The WAR ROOM is back and this edition is full of football recruiting scoop! Another weekend, another slew of official visitors are headed for Charlottesville. We’ll break down the names and the various recruitments to give you a sense of the situations as they stand. And then we’ll check in on some visitors from this month, what the tea leaves say about them, and how that could all impact UVa’s 2022 recruiting class.
As always, what’s said in the War Room, stays in the War Room. Let’s go!
More official visitors scheduled headed for UVa
While last weekend was a massive one for the Cavaliers, in a variety of ways this one looked initially to be a touch bigger. But given some recent decisions, like that of four-star DE Beau Atkinson to commit to Carolina, it won’t be quite as big. And that’s especially true because of the amount of heavy lifting Bronco Mendenhall and Co. seem to have done last weekend. More on that in a bit.
For now, let’s focus on what’s ahead, as the Hoos are expecting to have another impressive crop of talented recruits on Grounds this weekend. We’ll start with four-star DE Kaleb Artis, a 6-foot-5, 291 pounder from St. Francis Prep in Queens (NY). For a while there, it certainly seemed like the Cavaliers might be the team to beat for Artis, the No. 26-ranked defensive end in the class of 2022. But of late, Penn State has made a real push and on the heels of a visit there last weekend it feels like the Nittany Lions should be seen as the favorite to land him. But getting a visit—some sources on the east coast wondered aloud if he’d actually end up taking the trip—and being able to be face to face with Clint Sintim may well put the Hoos back in the mix or maybe even at the top. They’ll have to contend not only with PSU but also next weekend’s trip to Florida State.
Another four-star visitor, Louisiana cornerback Austin Ausberry, provides plenty of intrigue as well. A 6-foot-2 Rivals250 standout, the Baton Rouge prospect has long been seen as a likely LSU lean. The recent offers from Alabama and Notre Dame, though, sure seem to have caught his attention and have made this thing a lot more wide open. As far as UVa, the Cavaliers had long been seen as a potential surprise choice but that talk has died down as of late. This might sound odd but sometimes in recruiting when one team has the lead and new offers blow the doors wide open, it’s not always the likely suspects that get the nod. Here, though, the visit is absolutely critical.
From there, let’s talk about the intrigue of a pair of three-stars from UT in WR Dominque McKenzie and DB Marcus McKenzie. After missing out on one set of twins already this cycle, with the Wade brothers choosing Kentucky, UVa now looks to try and get the talented duo from the Beehive State. What’s interesting here too is how tight the numbers are (again, more on that in a minute) so if this is going to happen one would think it won’t take long. Pitt, which got their first OV earlier this month, seems to be well positioned but the door is open for sure. The twins are coming off a visit last weekend to Arizona and still have a trip to Oregon on the docket.
And, as has seemingly been the case all month, there’s the intrigue on the offensive line with four-star in-state prospect Brody Meadows and three-stars Carter Smith, Austin Firestone, and Drew Bobo all slated to be in town.
Meadows has long been seen as a heavy UVa lean and in talking to various sources this week, that still seems to be the case. Firestone, meanwhile, is coming off trips to Northwestern and PSU. This is one where things are a bit harder to read, so the weekend will tell us a lot. Smith is a relatively new addition to the list and he’s coming off recent trips to Indiana, Northwestern, and Tennessee. We’d say he and Firestone’s situations are similar in that they could land in a variety of spots. And then there’s Bobo, who was one we heard could be potentially leaning toward UVa but that was before the SEC really came calling. Since then, he’s picked up an offer from not only Georgia but Auburn, where his dad is the OC. Georgia Tech, which got an OV from him last weekend, is also seriously in the mix and should be seen as a potential favorite. For now, we think it’s safe to say UVa has a good bit of ground to make up.
But the most intrigue may well be in the case of four-star DE Brandon Cleveland, who announced last Friday night that he’d be heading to Charlottesville after picking up an offer from the staff. He actually arrived in town last night and is coming off recent trips to NC State, GT, and Florida State. As a Florida kid, it’s hard right now to discount the Noles but in talking to folks, we haven’t heard too much buzz about them. Sintim and Co. could do themselves a real service by landing the former Miami commit much the way they did AJ Holmes at the tail end of his OV earlier this month.
Despite lack of fireworks, last weekend was huge
Now, having moved forward let’s look back. And, again, we’ll start with five-star Rivals100 offensive lineman Zach Rice. Frankly, going into the visit we had consistently expressed a great deal of restraint when it came to getting your hopes too too high. And anyone who has followed comments on the Lynchburg product well knows how careful we’ve been. Well, it’s probably time to start coming to terms with the idea that this might really happen.
Simply put: Garett Tujague did an incredible job, not just with Rice but also with four-star OL Fisher Anderson and three-star OL Jake Maikkula. That group spent a lot of time together and right now we feel safe calling UVa among the top two for all three.
