The
WAR ROOM is back and this quick-hitting edition is full of football recruiting scoop! With Signing Day coming next week, it's time for the Cavaliers to finish out their 2016 class and the biggest step toward that end is the official visit weekend that UVa has lined up. The Wahoos will bring all of their commits to Charlottesville later today and we'll tell you how you should feel about that group. We'll also tell you about three other key recruitments to watch down the stretch...and we'll even give you a Fearless Prediction before it's all said and done.
As always, what's said in the War Room, stays in the War Room. Let's go!
Cross and Hill are two to watch
It's been an interesting few weeks on the recruiting front for
Bronco Mendenhall and his staff. They tried their best to get into the mix with four-star Rivals250 offensive lineman and Florida State commit
Josh Ball but it doesn't look at this point, without a major course correction, like the Hoos will be able to sway him and get him on Grounds. The Cavaliers also tried to take a run at talented three-star quarterback
Victor Viramontes but were unable to turn that burst of interest into an official visit. He too at this point, again barring something totally unforeseen, won't be in town this weekend.
So who will be?
Well, let's start with the committed players that Virginia currently has in its 2016 class (four commits have already enrolled).
That group includes
Sonny Abramson,
Cole Blackman,
Darrius Bratton,
Christian Brooks,
Osiris Crutchfield,
Deedrick Daniels,
Hasise Dubois,
Nick Grant,
Bryce Hall,
Aidan Howard,
Ben Knutson,
Jordan Mack,
Chris Moore,
Stephen Moye,
Joseph Reed,
Dillon Reinkensmeyer,
Robert Snyder, and
Landan Word.
The only rumblings we've heard about any of these guys possibly not signing with UVa is Moye, who was getting a lot of heat from Maryland. But if he takes this trip as planned, we don't see this one changing.
The other two players we think you need to watch are dual-threat quarterback
De'Vante Cross, the 6-foot-1, 184-pound signal caller from Allentown (PA) Parkland Senior, and lineman
Trysten Hill, the 6-foot-2, 308 pounder from Live Oak (FL) Suwanee.
Time to be fearless
Cross has made no secret in recent weeks that he really likes the Cavaliers. And that he's made it this long without becoming a member of UVa's 2016 class is actually pretty surprising. Given that his official visit is this weekend, though, we think it's not just very likely that he'll commit but we think it's close enough to a done deal that we can go fearless on it: Cross will be a Wahoo either while he's in town or leading up to Signing Day.
That being said, what does he bring to the table? Well, for starters, he gives UVa a true dual-threat option at QB which is something the Cavaliers really don't have right now. Granted, Nick Johns is a pretty athletic guy with very good size and a good arm and even Abramson is someone who can move around well but Cross is a different animal. Virginia will have a multiple offense and much of what the Wahoos do will be driven by who the quarterback is and how his skillset fits. Gone are the days where the staff in Charlottesville tried to force a round peg into a square hole.
Robert Anae will instead adapt his offense to the talent he has, so getting players with a diverse skillset is a priority. Cross fits what the staff is looking for and we expect him to come off the board either at some point this weekend, which is the most likely scenario, or in the lead up to just signing with the Hoos.
Hill too looks like he might be headed for the Hook
Now, in talking with Hill this week it certainly sounds like he could be a Cavalier very soon as well, but we'd like to explain why we ultimately decided not to go fearless on him.
On Tuesday afternoon, a source passed along his name and said that UVa could be a real player for the former Georgia Tech commit. So we reached out via text and didn't hear anything back from the Sunshine State prospect until a full day later. At this point, he confirmed that he was indeed planning to take an official visit to Virginia this coming weekend, as we had heard.
When asked if he had anything else scheduled, he said that he had taken an official visit to UCF and that the schools he was looking at including them, UVa, Cincinnati, Florida, South Carolina, and Kentucky. The leaders, he said, were Virginia and UCF but in no order.
Given that the Cavaliers are lining up to get the last visit, this one seems like it's likely going to happen. The only thing that gives us pause was the fact that UCF was the other school he's considering. He's from Live Oak, which is in between Tallahassee and Jacksonville north of Orlando. So while you might not be able to call UCF the "hometown" school, the distance is obviously very different than it between his home and Charlottesville. For all intents and purposes, it's home.
So while it's absolutely possible that distance doesn't end up being a thing, until he takes the visit and sees for himself we think it's a bad look to predict he'll pick UVa. But we think the chances of that happening are very, very high.
Another new name on the radar?
While this one could break UVa's way, word is that the Cavaliers are also expecting Hawaii running back
Wayne Taulapapa for an official visit this weekend, too. A 5-foot-11, 202-pound back from Honolulu, he's a former BYU commit with a lot of potential.
Considering his background with the staff, as long as Hawaii doesn't make a late run, this might be one the Wahoos can close.
So what about Swenson?
We said above that Hill is a lineman and we purposefully left off which side of the ball because we think he could play either way, though DT is his most likely future destination with the Cavaliers.
That being said, offensive line coach
Garett Tujague has been looking near and far for potential additions at that position and the biggest one on the radar, aside from Ball, appears to be four-star offensive tackle and former Michigan commit
Erik Swenson. The 6-foot-5, 300-pound Rivals250 standout from Downers Grove (IL) had a much publicized falling out with the Wolverines and then suddenly became a priority for many schools looking to add help on the offensive line.
In talking to sources this week, it sounds like Swenson will not be visiting UVa this weekend. And while that is certainly bad news for Tujague's efforts to land a commitment from him, the door isn't totally closed.
Word we've heard is that right now, Oklahoma is the team to beat but the Sooners have yet to actually offer. Swenson is going on his official visit there this weekend and most folks we've talked to in the last 24 hours expect the offer to come then and for him to commit. But should that not come, or if he's offered a grey shirt opportunity like the one North Carolina offered him, then things get interesting. Because from what we've heard, UVa is the clear No. 2 right now.
We could see a scenario where Oklahoma doesn't offer, he decides to wait past Signing Day, takes an OV to Virginia next weekend, and becomes a Cavalier. That's not to say that is likely but it is plausible.
At this point, we just have to wait and see what happens this weekend and then go from there depending on if he's still on the board. Don't get your hopes up, though. Be realistic.
And one more...
Lastly, there had been a flurry of rumblings connecting UVa with Florida defensive end
Rashad Weaver, another much-publicized former Michigan commit. The Cavaliers had been pushing hard to get the 6-foot-5, 245-pound Cooper City (FL) native to come to Charlottesville this weekend for an official visit but as it stands now, Penn State is expecting to host him once his current trip to Pitt ends.
Like Swenson, there's the potential for this one to go beyond Wednesday and UVa's
Mark Atuaia has done all he can do to keep the Hoos involved but realistically, like with Swenson, we wouldn't recommend folks expecting anything on this one until something big changes.
That is it for this week, and as always, what's said here, stays here!
