The WAR ROOM is back and this edition is full of football recruiting scoop! We'll get you ready for what will be a busy summer for the Wahoos as we break down the recruiting board for 2017. We'll go position by position and talk to you not only about the various prospects and where things stand but also about numbers. And if that's not all, we'll also touch on several new offers that went over this past week.
As always, what's said in the War Room, stays in the War Room. Let's go!
Setting the table for the summer
Summer is right around the corner and it'll be an interesting couple of months for Bronco Mendenhall and his staff leading up to fall camp in August. And we thought it would be a good idea to give you a lay of the land, so to speak, for the 2017 recruiting class going into camp/visit season.
What we've done is broken down each position group based on the top targets and the projected numbers. In the interest of full disclosure, the total number of commits in this class is likely to range from 17 to about 22. We've tried to be as realistic as possible with the numbers but do so with the caveat that any attrition adds more room in the class. Some of those fifth-year decisions won't be made until much later, so all we have now are estimations. Our projections are based on both past history but also realities of each position and should be used merely as guideposts.
Quarterback (One projected, one committed):
With Lindell Stone already in the fold, it appears that QB recruiting in 2017 is wrapped up.
Offensive line (Six projected, one committed):
Mekhi Becton- If there's a player Garett Tujague wants above all others in this class, it's safe to say that it's the three-star Highland Springs standout. While Becton continues to pick up offers (he added Georgia and Michigan over the last week or so), the Cavaliers have to be seen as a pretty solid favorite. If this was a Confidence Meter week, we'd have him at least a 9.
Bryson Speas- The Greensboro (NC) Dudley tackle might not be the prospect nationally that Becton is but UVa would love to get both of them in this class. And as with Becton, we see the Wahoos as the easy favorite right now for Speas, who we believe will be done with recruiting in the not too distant future.
Cole Bentley- The three-star OL picked up an offer from UVa earlier this month. As he has continued to work through his recruitment, he's now in a place where he's ready to trim his list. After telling us a couple of weeks ago that he would narrow things down this summer and then decide prior to the start of the season, we hear he's going to cut it down to two very soon. As we reported on Thursday, UVa will make the cut. Sources seem confident that the other school will be Georgia Tech.
Andrew Stueber- The 6-foot-6, 305-pound Darien (CT) offensive lineman recently picked up the offer from UVa and it seemed from our conversation with him this week that he's got a lot of interest in the Cavaliers. The key will be getting him on Grounds soon.
Nick Brahms- Virginia was on the 6-foot-5, 280-pound tackle well before he was a three-star prospect earning Rivals Camp MVPs and being offered by the likes of Auburn, Louisville, Miami, Oregon, and Tennessee. The vibe at one point was that he was a potential early commit but that thinking has diminished greatly. We expect him to pick up a lot more offers this spring and because of that unknown, it's hard to pencil in UVa's chances right now.
Seth Harrell- UVa was the first to offer the three-star Grassfield native and seems like the easy favorite at this point. He's also getting plenty of ACC interest, though, from the likes of Duke, NC State, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest. At this point, we think the 6-foot-4, 320-pound guard makes a lot of sense for the Wahoos.
Running back (Two projected, one committed):
Jamari Peacock- It's been well documented lately that the Cavaliers are all in on the three-star Florida running back, a perfect compliment to three-star Lake Braddock commit Lamont Atkins if there ever was one. As profiled earlier this week, UVa made another trip to Yulee to see Peacock and the chances that the Hoos end up eventually being his choice continue to rise. But there's some serious competition here with other schools, namely Louisville, Nebraska, and Florida. Needless to say, this will be an interesting summer in his recruitment.
Michael Carter- While Virginia has made a strong impression on Peacock, the Cavaliers also have had similar mojo since early on with this Sunshine State standout. A high school teammate of Brahms, UVa has a solid chance here but right now, the biggest focus has to be staying in the fight. Like Brahms, we could see Carter going on an offer spree this summer, so getting him back on Grounds again will be crucial. In the last month, he's pointed to Virginia as being one of three schools (along with UNC and Oregon State) recruiting him the hardest.
