The
WAR ROOM is back and this edition is full of football and hoops recruiting scoop! With spring ball underway, UVa is expecting visitors and we'll touch on a few names of note before we break down the background on a pending decision in the class of 2016 from one of Virginia's (and the nation's) top players. We'll also touch on a few offers that have come out of the McCue Center before we transition to the hardwood and break down where things stand from a recruiting perspective as the Cavaliers switch into offseason mode. There are several key variables at play and we'll give you the latest on what we're hearing and how things are likely to shake out.
As always, what's said in the War Room, stays in the War Room. Let's go!
Visitors of note
Last weekend for its first open practice of the spring, UVa hosted a couple of notable prospects including four-star offensive lineman
Josh Ball, who we are hoping to catch up with soon to get the latest on his recruitment. We've said for some time that the 6-foot-7, 300-pound tackle from Stafford is a key recruit for UVa and the competition continues to be extremely tough. But new O-line coach
Dave Borbely has made an impression and we continue to hear that the Hoos are going to be in the thick of this one for a while.
This weekend, the Wahoos are expected to host prospects as well and the two names we've been able to confirm are that of legacy
Zach Adams. Word, a 6-foot-3, 230-pound linebacker from Bishop O'Connell has been a frequent visitor and it definitely seems like only a matter of time before he's a Wahoo. Adams, meanwhile, is a 6-foot-7, 295-pound tackle from Riverbend who is picking up interest from several ACC programs, including Duke, North Carolina, and NC State.
Decision coming
Word began to spread earlier this week that five-star defensive back
Levonta Taylor, No. 9 overall in the Rivals100 for the class of 2016, will be announcing his decision on April 3 during a ceremony at Ocean Lakes.
That's quite a bit of news considering many (us included) believed Taylor's recruitment would take a while to sort of settle down. At this point, there's plenty of evidence to support the idea that Virginia is among the teams he's seriously considering but to what degree right now the Cavaliers are in the mix at the top of his list is up for debate.
What isn't is that, coming off a trip to Florida State, the Seminoles should be seen as the most likely choice. And that's tough news for the Cavaliers because Taylor, not just because of his ability but also because of where he's coming from, was and is a major recruit in this class. We're not saying that UVa will not be the choice. But right now, we have no indication that the change in his timeframe isn't driven by the fact that he had a great trip.
That being said, he's a recruit that has taken a lot of visits over the past couple of years. So if FSU really blew him away, this would be the kind of reaction one would expect to see.
New offers out
Finally, this week the Cavaliers extended a few offers worth pointing out, perhaps none bigger than the one four-star Lake Taylor defensive back
Wayne Davis picked up after attending practice last weekend. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound cornerback from Norfolk already has an impressive offer list that includes the likes of Auburn, Clemson, Duke, Louisville, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio State, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, and Wisconsin, among others. It'll be interesting to see where things go from here between Davis and the Wahoos.
UVa also offered a pair of playmakers from the Peach State.
Jordan Smith, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound defensive end from Lithonia (GA), was also offered by Virginia. He already has offers from a number of quality programs including Clemson, FSU, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, NC State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Tennessee.
Lastly, UVa went back down in the Sunshine State and offered
Nolan DeFranco, a 6-foot-6, 221-pound defensive end from Winter Garden (FL) West Orange. It's his first ACC offer thus far.
Hoops news and notes
As we transition to the hardwood, we wanted to do something a little different this time and instead of laying out just "recruiting" info, we're going to sort of set the table for what the thinking is coming out of the 2014-2015 season.
We'll start with the stay-or-go decision that
Justin Anderson is currently battling with ahead of next month's deadline (players must declare by 11:59 p.m. on April 26 but have until June 15 to withdraw their names). While some have been sure that the junior guard will return to school and others convinced he'll go, what we heard as of Thursday afternoon is that both are still very much an option.
Anderson's draft stock (once the NCAA Tournament shakes out) won't be any better this year than it would be if he decided to stay next year and play his final season. There's no "risk" (outside of injury, obviously) on that front. The real question might be whether or not he's okay being drafted and spending a year in the D-League rather than playing in college because even some first-round picks end up having to go that route these days. The NBA is a very, very different animal from the NFL in that respect. If you're going to go, you want to be a top 20 pick or so. At this point, UVa sources think he'll see the writing on the wall and return to school but that it is no way a lock. There is every expectation right now that he'll at least get as much information as possible.
