The WAR ROOM is back and this edition is full of football recruiting scoop! With spring football underway in Charlottesville and the Cavaliers having an opportunity to host unofficial visitors, the staff continues to get closer and closer to picking up its first commit in the class of 2017. We'll take you through some of those expected on Grounds soon, break down a few intriguing recruitments, and give you some intel on how things might be shaping up.
As always, what's said in the War Room, stays in the War Room. Let's go!
Several visitors expected this weekend
As Bronco Mendenhall and the Cavaliers continue to work this spring, the staff is giving recruits a chance to get up to Charlottesville and see the team (and the coaches) in action.
Perhaps the highest profile recruit expected to be on Grounds is three-star Dominion defensive end Tommy Christ. The 6-foot-5, 255 pounder from Sterling has offers from BC, UConn, ECU, Marshall, Maryland, NC State, ODU, Pitt, Rutgers, Syracuse, and West Virginia but UVa is in a very good position here early. He's been a frequent visitor this spring and we won't be surprised if he comes off the board soon. This weekend soon? Probably not quite that soon, but we can't rule it out. Regardless, we really like UVa's chances here.
Another interesting prospect that Virginia is expected to host is three-star Navarre (FL) offensive lineman Nick Brahms. Now, if you'll recall, UVa was one of the earliest offers for the 6-foot-5, 280-pound tackle, long before most other schools knew much about him. Then he went to Rivals Camp and really showed out. Tennessee, Louisville, and Minnesota have joined UVa on his offer list and that's probably not going to be the end of it. Needless to say, this is a very key visit for the Hoos.
Staying power with Williams
While there might technically be other more highly-rated guys in the Commonwealth, there's no doubt that four-star defensive end Jordan Williams is among the best and clearly, following his second trip to Charlottesville the Wahoos have put themselves in an impressive spot for the Cox defensive lineman.
The way he raved about the staff and practice was very telling. It should be noted that Williams is a very talkative kid, meaning he's a great quote and sometimes, those types of kids can sound more excited about a school than they might actually be. But we don't think that's the case here. Not even close.
He's got a very nice offer list thus far and will certainly pick up more but for now, we really like the way Virginia has played this one. If nothing else, it shows right away the connection this coaching staff can have with kids in Virginia Beach, an area of the state that some were worried they'd find it difficult to recruit.
Good news coming?
We have to admit, we were a little surprised this week to see an announcement on social media from three-star defensive back Damani Neal about his plans to commit in the next couple of days.
Rather than take a planned trip to Wake Forest this weekend, the Bullis School safety said he'll instead make his commitment "at some point between April 2nd and April 3rd." Interestingly, he didn't announce a true list cut at that time but said that his mind was already made up and he wanted to thank six schools (listed in his order) for their high level of interest: UVa, Duke, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, Northwestern, and Iowa. Then on Thursday, Neal said publicly that he'd be announcing on Saturday at 7 p.m. "from the comfort of my home."
To add even more context here, Virginia has hosted the 5-foot-10, 183-pound DB on multiple occasions in the last month or so, making a potential commitment all the more possible. The team that's most likely other than the Hoos? Well, it's probably Duke. The Blue Devils have done a great job in recent years of making the kids in Virginia a priority, as evidenced by Scott Bracey from Benedictine picking the Blue Devils last year and Ellis Brooks picking them this year. Neal could be another headed to Durham but the Cavaliers have just as good (if not better) chance in this one. Luckily, we won't have to wait long to find out.
Strength on the offensive line
There's no doubt that Virginia has made offensive line recruiting a priority and Mendenhall struck gold this week with the addition of former UNC lineman Jared Cohen. Transfer "recruitments" are the squirrelliest of squirrelly, meaning that sometimes decisions end up making no sense and depending info can be hard to come by. And sometimes, in the case of the Owings Mills (MD) offensive guard, things just work out and make too much sense.
A former four-star recruit, Cohen is the best you can get from a transfer: Immediate eligibility and three years to play, meaning he'll bolster's Virginia's line right away and have time to stick.
And that makes what the Wahoos want to do in 2017 less stressful from where we're sitting. The Cavaliers were already in a spot on the line where they knew they needed a serious talent upgrade. Here, they've been able to add a player with college football experience in the ACC who can play right away. That takes some of the pressure off what should be a pretty deep class for them on the line.
There are several talented linemen on the board that they like a lot, especially including Highland Springs three-star big man Mekhi Becton. If we're being honest: This is exactly the kind of kid that the previous staff generally missed on. Seems like UVa never could land that high three-star or four-star in-state lineman getting interest from around the ACC and elsewhere. And Becton is the kind of recruit this staff absolutely needs to be able to close on in order to be successful in Charlottesville.
That's not to say we're implying that Virginia's success in 2017 depends on the 6-foot-7, 300 pounder but it's clear that UVa has to be able to pull these kinds of recruits. Becton, for example, has now visited multiple times and comes away more impressed each time.
