Inside the ‘Jacarmy’: The UVA fan brigade rallying behind Jacari White

February 27, 2026
Jacari White surrounded by the Jacarmy

UVA basketball player Jacari White is surrounded by his personal cheering section, aptly named the “Jacarmy.” (Photo by Matt Riley, University Communications; illustration by Johnny Utterback, University Communications)

Editor's note: Members of the spirited fan group were able to on Saturday as No. 11 Virginia took on No. 1 Duke.

Since early November, they’ve set up command in Section 102 – rows D and E – of John Paul Jones Arena, while deploying units as far north as Boston and south as Tallahassee, Florida.

In the “,” a coordinated fan brigade within the University of Virginia men’s basketball community, there are no age limits. An 11-month-old named Hope served for a game against Syracuse University. A 75-year-old named Jim was on duty for a game at Boston College.

But at the heart of the Jacarmy is a group of about two dozen UVA students who, months ago, fell for an incoming transfer guard from North Dakota State University. The rest, Jacari White said, has been “crazy.”

‘Genius’ beginnings

White found it brilliant.

He opened his Instagram inbox at some point during the summer – not long – and found a message from the account @ben.miller33. Ben Miller, a rising second-year student at UVA, was asking permission to form a fan group in White’s honor. They’d wear customized, military-themed shirts and call themselves the “Jacarmy.”

Jacari White making a taking a three point shot with the Jacarmy watching in the background

White attempts a 3-pointer as the Jacarmy watches with great anticipation during the Cavaliers’ win over North Carolina State University on Tuesday at John Paul Jones Arena. White has made a team-best 46.8% of his 3-point attempts this season. (Photo by Matt Riley, University Communications)

This was, for all intents and purposes, White’s introduction to the UVA student body.

“I was like, ‘Hey, that’s pretty genius,’” White said. “UVA, they produce geniuses.”

Creativity had been flowing through Miller and his friends for a while. As members of a few Christian organizations on Grounds, they take the power of community seriously and want to translate that into a basketball environment.

What name, connected to a player, could serve as a rallying cry? They tossed around “Martin Carrere Force,” in a nod to freshman forward Martin Carrere. They liked the messaging around “Take a Chance” in support of freshman guard Chance Mallory. And they considered a variety of Riddler themes for freshman forward Thijs De Ridder.

“But,” Miller said, “Jacarmy was, by far, the best one.”

The Jacarmy cheering in the stands of the John Paul Jones Arena

Jacarmy co-leader Gavin Schweiter says, “There’s no being too cool” when showing support for White and the Wahoos. “We’re going all out,” he said. (Virginia Athletics photo)

For Gavin Schweiter, a third-year student and Jacarmy co-leader, White symbolized a new chapter in Virginia basketball – a turn to Odom’s fast-paced system after 15 seasons of former coach Tony Bennett’s more deliberate style.

Schweiter’s take was well-researched. He traveled to the Atlantic 10 tournament championship in Washington last March to witness Odom coach his penultimate game for Virginia Commonwealth University. He also consumed the heck out of White’s highlights at North Dakota State, where he averaged 17 points a game last season.

“Seeing Odom’s offense in person,” Schweiter said, “I knew Jacari White was a perfect fit. He’s a great embodiment of just making plays happen – even if it’s a little chaotic.”

The more the Jacarmy learned about White, the more they liked him. In September, they noticed he, too, rushed the field at Scott Stadium following the UVA football team’s win over Florida State University. In December, they read a story that detailed .

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Discovery and Innovation: Daily research. Life-changing results.

It all confirmed “we really had picked the right guy to throw our support behind,” Schweiter said, “because of where he’s come from and where he is now.”

Jacarmy sightings

Miller used ChatGPT to create the image for the Jacarmy T-shirts that a row of students first wore Nov. 7 for 鶹ƽ game against North Carolina Central University. No more than 30 shirts were issued then.

Now, the count is near 600.

The Jacarmy began mobilizing in early December with a loud appearance at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte for the Cavaliers’ win over the University of Dayton. White , whipping Miller, Schweiter and crew into a frenzy.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

“For us,” Schweiter said, “there’s no being too cool. Like, we’re cheering for UVA, and we’re going all out. When someone takes a picture of your face, you should be like (mouth open).”

Save for when they stop to salute White, the Jacarmy, Schweiter said, operates with “no calm.”

And unabashed loyalty.

After White broke his wrist following , the Jacarmy chose to stand in solidarity with and began wrapping their own wrists in medical tape.

“I was surprised by that, honestly,” said White, who missed five games because of the injury. “Shoot, I saw some of them wearing beanies like me when I was out. I was like, ‘This is crazy.’”

White was back in action on Jan. 31 at Boston College when Jim Leake, a 75-year-old retired United Parcel Service worker, announced his presence as the eldest Jacarmy member.

Two close ups of a few Jacarmy members showing how it has become a multi generational tradition

The Jacarmy is cross-generational as it now includes a baby and a slew of elder Wahoo fans. (Left, photo by Virginia Athletics; right, photo by Matt Riley, University Communications)

A UVA men’s basketball season ticket holder since 1979, Leake completed the outfit with a white headband. He sat directly behind the Cavaliers’ bench, in plain view for those watching the game on television.

“I had seen them at games,” Leake said. “So, I told (Miller), ‘Well, I’m going to Boston College. We need to have your shirt in Boston.’”

The shirt, which has also been spotted at Wahoo games at Virginia Tech, Florida State University and against Ohio State University in Nashville, has become such a familiar sight on the road that White is confident it’ll be seen Saturday when the No. 11 Wahoos take on top-ranked Duke University in Cameron Indoor Stadium, a notorious college basketball fortress.

“I think they’ll find their way in,” White said. “I feel like I’ll look in the crowd and there’ll be a wild Jacarmy in the stands.

“I have no doubt. They’ll definitely show some way, somehow.”

Serving a ‘bigger purpose’

Hope Ross was a few weeks shy of her first birthday on Feb. 7 when she poked her head out from the adult-sized Jacarmy shirt gifted to her from her uncle, Bennett Ross, a second-year student and Jacarmy regular.

From Section 102, Row D, of JPJ, Hope watched the Hoos beat Syracuse, 72-59, alongside her fellow soldiers.

She had a blast, reports her mom, Glady.

“It was so much fun,” Glady said.

Though it’s a play on his name, White is proud to say the Jacarmy is for everyone.

“It’s not just for me,” he said. “It makes people feel more a part of the team. It makes them want to come to the game and support more.

“When they put that shirt on, it’s like a uniform. It serves a bigger purpose.”

Media Contacts

Erich Bacher

Associate Athletics Director for Athletic Communications

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