Rice, of course, is going on a visit to Alabama this weekend and in reading the tea leaves this is the one that UVa has to clear, though the trip next weekend to Notre Dame also looms. Most folks in the industry believe it’s between UVa and Carolina and we see it that way as well but with the catch the the Crimson Tide poses a very real and somehow underrated threat (if that even can be believed). The trick is that he’ll leave Bama and have to come home. He’ll leave South Bend and have to come. That’s where the comfort with UVa comes into play full force.
Anderson very much enjoyed his time at Northwestern and he’ll see Carolina up close this weekend, too. But there’s no doubt that he was blown away by the effort Tujague showed not only in making things unique for him but immersive for the entire group.
There’s a very real chance that both Rice and Anderson, who have talked a good deal about playing together, will both land at Virginia. Maikkula, meanwhile, is seen by most as a Cal lean in large part because the inn at tackle is looking full at UVa…because of Rice and Anderson. If that doesn’t give you a feel for how well the Cavaliers did with the two other linemen last weekend, it should.
Our read right now is that UVa leads for both. At this point, it’s impossible to tell how long it’ll be before Rice announces his decision but Anderson is likely to commit sooner. And if so? That will help Virginia’s already compelling case even more for the Virginia legacy.
The amount of offensive line talent that has come through this month is staggering but we believe the top two on the board are guys UVa leads for at this point. And that’s not to mention the job UVa did earlier this month with four-star Ryan Baer, another prospect we could see landing in Charlottesville.
Now, we mentioned a trio of skill position guys last weekend and while UVa did well elsewhere too, it’s Jaiven Plummer that seems most likely to become the next member of UVa’s 2022 class. The talented receiver from Episcopal was supposed to take trips out west but as of now, it certainly sounds like those are off…which is exactly the scenario that we laid out in this space a week ago. Do not be surprised to see a bat signal sometime very soon.
And lastly, it’s worth checking in on King William running back Demond Claiborne. If you’ll recall, UVa is looking for one running back in this class and it seemed like earlier this month that Claiborne was in line to be that guy. After his visit, he told us he as essentially down to UVa and Wake Forest. Since then, Virginia Tech has offered. We reached out to him this week to get a sense of what that meant for his recruitment and it sounds at least right now like it’s still between the Deacs and the Hoos. Tech is trying to get him in for a visit but nothing has been set. Interestingly, when asked about his visit plans, he said he was taking a mid-week trip to West Virginia next Wednesday and didn’t have anything else lined up. So, for now at least, it looks to us like UVa remains the team to beat for the versatile in-state playmaker, who said he still plans to make his college decision soon and make it public on July 19th.
That is it for this week, and as always, what’s said here, stays here!
Our thanks to MyPerfectFranchise for their support of CavsCorner:
Are you a displaced corporate executive or wanting to put your career in your own hands? Or are you an experienced entrepreneur wanting to diversify? Well, @Andy MyPerfectFranchise.Net can help! Having owned multiple franchises and businesses in his career, he uses his expertise to helps others find their American Dream through a very thorough and FREE consultation process. Call Andy, put your life and career in your own hands. It’s 100% free, so what do you have to lose?!!*
Call Andy at (404) 973-9901 today or email him: andy@myperfectfranchise.net
As always, what’s said in the War Room, stays in the War Room. Let’s go!
More official visitors scheduled headed for UVa
While last weekend was a massive one for the Cavaliers, in a variety of ways this one looked initially to be a touch bigger. But given some recent decisions, like that of four-star DE Beau Atkinson to commit to Carolina, it won’t be quite as big. And that’s especially true because of the amount of heavy lifting Bronco Mendenhall and Co. seem to have done last weekend. More on that in a bit.
For now, let’s focus on what’s ahead, as the Hoos are expecting to have another impressive crop of talented recruits on Grounds this weekend. We’ll start with four-star DE Kaleb Artis, a 6-foot-5, 291 pounder from St. Francis Prep in Queens (NY). For a while there, it certainly seemed like the Cavaliers might be the team to beat for Artis, the No. 26-ranked defensive end in the class of 2022. But of late, Penn State has made a real push and on the heels of a visit there last weekend it feels like the Nittany Lions should be seen as the favorite to land him. But getting a visit—some sources on the east coast wondered aloud if he’d actually end up taking the trip—and being able to be face to face with Clint Sintim may well put the Hoos back in the mix or maybe even at the top. They’ll have to contend not only with PSU but also next weekend’s trip to Florida State.
Another four-star visitor, Louisiana cornerback Austin Ausberry, provides plenty of intrigue as well. A 6-foot-2 Rivals250 standout, the Baton Rouge prospect has long been seen as a likely LSU lean. The recent offers from Alabama and Notre Dame, though, sure seem to have caught his attention and have made this thing a lot more wide open. As far as UVa, the Cavaliers had long been seen as a potential surprise choice but that talk has died down as of late. This might sound odd but sometimes in recruiting when one team has the lead and new offers blow the doors wide open, it’s not always the likely suspects that get the nod. Here, though, the visit is absolutely critical.
