With Early Signing Day in the rear view for the Hoos, we took a look at five storylines for the 2023 class, the program's recruiting in general, and roster management going forward into the new year.
It was a quiet and drama-free signing day for UVa.
Virginia’s early signing day went as expected. And that’s great news for Tony Elliott and his staff. All of UVa’s verbal commits signed, most of them by 9am, with no surprise decommits or anything to dampen the mood on what is typically a very positive day.
The biggest news of the day was that Virginia managed to hang onto a commitment from 3-star linebacker Kamren Robinson, the top player in UVa’s class and the #9 player in the Commonwealth. Robinson took late visits to Florida State and South Carolina, but just as UVa had to when Robinson was being wooed over the summer, they were able to fight off interest from their rivals and earn Robinson’s signature.
UVa also picked up a commit from the only player the Cavaliers were truly in the mix for today, when slot receiver Suderian Harrison picked the Hoos over fellow finalists Virginia Tech, Louisville and Oklahoma. Harrison became the sixth player to commit to UVa in the month of December, joining Mekhi Buchanan, Jason Hammond, D.J. Jones, Jaden Gibson and Titus Ivy in the late addition category.
Offensive Line and Cornerback will be priorities going forward in the transfer portal.
Virginia added just one offensive lineman in the 2023 class, with Cole Surber officially becoming a Cavalier on Wednesday. A big reason for that is the number of linemen UVa took late to fill gaps in the 2022 class, so a big 2023 class would’ve created a bit of a logjam. But after a tough year for the line, UVa is still going to need to go out and find some more starter-caliber players, all while the program searches for an offensive line coach. Tony Elliott announced on Wednesday that Jonathan Leech and Derek Devine have decided to move on to life after football, meaning that UVa currently has 12 offensive linemen against a goal of 15. UVa already added one lineman from the transfer portal, but they’ll have to seek out more.
The same can be said of the cornerback spot. Anthony Johnson is set to embark on his professional career, and fellow corner Fentrell Cypress entered the transfer portal, which Elliott said came as a bit of a surprise to the coaching staff. UVa has been seeking out corners in the portal, and added a group of DBs in the 2023 class as well. Still, UVa will be back out on the road looking for cornerback replacements in January.
UVa addressed their two biggest needs in this cycle: Receiver and Defensive Line.
Elliott said in his Wednesday press conference that UVa’s two biggest needs in the cycle were receiver and defensive line, just based on the amount of attrition expected at each spot. The receiver room lost seven players heading into the offseason, with five expected departures and obviously two more that passed away in November’s tragic shooting. In this recruiting class, UVa added a bunch of receiver talent, with as many as four new pass catchers in the fold. UVa grabbed Gibson and Ivy late in the cycle, and Harrison on Signing Day. Elliott also made it seem like Dan River athlete Tylyric Coleman will slot in at receiver as well. Virginia also added transfer wideout Malik Washington this month, after a 61-catch season at Northwestern this fall.
UVa also reloaded on the defensive line, especially late in the cycle. UVa added in-state talents Miles Greene and Anthony Britton earlier in the cycle, but then went and got Jason Hammond, D.J. Jones and Mekhi Buchanan as signing day approached. UVa got some good news with veteran tackle Aaron Faumui returning, but in the years to come, the 2023 class should be pushing for playing time.
Virginia’s recruiting class prioritized players who won games and played hard.
In his presser, Elliott made a point of calling out the success his signees had on the field throughout their careers, and as seniors. In their senior years, the 2023 class had a 76 percent win percentage. DB Landon Danley finished his high school career with a 36-2 record. Miles Greene won a state title with Highland Springs, as did St. Thomas Aquinas, featuring Hammond and fellow UVa signee Tekai Kirby. DB Keandre Walker was a state champion in North Carolina as well.
During the afternoon signing day show, many of the assistants called out the track record of success their signees had, and how they met the non-negotiable requirements around effort and character. Time will tell whether that high school success translates to wins at Virginia, but it seems intentional that UVa grabbed so many players from winning programs.
UVa is bringing back some veteran players, and adding six early enrollees to the roster in January.
In Wednesday's press conference, Elliott delivered some roster updates, with a bunch of players deciding whether to play another year at Virginia, or move on to something else. There are plenty of players departing through the transfer portal or otherwise, but Virginia’s roster will also have a bunch of familiar faces that had the option to move on, but chose to return to Charlottesville for the 2023 season.
Elliott called out Aaron Faumui, Chico Bennett, Kam Butler, Josh Ahern, Hunter Stewart, Coen King and Antonio Clary as players that had decided to return to school for another year. There’s obvious buy-in on the defensive side of the ball and it’s encouraging that many of Virginia’s starters or rotation players with experience will be back next year. On offense, tight ends Sackett Wood and Grant Misch will be returning for another season in the orange and blue.
UVa’s roster is also expected to grow by six in January. The four transfer commits, Tony Muskett, Malik Washington, Daijon Parker and Kobe Pace were all announced as new Hoos on signing day, and all four are expected to be at UVa in January. The Cavaliers will also welcome a pair of early enrollees from the 2023 class, with QB Anthony Colandrea and receiver Jaden Gibson starting their collegiate careers this spring.
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