Outside of the RVA native, Virginia leads for 6-foot-4, 265-pound Greensboro (NC) Dudley prospect Bryson Speas, is certainly in the mix for 6-foot-5, 321-pound three-star tackle Ben Petrula out of St. Peter's Prep in Jersey City (who could be headed for Charlottesville this weekend, too) as well as within striking distance with four-star DeMatha tackle Marcus Minor in addition to interior guys like three-star center Johnny Jordan out of Gonzaga, a player who we think may take his time to decide but is more than likely at this point to end up at UVa.
Butler is down to seven
This week we caught up with three-star Garner (NC) defensive end Matthew Butler, who is down to seven schools. And it certainly seems like the Cavaliers are doing a great job of carving out a niche in his recruitment. Though he's down to Duke, Georgia Tech, NC State, North Carolina, Penn State, UVa, and Virginia Tech, the tea leaves here lead us to think that Ruffin McNeill has the Wahoos in a very good spot going forward.
And that's a crucial point, mainly because whereas so many people wondered about UVa's recruiting abilities with this coaching staff in place, McNeill's connections in the Tar Heel State should not be overlooked.
We expect the Cavaliers to be able to pull in more talent from Carolina than in the recent past. Butler is a kid that clearly likes Virginia a great deal and he not alone, as others from North Carolina are squarely on UVa's radar, including legacy Germane Crowell. Despite taking some visits to Virginia Tech and NC State, he's still more than likely going to end up at UVa when he commits later this spring. He was at Florida last weekend and left very impressed with the Gators, though.
Odds and ends
Finally this week, a few quick tidbits on some prospects of note:
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 visitors expected this weekend
As Bronco Mendenhall and the Cavaliers continue to work this spring, the staff is giving recruits a chance to get up to Charlottesville and see the team (and the coaches) in action.
Perhaps the highest profile recruit expected to be on Grounds is three-star Dominion defensive end Tommy Christ. The 6-foot-5, 255 pounder from Sterling has offers from BC, UConn, ECU, Marshall, Maryland, NC State, ODU, Pitt, Rutgers, Syracuse, and West Virginia but UVa is in a very good position here early. He's been a frequent visitor this spring and we won't be surprised if he comes off the board soon. This weekend soon? Probably not quite that soon, but we can't rule it out. Regardless, we really like UVa's chances here.
Another interesting prospect that Virginia is expected to host is three-star Navarre (FL) offensive lineman Nick Brahms. Now, if you'll recall, UVa was one of the earliest offers for the 6-foot-5, 280-pound tackle, long before most other schools knew much about him. Then he went to Rivals Camp and really showed out. Tennessee, Louisville, and Minnesota have joined UVa on his offer list and that's probably not going to be the end of it. Needless to say, this is a very key visit for the Hoos.
Staying power with Williams
While there might technically be other more highly-rated guys in the Commonwealth, there's no doubt that four-star defensive end Jordan Williams is among the best and clearly, following his second trip to Charlottesville the Wahoos have put themselves in an impressive spot for the Cox defensive lineman.
The way he raved about the staff and practice was very telling. It should be noted that Williams is a very talkative kid, meaning he's a great quote and sometimes, those types of kids can sound more excited about a school than they might actually be. But we don't think that's the case here. Not even close.
He's got a very nice offer list thus far and will certainly pick up more but for now, we really like the way Virginia has played this one. If nothing else, it shows right away the connection this coaching staff can have with kids in Virginia Beach, an area of the state that some were worried they'd find it difficult to recruit.
Good news coming?
We have to admit, we were a little surprised this week to see an announcement on social media from three-star defensive back Damani Neal about his plans to commit in the next couple of days.
Rather than take a planned trip to Wake Forest this weekend, the Bullis School safety said he'll instead make his commitment "at some point between April 2nd and April 3rd." Interestingly, he didn't announce a true list cut at that time but said that his mind was already made up and he wanted to thank six schools (listed in his order) for their high level of interest: UVa, Duke, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, Northwestern, and Iowa. Then on Thursday, Neal said publicly that he'd be announcing on Saturday at 7 p.m. "from the comfort of my home."
To add even more context here, Virginia has hosted the 5-foot-10, 183-pound DB on multiple occasions in the last month or so, making a potential commitment all the more possible. The team that's most likely other than the Hoos? Well, it's probably Duke. The Blue Devils have done a great job in recent years of making the kids in Virginia a priority, as evidenced by Scott Bracey from Benedictine picking the Blue Devils last year and Ellis Brooks picking them this year. Neal could be another headed to Durham but the Cavaliers have just as good (if not better) chance in this one. Luckily, we won't have to wait long to find out.
Strength on the offensive line
There's no doubt that Virginia has made offensive line recruiting a priority and Mendenhall struck gold this week with the addition of former UNC lineman Jared Cohen. Transfer "recruitments" are the squirrelliest of squirrelly, meaning that sometimes decisions end up making no sense and depending info can be hard to come by. And sometimes, in the case of the Owings Mills (MD) offensive guard, things just work out and make too much sense.