Collin Eaddy- For a while there, it seemed like UVa was on the verge of a potential commitment from the 5-foot-11, 195-pound Garner (NC) standout. But that buzz died down and it's truthfully been a while since we heard much. At this point, we see him still being on Virginia's radar but we're not entirely sure where his recruitment is headed.
Wide receiver (One projected):
Nykeim Johnson- This one makes a lot of sense for both the Cavaliers and the 5-foot-9, 170-pound playmaker from Washington, D.C. Clearly, Virginia likes the way he projects into the offense and he had plenty of good things to say about the school. Given the depth of receivers among the 2016 signees, this isn't as big a need for UVa this cycle but Johnson would seem to be a good fit.
Jeremiah Holloman- UVa made some noise early here but it's been a while since the Hoos seemed to have any traction. A teammate of Jaquan Henderson's, it'll be interesting to see if the two pair up at the next level but Holloman's offer list is already pretty stacked.
Defensive end (Three projected):
Jordan Williams- The four-star from Virginia Beach is likely UVa's top target on this side of the ball and with good reason. He continues to pick up interest but the Wahoos are still among the group of schools at the top for the Cox defensive end. We don't expect that to change for quite a while.
Zeke Brandle- UVa clearly likes the 6-foot-5, 250-pound end from Forest City (NC) Chase even though he seems set on waiting things out and seeing what happens in his recruitment. At 6-foot-5, 250 pounds, Brandle has great size to fit into UVa's scheme.
Tyran Hunt: We included the 6-foot-6, 270-pound Southampton native with the DL for this piece but truthfully, he could play on either side of the ball at the next level. As we profiled this week, Hunt is going to take his time with recruiting and that includes taking a series of visits this summer. Virginia is doing a nice job of positioning itself in this one and the field is going to be more crowded as things move forward.
Elijah Conliffe: Offers continue to roll in for the 6-foot-4, 263-pound end from Hampton but we like how UVa has played this. Competition will be strong and we haven't heard anything lately to make us think a decision is in sight at this point. He's not talking about narrowing down his list until the season starts.
Matthew Butler: Virginia had some early staying power with the 6-foot-3, 250-pound end from Garner (NC) but that seems to have evaporated. Sometimes, even when a recruit hasn't narrowed his list, you can tell which schools stand out just by how the way he talks about them. And we get the vibe that Duke and NC State have the inside track here. He's steadily adding offers (Texas A&M and Rutgers on Thursday alone) but for now, we'd be surprised if he doesn't stay in state.
Caleb Brooks: The younger brother of 2016 signee Christian Brooks, the 6-foot-3, 210-pound Centreville standout is someone that rarely does interviews but is definitely on UVa's board. We'll be surprised if the three-star end doesn't add more offers soon.
Defensive tackle (Two projected, one committed):
Malcolm Robinson- UVa really, really likes the 6-foot-2, 280-pound three-star tackle and it's clear that the feeling is mutual. He enjoyed his visit to Charlottesville this spring and as he told us this week, he's already planning to return. What will be interesting is to see what his offer list looks like by the time that visit takes place. Regardless, we see UVa as the favorite right now.
Marcus Coleman- The 6-foot-5, 290-pound tackle from Baltimore is another player who doesn't do too many interviews but he would be a nice fit for UVa at DT. He's got early offers from North Carolina, NC State, and Syracuse along with the Cavaliers. Maryland would seem to be a team to keep an eye on, though.
Owen Bowles- The 6-foot-4, 266-pound tackle from Egg Harbor City (NJ) Cedar Creek seems to us like he's a Rutgers lean but given his offer list so far, that's not a huge surprise. We don't expect the Hoos to make much of a push but we also can't rule it out, either.
Linebacker (Three projected):
Jaquan Henderson: The 6-foot-1, 210-pound backer might be UVa's top prospect at the position and given how talented the Covington (GA) Newton standout is, it makes sense. What doesn't make sense is how all over the place information about his recruitment has been. He's got a nice list of offers but depending on who you talk to, Virginia is either one of his top schools or barely on the board. We'll go with splitting the middle and advise folks to expect some twists and turns in this one.
