Virginia adds Stanford TE Charlie Hopkins as grad transfer
Virginia received a boost to its depth at tight end on Thursday.
The program announced that Stanford tight end Charlie Hopkins will transfer to Virginia for his final season of eligibility. Hopkins is set to graduate from Stanford in June and will have immediate eligibility to play for the Cavaliers as a graduate transfer.
After graduating with a degree in science, technology and society from Stanford, Hopkins will enroll in Virginia’s research, stats and evaluation program in the Curry School of Education.
“Virginia was a good fit for what Charlie was looking for in terms of a graduate school program and we think he can be an asset to our tight end position and run blocking game,” Virginia head coach Mike London said in a release. “I like his maturity and what he will bring to our team from being part of a very successful Stanford program.”
The 6-foot-6, 260-pound Hopkins began his career as a defensive lineman but did not see the field in 2011 or 2012. He moved over to the offense in 2013 and played in all 14 games for the Cardinal, primarily as a blocking tight end. He also caught two passes for 10 yards that season. In 2014, Hopkins appeared in three games due to a hip injury and did not record a reception.
Hopkins told Virginia’s website that the Cavs coaches liked what they saw from his junior year film.
“I’ve definitely improved since then, and I just feel like I can add depth to what the tight ends already are bringing to the table,” he said.
Hopkins joins a group of tight ends without much experience. Senior Rob Burns, who has just three catches in 25 total games played, was listed atop the depth chart coming out of spring practice. After Burns is redshirt freshman Evan Butts and sophomore Brendan Marshall, who moved to tight end from quarterback.
Offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild called the position a “work in progress” last week.
“I like the ability level. We’re still a little bit raw there. We’ve got to develop at that spot if we want to, No. 1, run the ball like we want to and obviously get the tight end involved in the pass game.”
For more Virginia news, visit CavsCorner.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
