The WAR ROOM is back and this quick-hitting edition is full of football recruiting scoop! The dead period is over and the Virginia coaches have hit the recruiting trail. Not only have they made current commits and shoring things up with them a big part of the focus but they've also started to fan out and try to add guys to UVa's 2016. Ahead of next weekend's big official visit weekend in Charlottesville, we'll focus in on a couple of notable recruitments and give you the latest on those and handicap what could be an intriguing run up to Signing Day.
As always, what's said in the War Room, stays in the War Room. Let's go!
Viramamontes is a big target for the Hoos
Last week in this space we talked about UVa's situation at quarterback in 2016 and how, even with one commit at the position, the new staff was still looking to add someone. And while we still see De'Vante Cross, the 6-foot-1, 184-pound signal caller from Allentown (PA) Parkland Senior, being a priority, there's no doubt right now that Virginia is also very into the idea of adding three-star California dual-threat QB Victor Viramontes. The 6-foot, 214-pound playmaker from Norco (CA) is pretty wide open right now, according to sources, and he's going to get a whole lot of attention in the coming weeks.
Quarterbacks coach Jason Beck made the trip out to Norco on Thursday and clearly, he and Viramontes had a great talk. The key now will be holding off the other schools in the mix. As of late Thursday night, Viramontes was planning to take an official visit to Utah this weekend. He apparently, as of now at least, has an event to go to next weekend and has a visit scheduled to Cal for the following weekend, meaning that if UVa wants to get him on Grounds it's probably going to need to be a mid-week deal. As of right now, we'd have to say that (or next weekend freeing up) is likely because Viramontes is really excited about the Cavaliers.
This is a good time to reiterate that while the weeks leading up to Signing Day have been relatively quiet for the Wahoos in recent years, most teams/fan bases don't get that. It's possible Viramontes could go to Utah this weekend and be off the board before Monday even gets here. Or, there's also a very real chance that he could stay uncommited, take more visits, or even decide not to sign on actual Signing Day. In recruiting, anything is always possible. The most likely scenario, of course, is that he commits to a school that he likes while he's on that campus, so it's important for the Hoos to keep carving out a niche and get him to Charlottesville. At that point, we can seriously start talking about the big picture.
Thus far, through their actions the staff has made it pretty clear that they like a lot of the talent they're getting in this class and the focus on potential additions is heavily at QB and at OL. Those are evidently the two spots on the roster that they feel like they need immediate other options in the pipeline, which leads us to believe that at least one more commit at each spot is coming in some way, shape, or form.
Ball heads to Florida State this weekend
One of the big names on the list of visitors next weekend when UVa hosts all of its 2016 commits is that of Rivals250 four-star offensive lineman Josh Ball, a long-time FSU commit. Virginia will certainly be looking to close this one out at that point but the question, given that the Stafford native will be in Tallahassee this weekend for his official visit, is whether or not he takes the trip to Charlottesville.
In talking to various sources over the past few weeks, we can tell you that it certainly sounds like the interest here is very genuine, that Ball is legitimately looking to make sure he's made the right decision, and the fact that UVa and NC State have been involved tells you a lot. The Wolfpack were in home this week and as of yet, we haven't heard where things stand as far as State getting an OV. For now, the focus for Ball will be taking the trip to FSU and then going to UVa, which obviously the Hoos are hoping he comes back without a changed itinerary for the remainder of his recruitment. As anyone who has followed recruiting well knows, committed guys often tend to cancel other visits after taking their official to the school they've committed to previously. At this point, we'll have to wait and see how sure of things Ball is when he gets back to the Commonwealth. Our best prognostication at this point, though, is that he follows through with the UVa trip. And that's when things really get interesting from where we sit.
Other OL options on the table?