A former four-star recruit, Cohen is the best you can get from a transfer: Immediate eligibility and three years to play, meaning he'll bolster's Virginia's line right away and have time to stick.
And that makes what the Wahoos want to do in 2017 less stressful from where we're sitting. The Cavaliers were already in a spot on the line where they knew they needed a serious talent upgrade. Here, they've been able to add a player with college football experience in the ACC who can play right away. That takes some of the pressure off what should be a pretty deep class for them on the line.
There are several talented linemen on the board that they like a lot, especially including Highland Springs three-star big man Mekhi Becton. If we're being honest: This is exactly the kind of kid that the previous staff generally missed on. Seems like UVa never could land that high three-star or four-star in-state lineman getting interest from around the ACC and elsewhere. And Becton is the kind of recruit this staff absolutely needs to be able to close on in order to be successful in Charlottesville.
That's not to say we're implying that Virginia's success in 2017 depends on the 6-foot-7, 300 pounder but it's clear that UVa has to be able to pull these kinds of recruits. Becton, for example, has now visited multiple times and comes away more impressed each time.
Outside of the RVA native, Virginia leads for 6-foot-4, 265-pound Greensboro (NC) Dudley prospect Bryson Speas, is certainly in the mix for 6-foot-5, 321-pound three-star tackle Ben Petrula out of St. Peter's Prep in Jersey City (who could be headed for Charlottesville this weekend, too) as well as within striking distance with four-star DeMatha tackle Marcus Minor in addition to interior guys like three-star center Johnny Jordan out of Gonzaga, a player who we think may take his time to decide but is more than likely at this point to end up at UVa.
Butler is down to seven
This week we caught up with three-star Garner (NC) defensive end Matthew Butler, who is down to seven schools. And it certainly seems like the Cavaliers are doing a great job of carving out a niche in his recruitment. Though he's down to Duke, Georgia Tech, NC State, North Carolina, Penn State, UVa, and Virginia Tech, the tea leaves here lead us to think that Ruffin McNeill has the Wahoos in a very good spot going forward.
And that's a crucial point, mainly because whereas so many people wondered about UVa's recruiting abilities with this coaching staff in place, McNeill's connections in the Tar Heel State should not be overlooked.
We expect the Cavaliers to be able to pull in more talent from Carolina than in the recent past. Butler is a kid that clearly likes Virginia a great deal and he not alone, as others from North Carolina are squarely on UVa's radar, including legacy Germane Crowell. Despite taking some visits to Virginia Tech and NC State, he's still more than likely going to end up at UVa when he commits later this spring. He was at Florida last weekend and left very impressed with the Gators, though.
Odds and ends
Finally this week, a few quick tidbits on some prospects of note:
- Three-star outside linebacker Colin Anderson was in Charlottesville on Thursday and appeared to be having a pretty good time. That's good news for the Cavaliers as they really like the 6-foot-2, 210-pound playmaker from Killen (AL) Brooks. He's already got offers from a host of schools in addition to UVa, including Illinois, Iowa, Iowa State, Southern Miss, and Vanderbilt.
- Three-star Covington (GA) linebacker Jaquan Henderson decided last month to decommit from UCLA following his visit to UVa and it certainly seemed like the Wahoos were in the driver's seat. That might still be the case but Henderson picked up offers from Arkansas, Colorado, and Mississippi State this week, and we wonder if that might put any potential plans to end his recruitment on hold for quite a while. It's way too early to project for sure that he'll end up in Charlottesville but it was certainly trending that way. There's also the added element here that UVa is also one of the schools after Henderson's teammate, three-star wide receiver Jeremiah Holloman, who has picked up offers from Georgia, Alabama, and Auburn recently and will be in Knoxville this weekend to check out Tennessee.
- Three-star Lake Braddock running back Lamont Atkins finally announced publicly what many in the recruiting world expected, as he decided to back away from his commitment to Vanderbilt and open things up. And the team that seems most likely to take advantage of that opportunity is Virginia, which has really impressed the 5-foot-11, 195 pounder from Burke. We'll have a full update for you in the next couple of days but it certainly sounds like from his conversations with CavsCorner that UVa is a school he really likes but Northwestern, which he will visit this weekend, is also primed to make a run, too. Either way, don't expect a decision from Atkins for a while.
- And finally, UVa offered three-star Hoschton (GA) Mill Creek offensive lineman Tyler Fannin last month and the 6-foot-3, 290-pound Peach State prospect is planning to be back Charlottesville next Thursday. Considering the mojo that Garett Tujague and the Hoos seems to have and what they want to do with offensive line recruits in this class, we wouldn't be shocked if Fannin decided to join up. In fact, we might be surprised if he leaves without doing so.
That is it for this week, and as always, what's said here, stays here!