Levani Damuni: He's spoken highly of UVa over the past few months but there's no doubt in our mind that Stanford is lining up to be the team to watch for the 6-foot-2, 225-pound Hyrum (UT) Mountain Crest standout. While BYU is certainly going to be tough to beat, the visit Damuni just took to Stanford could be a game changer.
Colin Anderson: UVa offered the 6-foot-2, 210-pound Alabama native earlier this spring and he visited in April. Since then, his offer list has really grown. In the past couple of weeks alone Arkansas, Michigan, and Mississippi State have all offered and he had a pretty impressive visit to Knoxville as well. We expect UVa to have a puncher's chance in this one as things continue to cook.
Chris Pierce- Listed in the database as a receiver, UVa likes the Smithfield native at linebacker. And we've had a good feeling about Virginia's chances with him for a while. It seems like he'll be active on the camp circuit, though, so his offer list is likely going to grow. For now, Boston College, Temple, and Wake Forest, among others, have offered.
Ellis Brooks: Well, this isn't exactly a name we thought would be on the board again. After picking Duke in late March, Brooks opened things back up recently and there's no doubt that the Cavaliers are going to want to get back in with the 6-foot-2, 240-pound four-star linebacker from Benedictine. Given where things were in his recruitment at the time, it's a surprise to us that he backed away from his commitment to the Blue Devils. For now, this is one we think will heat up.
Defensive back (Four projected, two committed):
Zachariah Burton- UVa recently offered the 6-foot, 182-pound cornerback from New Castle (DE) William Penn and given his other offers so far, it would seem like the Cavaliers have a strong chance. While he's not ready to narrow anything down yet, he's planning a trip to Charlottesville in a few weeks.
Jermani Brown- A four-star cornerback who moved to Midlothian this year, the one time Arizona State commit has picked up a lot of interest this spring. He's going to take a long look at both of the in-state schools as well as others, including schools like Penn State which haven't offered yet. Seems like there's a long, long way to go in this one.
Terrell Jana- This is a recruitment for UVa that just makes too much sense. Virginia was one of the first to offer the 6-foot-1, 185-pound cornerback from Woodberry Forest. Given the connections that the three-star DB has with Stone, one would think the Cavaliers will be tough to beat. We've been unable to catch up with him but looking at his recruitment, Virginia makes the most sense.
Tye Freeland- The Dinwiddie playmaker is listed as an ATH in the database and that makes sense given that he shined at WR at the Rivals Camp in Charlotte and UVa is recruiting him at corner. Might sound odd but Wake Forest seems to have really connected with him and probably has the edge right now.
Jeremiah Owusu- The Bethel safety is likely waiting for bigger offers and that's understandable given where things stand right now in his recruitment. The 6-foot-2, 188-pound three-star has a lot of skills and if he hits the camp circuit hard, we'll be shocked if he doesn't run off a bunch of new offers.
Chaz Ah You- The Provo (UT) Timpview safety was on that visit with Damuni to Stanford and it seems like the Cardinal have a great shot with the four-star DB. We haven't heard much about UVa in a while but there's no doubt that the Cavaliers will keep pushing until the very end.
New offers this week
Finally, we wanted to pass along some details on a few new offers that went out his week.
Four-star defensive end K.J. Henry out of Clemmons (NC) West Forsyth added an offer from UVa this week to a pretty lengthy list that includes the likes of Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, and others.
Jacob Lichtenstein also picked up an offer from UVa. The 6-foot-5, 235-pound defensive end out of Weston (FL) Cypress Bay is one of the hottest prospects on the trail these days. Already, Alabama, Cal, Georgia Tech, Iowa State, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, Mississippi State, South Carolina, and Virginia Tech, among others, have offered.
Virginia also came through with an offer to three-star Kahuku (HI) defensive end Aliki Vimahi. The 6-foot-4, 255-pound Hawaiian has offers from BYU, Colorado, Georgia Tech, Hawaii, Oregon State, Utah, and Washington State.
The Cavaliers also offered 2018 Crystal Lake (IL) Crystal Lake Central offensive lineman Wyatt Blake.