While UVa has continued to work hard to get into the mix with several quality offensive line prospects committed elsewhere, the Cavaliers have also been looking at guys all over and that includes some lesser known players. OL coach Garett Tujague, much like his head coach, isn't wowed by stars. He's looking for fit. And there have been a couple of guys that have started to hear from Virginia, at least in terms of general contact. Offers at this point to guys like 6-foot-6, 290-pound Jefferson Forest lineman Ben Trent, for example, have yet to come but it certainly seems like Tujague is very much looking for additional help on the line. There's also a 6-foot-8, 300-pound kid at Tallwood, Jason Goosen, that we believe the Hoos have started to take a long look at so far. While fans might be more excited by the idea of a guy like Ball flipping or a legacy kid like Clark Yarbrough taking another look at UVa (we hear Tujague is pushing hard regardless whether he gets any traction or not), there's a chance the additions will be under-the-radar types that he believes fit what Virginia is going to look for going forward.
Any commits to worry about?
We thought we'd finish out this week with a quick note on who other schools might be looking to snag. We mentioned in this space a week ago that three-star Gilman School lineman Stephen Spanellis was getting some serious attention from Michigan and that an official visit was likely in the cards. We've been as of yet unable to get ahold of him, which as we've said before can sometimes be a sign of there being some fire where there's smoke or also it could mean absolutely nothing. We think if he decides to take the visit then it might mean things with UVa have ended. At this point, though, we don't have a definitive answer either way.
There's also the chance that another school could swoop in and try to poach some of the other guys and clearly, just from the new staff's personnel, you have to think Maryland is going to look at some of these guys. We wouldn't be shocked if they tried to make a run at Nick Grant, though we think the Courtland star ultimately sticks with his commitment. If you'll recall, UMd also offered legacy linebacker commit Landan Word. We still haven't heard of any traction on that front, though.
Lastly, one guy I think we can officially put in the "done" territory following his in-home visit with Bronco Mendenhall and Nick Howell is Florida native Deedrick Daniels. Because of the other Sunshine State guys that had decommitted previously, Daniels was someone we were a tad worried about, at least until we caught up with him this week. He was solid before Virginia's coaches made their way down to Tampa to talk to the versatile playmaker but he absolutely raved about the trip. We point this out partly to say that Daniels is no longer a guy we think you should worry about but also too to make the point that clearly, Mendenhall and his staff are doing a much better job on the recruiting trail at making impressions and doing the recruiting thing well than a lot of people gave them credit for early on. We'll have to wait and see about the results but the change in location hasn't seemed to hurt them in terms of wowing kids and their families so far. And obviously, that's great news for UVa going forward.
That is it for this week, and as always, what's said here, stays here!
As always, what's said in the War Room, stays in the War Room. Let's go!
Viramamontes is a big target for the Hoos
Last week in this space we talked about UVa's situation at quarterback in 2016 and how, even with one commit at the position, the new staff was still looking to add someone. And while we still see De'Vante Cross, the 6-foot-1, 184-pound signal caller from Allentown (PA) Parkland Senior, being a priority, there's no doubt right now that Virginia is also very into the idea of adding three-star California dual-threat QB Victor Viramontes. The 6-foot, 214-pound playmaker from Norco (CA) is pretty wide open right now, according to sources, and he's going to get a whole lot of attention in the coming weeks.
Quarterbacks coach Jason Beck made the trip out to Norco on Thursday and clearly, he and Viramontes had a great talk. The key now will be holding off the other schools in the mix. As of late Thursday night, Viramontes was planning to take an official visit to Utah this weekend. He apparently, as of now at least, has an event to go to next weekend and has a visit scheduled to Cal for the following weekend, meaning that if UVa wants to get him on Grounds it's probably going to need to be a mid-week deal. As of right now, we'd have to say that (or next weekend freeing up) is likely because Viramontes is really excited about the Cavaliers.
This is a good time to reiterate that while the weeks leading up to Signing Day have been relatively quiet for the Wahoos in recent years, most teams/fan bases don't get that. It's possible Viramontes could go to Utah this weekend and be off the board before Monday even gets here. Or, there's also a very real chance that he could stay uncommited, take more visits, or even decide not to sign on actual Signing Day. In recruiting, anything is always possible. The most likely scenario, of course, is that he commits to a school that he likes while he's on that campus, so it's important for the Hoos to keep carving out a niche and get him to Charlottesville. At that point, we can seriously start talking about the big picture.
