The WAR ROOM is back and this edition is full of football recruiting scoop! It's a huge recruiting weekend in Charlottesville, where UVa will be hosting not only the bulk of its 2017 recruiting class but also a handful of key recruits. This week we're going to bring back The Confidence Meter and break down the various recruitments left on the board in this cycle and tell you which recruits to pay attention to in the coming days.
As always, what's said in the War Room, stays in the War Room. Let's go!
The big weekend ahead
As it stands today UVa has a class of 22, with four of them already enrolled and one coming from a post-grad year. From what we've heard, Bronco Mendenhall and the Wahoos probably have about six spots left to work with both in this class and with grad transfer additions.
Virginia will be bringing in the bulk of its recruiting class for an official visit this weekend, along with a handful of non-committed recruits we'll touch on (and some others we can't because we don't have the green light to name them). We thought we'd also bring back The Confidence Meter for this week's War Room to help give you as best a sense as possible about what the conditions look like on the ground.
For those who may need a quick refresher on how it works, we treat it as a snapshot of where UVa stands with the following values assigned to each recruit:
10 - It’s a lock.
9 - Very confident.
8 - UVa is the frontrunner.
7 - UVa is in very good position.
6 - UVa is definitely in the picture.
5 - UVa has some work to do.
2-4 - UVa is a longshot.
1 - Forget about it.
So, let's get started....
Mekhi Becton- Confidence Meter: 9
As we said in this space a week ago, there will be lots of stressing and worrying over where the Rivals250 tackle will land. Given how this one has looked for UVa for some time paired with the fact that he won't be in Charlottesville this weekend, it's totally understandable. All we can tell you is that as of now, we continue to hear good things. If it plays out that way and UVa gets the nods, it'll be extremely rare to see a player visit Virginia as often as the RVA native did, take multiple OVs elsewhere, and then still sign with the Cavaliers. That being said, as of now, our expectations haven't changed on this one despite planned visits this weekend to Tech and next weekend to Oregon.
Isaac Buell- Confidence Meter: 9.5
We said last week that the Knoxville (TN) Knoxville Central DE was one we would not be surprised to see land at UVa and we still very much feel that way.
The 6-foot-4, 261-pound lineman will be in Charlottesville this weekend for his OV and it likely won't long for this one to be over. Look for Mendenhall and the Cavaliers to close.
Levani Damuni- Confidence Meter: 7.8
Unlike some on this list, there won't be much time to wonder about where the he lands. The four-star linebacker is planning to announce his decision this weekend from the Polynesian Bowl, which will be broadcast on Saturday from Aloha Stadium in O'ahu at 11 p.m. ET on ESPN3. Joining Damuni on Team Stanley is UVa commit Chris Glaser. For now, Damuni is down to Stanford, Utah, and UVa and we think the Hoos have a puncher's chance of landing him. Beating out the Cardinal will be tough, though.
Josh Johnson- Confidence Meter: 8.5
As we reported last week, the three-star wide receiver was in town for his official visit and our read is that UVa should be seen as the potential pick for the 5-foot-10, 170 pounder from College Park (GA) Woodward Academy. We'll be at least somewhat surprised if the Hoos don't flip him but the visit to Louisville this weekend looms large for the current Cards commit. As we've said, he's good friends with UVa legacy commit Joey Blount and there's no doubt that he's been the Recruiter in Chief this year. We'll have to wait and see if he can pull off one more recruiting move this year.
Henry Klinge- Confidence Meter: 7.9
There have been plenty of folks wondering where the "other" line targets were and given how you view the Becton recruitment, news yesterday that UVa had offered Klinge was either a gift or a curse. Still, on its face, the offer to the 6-foot-5, 280-pound tackle from Southlake (TX) Carroll makes a lot of sense. He visited last year and given that he broke his leg and eased back into things this past season, it's understandable that schools would take time to evaluate him. We have not heard firm details as of yet but it's likely to be next weekend and that will be the key. We think the Wahoos should be in a good spot if they can make it through this weekend's trip to Baylor.
Sammy Ochoa- Confidence Meter: 8.9.
It's been a while since we talked about the Austin (TX) Lake Travis standout and with good reason. When we last reported on him back in August, he had just visited Charlottesville and said he planned to return following his senior season. Well, his senior season is now over and word is he'll make that return trip to UVa this weekend. In the days following our report on the 6-foot-1, 290-pound defensive tackle, we had him rated as a 9.5 on a Confidence Meter in the War Room and added that had his plan not included waiting until later in the process to decide, we'd go fearless. So what's holding us up now? The presence of Baylor (and not Navy) as the team to beat. Matt Rhule and Co. taking over there makes the in-state option significantly more attractive. We still like UVa's chances a great deal but as you can tell from the number above, there is some ambiguity in the forecast.
