CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (CBS19 SPORTS) -- It took grad transfer Tony Poljan three practices before he realized his new quarterback Brennan Armstrong was a lefty, but it did not take long for the UVA coaching staff to target Poljan.

Soon after the former Central Michigan tight end entered the transfer portal earlier this offseason, newly-appointed tight ends coach Ricky Brumfield said the Cavaliers were quick to start recruiting Poljan. Brumfield says the 6-7 former quarterback's skill set both physically and mentally attracted UVA to him.

"He can kind of do it all as far as blocking, run routes, I think his greatest attribute is football knowledge, playing quarterback at Central Michigan," Brumfield said, "It's why he does a great job of knowing the offense right now is because of his understanding of offensive schemes and defensive schemes."

Poljan spent his first two seasons at Central Michigan playing quarterback before switching to tight end full-time last season. In his lone season focusing on tight end, Poljan finished with 496 yards and four touchdowns and earned second team All-MAC honors.

During Poljan's required quarantine period when he arrived on grounds this summer, he took the time to dive into Virginia's playbook to hit the ground running. Through fall camp, Poljan has already made a strong impression on his coaches and teammates both on and off the field.

"We bonded pretty quickly with him coming right at the beginning of camp, so we started doing hard things right away," sophomore tight end Grant Misch said.
 
That connection with Misch has helped Poljan feel at home at UVA and integrate into the UVA offense.
 
"It really allows me to lean on Misch and Misch to lean on me since I've been in the program now," Poljan said, "I'm learning from Misch and he's learning from me."
 
 

 

The Cavaliers have not had a tight end with more than 400 yards receiving in a season since 2007, but coaches and Misch feel Poljan has the talent to lead the tight end position.

"He's a great player and it's helpful to me to have a great player in front of me," Misch said.