The
WAR ROOM is back and this edition is full of football recruiting info! The Cavaliers will be hosting their third Junior Day event of the year tomorrow afternoon in Charlottesville and we'll give you a glimpse of some of the names we've heard that are expected to be in town. We'll also touch on a few new offers that are out this week, including one to an in-state running back in the class of 2017 that ended up being a seven-offer day. And we'll touch on why we think the Wahoos will be a factor in his recruitment for a long time to come.
As always, what's said in the War Room, stays in the War Room. Let's go!
Visitors expected this weekend
It's the last home basketball game of the season and with it, one last opportunity for the football staff to bring in prospects for a visit prior to the start of spring ball next month. And UVa is expecting to host a number of targets tomorrow when the second-ranked Cavaliers host rival Virginia Tech.
The first prospect we'll list is a name from the past, as reclassified wide receiver
Trevion Armstrong is expected to be in the house tomorrow. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Trinity standout has started to pick up some momentum in terms of offers. At this point, we can't honestly say where UVa will or won't make a push but the fact that he's taking another visit is interesting all on its own.
The Cavaliers are also hoping that three-star defensive back
Andrew Pryts is in town tomorrow. You won't find many three-star prospects with his offer list and UVa was one of the earlier schools to jump in the fray. Needless to say, though, that the Cavaliers need to find some staying power in a recruitment that will be tough to win.
Three-star New Jersey offensive lineman
Liam Smith will also be in attendance. The 6-foot-5 tackle has an offer from UVa in addition to UConn, Duke, Miami, Pitt, Rutgers, Syracuse, and Wake Forest, among others.
He won't be the only O-lineman in the house. UVa is also expecting to host
Jacob Buccigrossi, a 6-foot-4, 280-pound tackle from Pittsburgh (PA) North Hills. He's a guy that sources have said the Cavaliers might be trying to add early, so don't be surprised if he joins the current three commits in 2016 at some point soon. Whether or not he's ready to end his recruitment, word we've heard is that he like the school a great deal.
Three-star wide receiver
Tyree Rodgers. Harmon, a 6-foot-2, 180-pound wideout from Palmyra (NJ) has picked up early offers from ODU, Rutgers, and Temple. Johnson, meanwhile, is a 6-foot, 180-pound athlete from Potomac (MD) who has offers from BC, Iowa, UNC, and Wisconsin in addition to UVa. Finally, Rodgers is a 6-foot, 192-pound standout whose lone offer right now is from Temple.
New Jersey will be well represented if Smith, Harmon, and Rodgers as well Camden teammates
Jamal Holloway make it down. Hawkins is a 6-foot-3, 193-pound four-star Rivals250 receiver with a laundry list of offers while Holloway, a 6-foot-4, 230-pound defensive end, has offers from Michigan State, ODU, Pitt, Rutgers, Syracuse, Temple, and UVa.
Johnson won't be the only Bullis school prospect in Charlottesville. His teammate, four-star linebacker
Cameron Brown, is also expected to be in attendance.
In addition to UVa legacy recruit
Julian Okwara, a four-star outside linebacker from Charlotte.
We fully expect more names to be added to this list between now and tomorrow, with various players confirming their plans now that the weather had cleared up throughout the region. If we hear more names, we'll add them here.
A couple of new offers out
Considering that so much attention in the 2015 cycle was on UVa's search for more help on the line, there's no doubt that the focus on offensive tackles shifted into the class of 2016. And currently, there are a number of top targets at that position that the staff has already clearly defined.
This week, the Hoos made a move on the nation's top center prospect when UVa offered four-star Keystone State standout
Connor McGovern. The 6-foot-5, 290 pounder from Lehman (PA) Lake Lehman Senior has offers from Boston College, Duke, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Miami, Michigan State, North Carolina, Penn State, and Pitt. A Rivals250 prospect, he'll be a tough get for the Cavaliers but he's a player that can make the interior of your line much, much better in a hurry.
The Cavaliers also offered Laurinburg (NC) Scotland County linebacker
Jonathan Smith this week. The 6-foot-1, 220-pound inside backer also has early offers from Duke, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Michigan, North Carolina, NC State, Wake Forest, and West Virginia, among others.
Big day/week for 2017 running back
Speaking of new offerees, there probably isn't a recruit having as good a week as 2017 Cox running back
Khalan Laborn. The talented sophomore picked up seven offers in one day this week and it was UVa that got the train running. FSU, Ohio State, Arizona State, Virginia Tech, and Tennessee were all schools that followed suit.
This is a recruitment, much like the other uber-talented kids from the 757, that we expect the Cavaliers to be a factor in for the next couple of years. He's someone who is obviously very familiar with a lot of the guys UVa has signed and recruits currently on the board. While we're not saying the Hoos have the lead or anything for the 5-foot-10, 185-pound back, we definitely see them being a major factor in his recruitment.
That is it for this week, and as always, what's said here, stays here!