Sources also told CavsCorner on Thursday that UVa is expected to hold its end-of-year meetings with players next week and we should have a much better idea of any potential transfers once those conversations take place. At this point, sources have not pointed to any players that are expected to leave but given the nature of college basketball these days, there's always a chance. And clearly, there are guys on the roster who didn't play as much as they would have liked this season. We won't speculate outside of saying all of that other than to note that depending on which players leave and from what class they're leaving, recruiting numbers could be tweaked.
That all brings us to the "now what" question for the Cavaliers in terms of recruiting. In talking to sources, we think it's safe to say UVa will once again be active in the transfer market this spring. There are two clear things we think the Hoos will be shopping for: A knock-down shooter/scorer with some length and a big man in the Akil Mitchell/Darion Atkins mold.
The need for the shooter is obvious. Everyone can see that the Cavaliers need some help offensively. Whether or not UVa makes a push to get one might come down to circumstances. For example, we don't see the staff bringing in another true combo guard type. But a 2/3 wing in the 6-foot-4/6-foot-6 range who can knock down 3-pointers with some consistency would be something Virginia would be all about getting. And that's something they'll continue to look for in the class of 2016 as well.
The big, meanwhile, is an extension of a recruiting need made more immediate by the reality that what Atkins gave the team is vital. There has been some discussion among UVa fans about the Cavaliers playing small at times and that's something we hear could potentially be in play, if not on a consistent basis perhaps more often than in the past. But there's no doubt, sources say, that the Wahoos would love another skilled, athletic big to take over for Atkins. In some ways, Rivals150 junior power forward commit
Sacha Killeya-Jones has those types of attributes but the thinking we've heard is that UVa would like to add one more big along with him.
And that brings us to 2016 recruiting and specifically to four-star junior power forward
Mamadi Diakite. Word is that UVa will receive an official visit from him, though we have not heard of a date or range of dates that we can confirm. What's interesting here is that for some time, it didn't seem like the Cavaliers were too upset when Diakite wasn't taking recruiting all that seriously. They had Killeya-Jones in the fold and were looking at various options for that fourth scholarship in the class. Recently, though, we believe the Wahoos have made him a bigger priority and even though they are very aware that anything can happen, there is some confidence among sources about their position. But as we did the last time we talked about Diakite in this space, we advise caution. There is a long way to go still before this one gets anywhere close to a point where it can be accurately forecasted.
There are just too many variables in place. For starters, there's a very real expectation that he'll be transferring to a school in the Washington, D.C. area for next season and playing AAU this spring/summer with Team Takeover. We don't think that dramatically impacts UVa's pursuit but it does move him from the backyard, so to speak, and it brings a lot of change in a short amount of time. There's also the competition, which includes Georgetown, Washington, and USC. That's a group of four that you don't see all that often if you think about it and that speaks to the fact that this hasn't been and won't starting being anytime soon a recruitment that follows convention. Distance won't be a problem so the proximity factor shouldn't be focused on at all. In short, UVa has a lot working in its favor but some of that might not matter in the grand scheme of things.
What's important right now is that
Ron Sanchez and
Tony Bennett have UVa is probably as good a spot as the Cavaliers could be in right now in this specific recruitment. While the net will certainly widen once AAU season begins, Diakite is still very much a priority.
Finally, given the needs expressed above, it's no surprise that the other player to watch in the class of 2016 is four-star Alabama standout
Joshua Langford. The 6-foot-6, 200-pound playmaker, No. 20 overall in the Rivals150 for 2016, has a host of quality offers so far and he's a player that Virginia has been trying to make a push for over the last couple of months.
The good news, sources say, is that the Cavaliers are getting a lot of traction and though the elite programs are also taking notice, this is a recruitment that UVa could make some noise in. The key going forward is making Langford and his family comfortable with Virginia's system and how he'd be used it. But there's no doubt right now that he is very interested in what Bennett and the Wahoos are doing.
That is it for this week, and as always, what's said here, stays here!