Jeremiah Owusu- Confidence Meter: 8.5
Yes, it's a bit strange to have a committed player in the mix here and given what happened with former commits like Bryson Speas and Ryan Thaxton once they started looking around, perhaps it makes sense. Still, this one feels a bit different. For starters, UVa is still actively pursuing the 6-foot-2, 188-pound linebacker with a veracity that far exceeds the aforementioned previous commits. Both sides seems on the same page, in that Owusu recognizes that if UVa were to get enough commitments, he'd lose his spot. And UVa realizes he's going to take a visit to Michigan State and one next weekend to Notre Dame, which offered on Thursday. At this point, our best advice is to expect it's possible that he lands elsewhere but that the situation hasn't crossed over into 'likely' territory just yet.
Shawn Smith- Confidence Meter: 9.5
Whereas we might still be waiting for an announcement from Johnson, there likely won't be much doubt when it comes to the former South Carolina commit. UVa has been the team to beat for the three-star wideout from Brunswick (GA) and this weekend following his official visit is very likely to end with a commitment from the 6-foot-, 170-pound speedster.
Miki Suguturaga- Confidence Meter: 6.5
The three-star defensive end from Honolulu is also scheduled to be at the Polynesian Bowl this weekend but his recruitment remains somewhat of a mystery. He is still a recruit that UVa wants and would absolutely take but the general vibe on this one remains iffy for the Hoos. Our best read right now is that UVa along with BYU and Utah (which is still in line for a visit) are the pool he's really choosing from.
Mo Unutoa- Confidence Meter: 6.5
If anything, perhaps the offer to Klinge says more about the way UVa perceives its standing with Unutoa, the three-star offensive lineman from Kapa'a (HI). As with Suguturaga, we wouldn't be shocked to see the 6-foot-5, 280 pounder land at Virginia but we still think it's unlikely, especially since the BYU legacy still has a visit left to Provo. He'll also be at the Polynesian Bowl this weekend.
Aliki Vimahi, - Confidence Meter: 7
We have felt for some time that of the three Hawaiian recruits, UVa stood the best chance with Vimahi. And as the three-star defensive end continues to work through the process, we still feel that way. The 6-foot-3, 255 pounder from Kahuki (HI) plans to play in this weekend's Polynesian Bowl and he's down to five schools: Virginia, Utah, UCLA, USC, and Georgia Tech. Having already been to GT and UVa, he's still planning trips to UCLA and Utah before Signing Day. From the outside, despite USC being his dream school, the fact that he only has a blueshirt option there probably means they're out unless they come through with a full offer. Utah might be UVa's biggest hurdle at this point. We could definitely see the Cavaliers winning out here but the fact that two visits are on deck gives us at least a moderate level of pause.
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!
The big weekend ahead
As it stands today UVa has a class of 22, with four of them already enrolled and one coming from a post-grad year. From what we've heard, Bronco Mendenhall and the Wahoos probably have about six spots left to work with both in this class and with grad transfer additions.
Virginia will be bringing in the bulk of its recruiting class for an official visit this weekend, along with a handful of non-committed recruits we'll touch on (and some others we can't because we don't have the green light to name them). We thought we'd also bring back The Confidence Meter for this week's War Room to help give you as best a sense as possible about what the conditions look like on the ground.
For those who may need a quick refresher on how it works, we treat it as a snapshot of where UVa stands with the following values assigned to each recruit:
10 - It’s a lock.
9 - Very confident.
8 - UVa is the frontrunner.
7 - UVa is in very good position.
6 - UVa is definitely in the picture.
5 - UVa has some work to do.
2-4 - UVa is a longshot.
1 - Forget about it.
So, let's get started....
Mekhi Becton- Confidence Meter: 9
As we said in this space a week ago, there will be lots of stressing and worrying over where the Rivals250 tackle will land. Given how this one has looked for UVa for some time paired with the fact that he won't be in Charlottesville this weekend, it's totally understandable. All we can tell you is that as of now, we continue to hear good things. If it plays out that way and UVa gets the nods, it'll be extremely rare to see a player visit Virginia as often as the RVA native did, take multiple OVs elsewhere, and then still sign with the Cavaliers. That being said, as of now, our expectations haven't changed on this one despite planned visits this weekend to Tech and next weekend to Oregon.
Isaac Buell- Confidence Meter: 9.5
We said last week that the Knoxville (TN) Knoxville Central DE was one we would not be surprised to see land at UVa and we still very much feel that way.
The 6-foot-4, 261-pound lineman will be in Charlottesville this weekend for his OV and it likely won't long for this one to be over. Look for Mendenhall and the Cavaliers to close.
Levani Damuni- Confidence Meter: 7.8
Unlike some on this list, there won't be much time to wonder about where the he lands. The four-star linebacker is planning to announce his decision this weekend from the Polynesian Bowl, which will be broadcast on Saturday from Aloha Stadium in O'ahu at 11 p.m. ET on ESPN3. Joining Damuni on Team Stanley is UVa commit Chris Glaser. For now, Damuni is down to Stanford, Utah, and UVa and we think the Hoos have a puncher's chance of landing him. Beating out the Cardinal will be tough, though.