Thus far, through their actions the staff has made it pretty clear that they like a lot of the talent they're getting in this class and the focus on potential additions is heavily at QB and at OL. Those are evidently the two spots on the roster that they feel like they need immediate other options in the pipeline, which leads us to believe that at least one more commit at each spot is coming in some way, shape, or form.
Ball heads to Florida State this weekend
One of the big names on the list of visitors next weekend when UVa hosts all of its 2016 commits is that of Rivals250 four-star offensive lineman Josh Ball, a long-time FSU commit. Virginia will certainly be looking to close this one out at that point but the question, given that the Stafford native will be in Tallahassee this weekend for his official visit, is whether or not he takes the trip to Charlottesville.
In talking to various sources over the past few weeks, we can tell you that it certainly sounds like the interest here is very genuine, that Ball is legitimately looking to make sure he's made the right decision, and the fact that UVa and NC State have been involved tells you a lot. The Wolfpack were in home this week and as of yet, we haven't heard where things stand as far as State getting an OV. For now, the focus for Ball will be taking the trip to FSU and then going to UVa, which obviously the Hoos are hoping he comes back without a changed itinerary for the remainder of his recruitment. As anyone who has followed recruiting well knows, committed guys often tend to cancel other visits after taking their official to the school they've committed to previously. At this point, we'll have to wait and see how sure of things Ball is when he gets back to the Commonwealth. Our best prognostication at this point, though, is that he follows through with the UVa trip. And that's when things really get interesting from where we sit.
Other OL options on the table?
While UVa has continued to work hard to get into the mix with several quality offensive line prospects committed elsewhere, the Cavaliers have also been looking at guys all over and that includes some lesser known players. OL coach Garett Tujague, much like his head coach, isn't wowed by stars. He's looking for fit. And there have been a couple of guys that have started to hear from Virginia, at least in terms of general contact. Offers at this point to guys like 6-foot-6, 290-pound Jefferson Forest lineman Ben Trent, for example, have yet to come but it certainly seems like Tujague is very much looking for additional help on the line. There's also a 6-foot-8, 300-pound kid at Tallwood, Jason Goosen, that we believe the Hoos have started to take a long look at so far. While fans might be more excited by the idea of a guy like Ball flipping or a legacy kid like Clark Yarbrough taking another look at UVa (we hear Tujague is pushing hard regardless whether he gets any traction or not), there's a chance the additions will be under-the-radar types that he believes fit what Virginia is going to look for going forward.
Any commits to worry about?
We thought we'd finish out this week with a quick note on who other schools might be looking to snag. We mentioned in this space a week ago that three-star Gilman School lineman Stephen Spanellis was getting some serious attention from Michigan and that an official visit was likely in the cards. We've been as of yet unable to get ahold of him, which as we've said before can sometimes be a sign of there being some fire where there's smoke or also it could mean absolutely nothing. We think if he decides to take the visit then it might mean things with UVa have ended. At this point, though, we don't have a definitive answer either way.
There's also the chance that another school could swoop in and try to poach some of the other guys and clearly, just from the new staff's personnel, you have to think Maryland is going to look at some of these guys. We wouldn't be shocked if they tried to make a run at Nick Grant, though we think the Courtland star ultimately sticks with his commitment. If you'll recall, UMd also offered legacy linebacker commit Landan Word. We still haven't heard of any traction on that front, though.
Lastly, one guy I think we can officially put in the "done" territory following his in-home visit with Bronco Mendenhall and Nick Howell is Florida native Deedrick Daniels. Because of the other Sunshine State guys that had decommitted previously, Daniels was someone we were a tad worried about, at least until we caught up with him this week. He was solid before Virginia's coaches made their way down to Tampa to talk to the versatile playmaker but he absolutely raved about the trip. We point this out partly to say that Daniels is no longer a guy we think you should worry about but also too to make the point that clearly, Mendenhall and his staff are doing a much better job on the recruiting trail at making impressions and doing the recruiting thing well than a lot of people gave them credit for early on. We'll have to wait and see about the results but the change in location hasn't seemed to hurt them in terms of wowing kids and their families so far. And obviously, that's great news for UVa going forward.
That is it for this week, and as always, what's said here, stays here!