Lastly, Virginia also offered 2018 dual-threat quarterback Brennan Armstrong out of Shelby (OH).
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!
Setting the table for the summer
Summer is right around the corner and it'll be an interesting couple of months for Bronco Mendenhall and his staff leading up to fall camp in August. And we thought it would be a good idea to give you a lay of the land, so to speak, for the 2017 recruiting class going into camp/visit season.
What we've done is broken down each position group based on the top targets and the projected numbers. In the interest of full disclosure, the total number of commits in this class is likely to range from 17 to about 22. We've tried to be as realistic as possible with the numbers but do so with the caveat that any attrition adds more room in the class. Some of those fifth-year decisions won't be made until much later, so all we have now are estimations. Our projections are based on both past history but also realities of each position and should be used merely as guideposts.
Quarterback (One projected, one committed):
With Lindell Stone already in the fold, it appears that QB recruiting in 2017 is wrapped up.
Offensive line (Six projected, one committed):
Mekhi Becton- If there's a player Garett Tujague wants above all others in this class, it's safe to say that it's the three-star Highland Springs standout. While Becton continues to pick up offers (he added Georgia and Michigan over the last week or so), the Cavaliers have to be seen as a pretty solid favorite. If this was a Confidence Meter week, we'd have him at least a 9.
Bryson Speas- The Greensboro (NC) Dudley tackle might not be the prospect nationally that Becton is but UVa would love to get both of them in this class. And as with Becton, we see the Wahoos as the easy favorite right now for Speas, who we believe will be done with recruiting in the not too distant future.
Cole Bentley- The three-star OL picked up an offer from UVa earlier this month. As he has continued to work through his recruitment, he's now in a place where he's ready to trim his list. After telling us a couple of weeks ago that he would narrow things down this summer and then decide prior to the start of the season, we hear he's going to cut it down to two very soon. As we reported on Thursday, UVa will make the cut. Sources seem confident that the other school will be Georgia Tech.
Andrew Stueber- The 6-foot-6, 305-pound Darien (CT) offensive lineman recently picked up the offer from UVa and it seemed from our conversation with him this week that he's got a lot of interest in the Cavaliers. The key will be getting him on Grounds soon.
Nick Brahms- Virginia was on the 6-foot-5, 280-pound tackle well before he was a three-star prospect earning Rivals Camp MVPs and being offered by the likes of Auburn, Louisville, Miami, Oregon, and Tennessee. The vibe at one point was that he was a potential early commit but that thinking has diminished greatly. We expect him to pick up a lot more offers this spring and because of that unknown, it's hard to pencil in UVa's chances right now.
Seth Harrell- UVa was the first to offer the three-star Grassfield native and seems like the easy favorite at this point. He's also getting plenty of ACC interest, though, from the likes of Duke, NC State, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest. At this point, we think the 6-foot-4, 320-pound guard makes a lot of sense for the Wahoos.
Running back (Two projected, one committed):
Jamari Peacock- It's been well documented lately that the Cavaliers are all in on the three-star Florida running back, a perfect compliment to three-star Lake Braddock commit Lamont Atkins if there ever was one. As profiled earlier this week, UVa made another trip to Yulee to see Peacock and the chances that the Hoos end up eventually being his choice continue to rise. But there's some serious competition here with other schools, namely Louisville, Nebraska, and Florida. Needless to say, this will be an interesting summer in his recruitment.
Michael Carter- While Virginia has made a strong impression on Peacock, the Cavaliers also have had similar mojo since early on with this Sunshine State standout. A high school teammate of Brahms, UVa has a solid chance here but right now, the biggest focus has to be staying in the fight. Like Brahms, we could see Carter going on an offer spree this summer, so getting him back on Grounds again will be crucial. In the last month, he's pointed to Virginia as being one of three schools (along with UNC and Oregon State) recruiting him the hardest.
Collin Eaddy- For a while there, it seemed like UVa was on the verge of a potential commitment from the 5-foot-11, 195-pound Garner (NC) standout. But that buzz died down and it's truthfully been a while since we heard much. At this point, we see him still being on Virginia's radar but we're not entirely sure where his recruitment is headed.