Josh Johnson- Confidence Meter: 8.5
As we reported last week, the three-star wide receiver was in town for his official visit and our read is that UVa should be seen as the potential pick for the 5-foot-10, 170 pounder from College Park (GA) Woodward Academy. We'll be at least somewhat surprised if the Hoos don't flip him but the visit to Louisville this weekend looms large for the current Cards commit. As we've said, he's good friends with UVa legacy commit Joey Blount and there's no doubt that he's been the Recruiter in Chief this year. We'll have to wait and see if he can pull off one more recruiting move this year.
Henry Klinge- Confidence Meter: 7.9
There have been plenty of folks wondering where the "other" line targets were and given how you view the Becton recruitment, news yesterday that UVa had offered Klinge was either a gift or a curse. Still, on its face, the offer to the 6-foot-5, 280-pound tackle from Southlake (TX) Carroll makes a lot of sense. He visited last year and given that he broke his leg and eased back into things this past season, it's understandable that schools would take time to evaluate him. We have not heard firm details as of yet but it's likely to be next weekend and that will be the key. We think the Wahoos should be in a good spot if they can make it through this weekend's trip to Baylor.
Sammy Ochoa- Confidence Meter: 8.9.
It's been a while since we talked about the Austin (TX) Lake Travis standout and with good reason. When we last reported on him back in August, he had just visited Charlottesville and said he planned to return following his senior season. Well, his senior season is now over and word is he'll make that return trip to UVa this weekend. In the days following our report on the 6-foot-1, 290-pound defensive tackle, we had him rated as a 9.5 on a Confidence Meter in the War Room and added that had his plan not included waiting until later in the process to decide, we'd go fearless. So what's holding us up now? The presence of Baylor (and not Navy) as the team to beat. Matt Rhule and Co. taking over there makes the in-state option significantly more attractive. We still like UVa's chances a great deal but as you can tell from the number above, there is some ambiguity in the forecast.
Jeremiah Owusu- Confidence Meter: 8.5
Yes, it's a bit strange to have a committed player in the mix here and given what happened with former commits like Bryson Speas and Ryan Thaxton once they started looking around, perhaps it makes sense. Still, this one feels a bit different. For starters, UVa is still actively pursuing the 6-foot-2, 188-pound linebacker with a veracity that far exceeds the aforementioned previous commits. Both sides seems on the same page, in that Owusu recognizes that if UVa were to get enough commitments, he'd lose his spot. And UVa realizes he's going to take a visit to Michigan State and one next weekend to Notre Dame, which offered on Thursday. At this point, our best advice is to expect it's possible that he lands elsewhere but that the situation hasn't crossed over into 'likely' territory just yet.
Shawn Smith- Confidence Meter: 9.5
Whereas we might still be waiting for an announcement from Johnson, there likely won't be much doubt when it comes to the former South Carolina commit. UVa has been the team to beat for the three-star wideout from Brunswick (GA) and this weekend following his official visit is very likely to end with a commitment from the 6-foot-, 170-pound speedster.
Miki Suguturaga- Confidence Meter: 6.5
The three-star defensive end from Honolulu is also scheduled to be at the Polynesian Bowl this weekend but his recruitment remains somewhat of a mystery. He is still a recruit that UVa wants and would absolutely take but the general vibe on this one remains iffy for the Hoos. Our best read right now is that UVa along with BYU and Utah (which is still in line for a visit) are the pool he's really choosing from.
Mo Unutoa- Confidence Meter: 6.5
If anything, perhaps the offer to Klinge says more about the way UVa perceives its standing with Unutoa, the three-star offensive lineman from Kapa'a (HI). As with Suguturaga, we wouldn't be shocked to see the 6-foot-5, 280 pounder land at Virginia but we still think it's unlikely, especially since the BYU legacy still has a visit left to Provo. He'll also be at the Polynesian Bowl this weekend.
Aliki Vimahi, - Confidence Meter: 7
We have felt for some time that of the three Hawaiian recruits, UVa stood the best chance with Vimahi. And as the three-star defensive end continues to work through the process, we still feel that way. The 6-foot-3, 255 pounder from Kahuki (HI) plans to play in this weekend's Polynesian Bowl and he's down to five schools: Virginia, Utah, UCLA, USC, and Georgia Tech. Having already been to GT and UVa, he's still planning trips to UCLA and Utah before Signing Day. From the outside, despite USC being his dream school, the fact that he only has a blueshirt option there probably means they're out unless they come through with a full offer. Utah might be UVa's biggest hurdle at this point. We could definitely see the Cavaliers winning out here but the fact that two visits are on deck gives us at least a moderate level of pause.
That is it for this week, and as always, what's said here, stays here!
