Tony Bennett shocked fans by announcing his retirement, claiming he was no longer as passionate about the job.

With Bennett’s unexpected departure, Virginia was left with no choice but to name an assistant coach as the interim head coach for the 2024-25 season. Ron Sanchez ultimately served in that role, leading Virginia to a 15-17 record and an 8-12 mark in conference play.

Evidently, Virginia wasn’t satisfied with Sanchez’s success this season and is now hiring Odom. The 50-year-old also has head coaching experience at Utah State (2021-23), UMBC(2016-21) and Lenoire-Rhyne (2015-16). He led the former two schools to one NCAA Tournament each.

— On3’s Dan Morrison contributed to this piece.