Wide receiver (One projected):
Nykeim Johnson- This one makes a lot of sense for both the Cavaliers and the 5-foot-9, 170-pound playmaker from Washington, D.C. Clearly, Virginia likes the way he projects into the offense and he had plenty of good things to say about the school. Given the depth of receivers among the 2016 signees, this isn't as big a need for UVa this cycle but Johnson would seem to be a good fit.
Jeremiah Holloman- UVa made some noise early here but it's been a while since the Hoos seemed to have any traction. A teammate of Jaquan Henderson's, it'll be interesting to see if the two pair up at the next level but Holloman's offer list is already pretty stacked.
Defensive end (Three projected):
Jordan Williams- The four-star from Virginia Beach is likely UVa's top target on this side of the ball and with good reason. He continues to pick up interest but the Wahoos are still among the group of schools at the top for the Cox defensive end. We don't expect that to change for quite a while.
Zeke Brandle- UVa clearly likes the 6-foot-5, 250-pound end from Forest City (NC) Chase even though he seems set on waiting things out and seeing what happens in his recruitment. At 6-foot-5, 250 pounds, Brandle has great size to fit into UVa's scheme.
Tyran Hunt: We included the 6-foot-6, 270-pound Southampton native with the DL for this piece but truthfully, he could play on either side of the ball at the next level. As we profiled this week, Hunt is going to take his time with recruiting and that includes taking a series of visits this summer. Virginia is doing a nice job of positioning itself in this one and the field is going to be more crowded as things move forward.
Elijah Conliffe: Offers continue to roll in for the 6-foot-4, 263-pound end from Hampton but we like how UVa has played this. Competition will be strong and we haven't heard anything lately to make us think a decision is in sight at this point. He's not talking about narrowing down his list until the season starts.
Matthew Butler: Virginia had some early staying power with the 6-foot-3, 250-pound end from Garner (NC) but that seems to have evaporated. Sometimes, even when a recruit hasn't narrowed his list, you can tell which schools stand out just by how the way he talks about them. And we get the vibe that Duke and NC State have the inside track here. He's steadily adding offers (Texas A&M and Rutgers on Thursday alone) but for now, we'd be surprised if he doesn't stay in state.
Caleb Brooks: The younger brother of 2016 signee Christian Brooks, the 6-foot-3, 210-pound Centreville standout is someone that rarely does interviews but is definitely on UVa's board. We'll be surprised if the three-star end doesn't add more offers soon.
Defensive tackle (Two projected, one committed):
Malcolm Robinson- UVa really, really likes the 6-foot-2, 280-pound three-star tackle and it's clear that the feeling is mutual. He enjoyed his visit to Charlottesville this spring and as he told us this week, he's already planning to return. What will be interesting is to see what his offer list looks like by the time that visit takes place. Regardless, we see UVa as the favorite right now.
Marcus Coleman- The 6-foot-5, 290-pound tackle from Baltimore is another player who doesn't do too many interviews but he would be a nice fit for UVa at DT. He's got early offers from North Carolina, NC State, and Syracuse along with the Cavaliers. Maryland would seem to be a team to keep an eye on, though.
Owen Bowles- The 6-foot-4, 266-pound tackle from Egg Harbor City (NJ) Cedar Creek seems to us like he's a Rutgers lean but given his offer list so far, that's not a huge surprise. We don't expect the Hoos to make much of a push but we also can't rule it out, either.
Linebacker (Three projected):
Jaquan Henderson: The 6-foot-1, 210-pound backer might be UVa's top prospect at the position and given how talented the Covington (GA) Newton standout is, it makes sense. What doesn't make sense is how all over the place information about his recruitment has been. He's got a nice list of offers but depending on who you talk to, Virginia is either one of his top schools or barely on the board. We'll go with splitting the middle and advise folks to expect some twists and turns in this one.
Levani Damuni: He's spoken highly of UVa over the past few months but there's no doubt in our mind that Stanford is lining up to be the team to watch for the 6-foot-2, 225-pound Hyrum (UT) Mountain Crest standout. While BYU is certainly going to be tough to beat, the visit Damuni just took to Stanford could be a game changer.
