The WAR ROOM is back and this quick-hitting edition is full of football recruiting scoop! As the early signing period draws closer, we've got the latest on not only which prospects the Cavaliers are bringing in for this final official visit weekend of 2018 and also too where the 2019 recruiting class stands with just a few days left until those commits can make things official
As always, what's said in the War Room, stays in the War Room. Let's go!
Several prospects headed for Charlottesville
With Wednesday fast approaching, the Wahoos have a pretty intriguing official visit weekend lined up and before we even set the table on who's coming, let's talk numbers.
As of now, UVa has 21 commits in the class of 2019. Sources told us in the last 24 hours that the Cavaliers could go as high as 26 in this cycle. Now, typically you're going to see at least one prep candidate in the mix with a class of this size so there's room for not only the players taking their visits this weekend but for others as well be it in the next few days or in the lead up to NSD in February. Word we were told yesterday is that Emil Bo Andersen is unlikely to gain admission and will have to go the JUCO route. So, space isn't an issue.
We'll tackle the four official visitors in alphabetical order, which means we'll start with the most recent offer to come to light that was yesterday afternoon with three-star defensive end Devin Baldwin. The 6-foot-4, 260 pounder from Southfield (MI) publicly decommitted from Western Michigan just before announcing his offer from the Cavaliers with plans to take the trip to Charlottesville right on the heels of it. That, as you might expect, is no accident. If we had to pick one of the group that'll be on Grounds who we most expect to end up at UVa, it's Baldwin. Word we heard is that the Wahoos love his size and his ability to add weight with the expectation being that he'd play end at the next level.
Also on Grounds this weekend will be Tenyeh Dixon, a 5-foot-11, 175-pound former Temple commit from C.D. Woodson in D.C. The book on Dixon as far as UVa is concerned remains a bit murky but the Hoos have come on strong in recent weeks. At this point, it's probably safe to say that Virginia is the odd's-on favorite but there's road to travel before that happens.
Jamel Hamm, a 6-foot-4, 180-pound cornerback from Cleveland who was at FUMA this semester, might be the more coveted of the two. His size alone jumps out at you because a DB with that sort of length would be a nightmare for quarterbacks to deal with. We got the sense from talking to sources that Virginia might also be in the driver's seat here but we aren't ready to set expectations on this one like we have on Baldwin.
UVa is also set to host Dontayvion Wicks, a 6-foot-2, 185-pound receiver from Louisiana. The Cavaliers have been doing a lot of heavy lifting in Bayou country both in this cycle and in offering younger players and this is another of those. Our sources were very high on Wicks as well and spoke to his athleticism as a big reason why. One source said that coaches have watched him on the basketball floor and couldn't believe how fluid an athlete he is.
So could the Hoos run the table and land all four? That's absolutely posssible though not necessarily expected, per our sources.
Lastly, this is worth passing along too: Sources said last night that while this weekend could be big for UVa in a variety of ways, there are some other OVs lined up for next month after the dead period ends just in case there are spots remaining. They declined to name names at this point.
Other key targets
Though they won't be in town this weekend, there are two other important targets we need to talk about at this point in the cycle.
The first is Iowa State commit Nathaniel Beal, a 6-foot-5, 205-pound three-star wide receiver from Texas who took a stealth visit to UVa recently. Sources have said for some time that as Virginia closed out this class, the spots that the staff was really looking at hard were cornerback, defensive line, and wideout. And in their search for a bigger receiver may have been the most important. Well, sources say the Cavaliers didn't just feel good about the trip Beal took but that they felt great about it. As high as we are on calling UVa the likely favorite for Baldwin, we might be even higher on the program's chances of landing Beal, who we hear will publicly announce his decision on signing day.
The other key prospect to know is Kristian Williams, a 6-foot-3, 280-pound three-star DT from Memphis. Sources say the staff tossed the late offer out there in large part because of his skillset, the position of need, and the traction they've gotten. We pressed our sources a bit and it certainly sounded like they thought Baldwin's ability to carry more weight on his frame meant he had a slight edge but there's no doubt that the Hoos like them both.
The early period beckons
As of this writing, with Tyquest Terry opening things up last week, UVa's 2019 class sits at 21 commits with one spot likely to come open. According to sources, the Hoos feel confident that 18 of them will sign on Wednesday for what has effectively become NSD the past couple of years. Word is the other two foreign commits are like to sign in a couple of months due to course work/ACT.
With a group that currently sits at No. 30 in the Rivals Team Rankings, it's no wonder that the staff wants to get all of their committed guys officially in the fold. Though there have been some rumblings about a couple of schools sniffing around a couple of guys, we hear the traction has been excellent and that—though they know in recruiting that you can ever know for sure—they don't feel like any of their commits are likely to break from their plans.
