Virginia strengthened its squad depth by adding a transfer from Colorado, who confirmed his commitment to the Cavaliers on Sunday, as initially reported by On3’s Hayes Fawcett. The running back was Colorado’s top rusher in 2024, he joins UVA with two years of eligibility left.
The 6’2″, 210-pound running back from Naples, Florida, brings significant talent to Virginia’s backfield. A four-star recruit out of high school, he was ranked as one of the top 30 running backs and a top 250 overall prospect in the country. Augustave started his college career at Arkansas, playing in 11 games as a true freshman. He finished that season with 202 rushing yards and one touchdown on 35 carries, highlighted by a 101-yard performance against FIU and his first career touchdown in the regular-season finale against Missouri.
After his freshman year, Augustave entered the transfer portal and joined Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes. In 2024, he played in 11 games, starting six, and led Colorado with 394 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 85 carries. One of his standout performances came in Week 8 against Cincinnati, where he rushed for 91 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries, earning Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honors. He averaged 4.5 yards per carry last season and had four games where he exceeded five yards per carry.
In a recent viral video, Deion Sanders accused Virginia of tampering when he claimed the Cavaliers offered one of his players, junior defensive back Carter Stoutmire, a substantial sum of NIL money to enter the transfer portal. Sanders also referenced allowing Virginia to “have one,” likely referring to Augustave, who visited UVA last week. While it’s unclear whether Virginia contacted Augustave before he entered the portal, he has now officially committed to the Cavaliers, strengthening their running back group.
With Augustave’s addition, Virginia now has three solid running back options. Along with Augustave, the Cavaliers feature North Carolina Central transfer J’Mari Taylor, who accumulated over 2,500 yards from scrimmage and 32 touchdowns in his career, including a 1,146-yard season in 2024. They also return senior Xavier Brown, who averaged 6.1 yards per carry, finishing with 488 yards and one touchdown on 80 carries, plus nine catches for 127 yards and two touchdowns last season.
Augustave becomes Virginia’s second transfer pickup of the offseason, joining Cincinnati cornerback Jordan Robinson, who committed to the Cavaliers on Friday.
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