Colin Anderson: UVa offered the 6-foot-2, 210-pound Alabama native earlier this spring and he visited in April. Since then, his offer list has really grown. In the past couple of weeks alone Arkansas, Michigan, and Mississippi State have all offered and he had a pretty impressive visit to Knoxville as well. We expect UVa to have a puncher's chance in this one as things continue to cook.
Chris Pierce- Listed in the database as a receiver, UVa likes the Smithfield native at linebacker. And we've had a good feeling about Virginia's chances with him for a while. It seems like he'll be active on the camp circuit, though, so his offer list is likely going to grow. For now, Boston College, Temple, and Wake Forest, among others, have offered.
Ellis Brooks: Well, this isn't exactly a name we thought would be on the board again. After picking Duke in late March, Brooks opened things back up recently and there's no doubt that the Cavaliers are going to want to get back in with the 6-foot-2, 240-pound four-star linebacker from Benedictine. Given where things were in his recruitment at the time, it's a surprise to us that he backed away from his commitment to the Blue Devils. For now, this is one we think will heat up.
Defensive back (Four projected, two committed):
Zachariah Burton- UVa recently offered the 6-foot, 182-pound cornerback from New Castle (DE) William Penn and given his other offers so far, it would seem like the Cavaliers have a strong chance. While he's not ready to narrow anything down yet, he's planning a trip to Charlottesville in a few weeks.
Jermani Brown- A four-star cornerback who moved to Midlothian this year, the one time Arizona State commit has picked up a lot of interest this spring. He's going to take a long look at both of the in-state schools as well as others, including schools like Penn State which haven't offered yet. Seems like there's a long, long way to go in this one.
Terrell Jana- This is a recruitment for UVa that just makes too much sense. Virginia was one of the first to offer the 6-foot-1, 185-pound cornerback from Woodberry Forest. Given the connections that the three-star DB has with Stone, one would think the Cavaliers will be tough to beat. We've been unable to catch up with him but looking at his recruitment, Virginia makes the most sense.
Tye Freeland- The Dinwiddie playmaker is listed as an ATH in the database and that makes sense given that he shined at WR at the Rivals Camp in Charlotte and UVa is recruiting him at corner. Might sound odd but Wake Forest seems to have really connected with him and probably has the edge right now.
Jeremiah Owusu- The Bethel safety is likely waiting for bigger offers and that's understandable given where things stand right now in his recruitment. The 6-foot-2, 188-pound three-star has a lot of skills and if he hits the camp circuit hard, we'll be shocked if he doesn't run off a bunch of new offers.
Chaz Ah You- The Provo (UT) Timpview safety was on that visit with Damuni to Stanford and it seems like the Cardinal have a great shot with the four-star DB. We haven't heard much about UVa in a while but there's no doubt that the Cavaliers will keep pushing until the very end.
New offers this week
Finally, we wanted to pass along some details on a few new offers that went out his week.
Four-star defensive end K.J. Henry out of Clemmons (NC) West Forsyth added an offer from UVa this week to a pretty lengthy list that includes the likes of Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, and others.
Jacob Lichtenstein also picked up an offer from UVa. The 6-foot-5, 235-pound defensive end out of Weston (FL) Cypress Bay is one of the hottest prospects on the trail these days. Already, Alabama, Cal, Georgia Tech, Iowa State, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, Mississippi State, South Carolina, and Virginia Tech, among others, have offered.
Virginia also came through with an offer to three-star Kahuku (HI) defensive end Aliki Vimahi. The 6-foot-4, 255-pound Hawaiian has offers from BYU, Colorado, Georgia Tech, Hawaii, Oregon State, Utah, and Washington State.
The Cavaliers also offered 2018 Crystal Lake (IL) Crystal Lake Central offensive lineman Wyatt Blake.
Lastly, Virginia also offered 2018 dual-threat quarterback Brennan Armstrong out of Shelby (OH).
That is it for this week, and as always, what's said here, stays here!