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!
Several prospects headed for Charlottesville
With Wednesday fast approaching, the Wahoos have a pretty intriguing official visit weekend lined up and before we even set the table on who's coming, let's talk numbers.
As of now, UVa has 21 commits in the class of 2019. Sources told us in the last 24 hours that the Cavaliers could go as high as 26 in this cycle. Now, typically you're going to see at least one prep candidate in the mix with a class of this size so there's room for not only the players taking their visits this weekend but for others as well be it in the next few days or in the lead up to NSD in February. Word we were told yesterday is that Emil Bo Andersen is unlikely to gain admission and will have to go the JUCO route. So, space isn't an issue.
We'll tackle the four official visitors in alphabetical order, which means we'll start with the most recent offer to come to light that was yesterday afternoon with three-star defensive end Devin Baldwin. The 6-foot-4, 260 pounder from Southfield (MI) publicly decommitted from Western Michigan just before announcing his offer from the Cavaliers with plans to take the trip to Charlottesville right on the heels of it. That, as you might expect, is no accident. If we had to pick one of the group that'll be on Grounds who we most expect to end up at UVa, it's Baldwin. Word we heard is that the Wahoos love his size and his ability to add weight with the expectation being that he'd play end at the next level.
Also on Grounds this weekend will be Tenyeh Dixon, a 5-foot-11, 175-pound former Temple commit from C.D. Woodson in D.C. The book on Dixon as far as UVa is concerned remains a bit murky but the Hoos have come on strong in recent weeks. At this point, it's probably safe to say that Virginia is the odd's-on favorite but there's road to travel before that happens.
Jamel Hamm, a 6-foot-4, 180-pound cornerback from Cleveland who was at FUMA this semester, might be the more coveted of the two. His size alone jumps out at you because a DB with that sort of length would be a nightmare for quarterbacks to deal with. We got the sense from talking to sources that Virginia might also be in the driver's seat here but we aren't ready to set expectations on this one like we have on Baldwin.
UVa is also set to host Dontayvion Wicks, a 6-foot-2, 185-pound receiver from Louisiana. The Cavaliers have been doing a lot of heavy lifting in Bayou country both in this cycle and in offering younger players and this is another of those. Our sources were very high on Wicks as well and spoke to his athleticism as a big reason why. One source said that coaches have watched him on the basketball floor and couldn't believe how fluid an athlete he is.
So could the Hoos run the table and land all four? That's absolutely posssible though not necessarily expected, per our sources.
Lastly, this is worth passing along too: Sources said last night that while this weekend could be big for UVa in a variety of ways, there are some other OVs lined up for next month after the dead period ends just in case there are spots remaining. They declined to name names at this point.
Other key targets
Though they won't be in town this weekend, there are two other important targets we need to talk about at this point in the cycle.
The first is Iowa State commit Nathaniel Beal, a 6-foot-5, 205-pound three-star wide receiver from Texas who took a stealth visit to UVa recently. Sources have said for some time that as Virginia closed out this class, the spots that the staff was really looking at hard were cornerback, defensive line, and wideout. And in their search for a bigger receiver may have been the most important. Well, sources say the Cavaliers didn't just feel good about the trip Beal took but that they felt great about it. As high as we are on calling UVa the likely favorite for Baldwin, we might be even higher on the program's chances of landing Beal, who we hear will publicly announce his decision on signing day.
The other key prospect to know is Kristian Williams, a 6-foot-3, 280-pound three-star DT from Memphis. Sources say the staff tossed the late offer out there in large part because of his skillset, the position of need, and the traction they've gotten. We pressed our sources a bit and it certainly sounded like they thought Baldwin's ability to carry more weight on his frame meant he had a slight edge but there's no doubt that the Hoos like them both.
The early period beckons
As of this writing, with Tyquest Terry opening things up last week, UVa's 2019 class sits at 21 commits with one spot likely to come open. According to sources, the Hoos feel confident that 18 of them will sign on Wednesday for what has effectively become NSD the past couple of years. Word is the other two foreign commits are like to sign in a couple of months due to course work/ACT.
With a group that currently sits at No. 30 in the Rivals Team Rankings, it's no wonder that the staff wants to get all of their committed guys officially in the fold. Though there have been some rumblings about a couple of schools sniffing around a couple of guys, we hear the traction has been excellent and that—though they know in recruiting that you can ever know for sure—they don't feel like any of their commits are likely to break from their plans.
That is it for this week, and as always, what's said here, stays here!