From there, let’s talk about the intrigue of a pair of three-stars from UT in WR Dominque McKenzie and DB Marcus McKenzie. After missing out on one set of twins already this cycle, with the Wade brothers choosing Kentucky, UVa now looks to try and get the talented duo from the Beehive State. What’s interesting here too is how tight the numbers are (again, more on that in a minute) so if this is going to happen one would think it won’t take long. Pitt, which got their first OV earlier this month, seems to be well positioned but the door is open for sure. The twins are coming off a visit last weekend to Arizona and still have a trip to Oregon on the docket.
And, as has seemingly been the case all month, there’s the intrigue on the offensive line with four-star in-state prospect Brody Meadows and three-stars Carter Smith, Austin Firestone, and Drew Bobo all slated to be in town.
Meadows has long been seen as a heavy UVa lean and in talking to various sources this week, that still seems to be the case. Firestone, meanwhile, is coming off trips to Northwestern and PSU. This is one where things are a bit harder to read, so the weekend will tell us a lot. Smith is a relatively new addition to the list and he’s coming off recent trips to Indiana, Northwestern, and Tennessee. We’d say he and Firestone’s situations are similar in that they could land in a variety of spots. And then there’s Bobo, who was one we heard could be potentially leaning toward UVa but that was before the SEC really came calling. Since then, he’s picked up an offer from not only Georgia but Auburn, where his dad is the OC. Georgia Tech, which got an OV from him last weekend, is also seriously in the mix and should be seen as a potential favorite. For now, we think it’s safe to say UVa has a good bit of ground to make up.
But the most intrigue may well be in the case of four-star DE Brandon Cleveland, who announced last Friday night that he’d be heading to Charlottesville after picking up an offer from the staff. He actually arrived in town last night and is coming off recent trips to NC State, GT, and Florida State. As a Florida kid, it’s hard right now to discount the Noles but in talking to folks, we haven’t heard too much buzz about them. Sintim and Co. could do themselves a real service by landing the former Miami commit much the way they did AJ Holmes at the tail end of his OV earlier this month.
Despite lack of fireworks, last weekend was huge
Now, having moved forward let’s look back. And, again, we’ll start with five-star Rivals100 offensive lineman Zach Rice. Frankly, going into the visit we had consistently expressed a great deal of restraint when it came to getting your hopes too too high. And anyone who has followed comments on the Lynchburg product well knows how careful we’ve been. Well, it’s probably time to start coming to terms with the idea that this might really happen.
Simply put: Garett Tujague did an incredible job, not just with Rice but also with four-star OL Fisher Anderson and three-star OL Jake Maikkula. That group spent a lot of time together and right now we feel safe calling UVa among the top two for all three.
Rice, of course, is going on a visit to Alabama this weekend and in reading the tea leaves this is the one that UVa has to clear, though the trip next weekend to Notre Dame also looms. Most folks in the industry believe it’s between UVa and Carolina and we see it that way as well but with the catch the the Crimson Tide poses a very real and somehow underrated threat (if that even can be believed). The trick is that he’ll leave Bama and have to come home. He’ll leave South Bend and have to come. That’s where the comfort with UVa comes into play full force.
Anderson very much enjoyed his time at Northwestern and he’ll see Carolina up close this weekend, too. But there’s no doubt that he was blown away by the effort Tujague showed not only in making things unique for him but immersive for the entire group.
There’s a very real chance that both Rice and Anderson, who have talked a good deal about playing together, will both land at Virginia. Maikkula, meanwhile, is seen by most as a Cal lean in large part because the inn at tackle is looking full at UVa…because of Rice and Anderson. If that doesn’t give you a feel for how well the Cavaliers did with the two other linemen last weekend, it should.
Our read right now is that UVa leads for both. At this point, it’s impossible to tell how long it’ll be before Rice announces his decision but Anderson is likely to commit sooner. And if so? That will help Virginia’s already compelling case even more for the Virginia legacy.
The amount of offensive line talent that has come through this month is staggering but we believe the top two on the board are guys UVa leads for at this point. And that’s not to mention the job UVa did earlier this month with four-star Ryan Baer, another prospect we could see landing in Charlottesville.
Now, we mentioned a trio of skill position guys last weekend and while UVa did well elsewhere too, it’s Jaiven Plummer that seems most likely to become the next member of UVa’s 2022 class. The talented receiver from Episcopal was supposed to take trips out west but as of now, it certainly sounds like those are off…which is exactly the scenario that we laid out in this space a week ago. Do not be surprised to see a bat signal sometime very soon.
And lastly, it’s worth checking in on King William running back Demond Claiborne. If you’ll recall, UVa is looking for one running back in this class and it seemed like earlier this month that Claiborne was in line to be that guy. After his visit, he told us he as essentially down to UVa and Wake Forest. Since then, Virginia Tech has offered. We reached out to him this week to get a sense of what that meant for his recruitment and it sounds at least right now like it’s still between the Deacs and the Hoos. Tech is trying to get him in for a visit but nothing has been set. Interestingly, when asked about his visit plans, he said he was taking a mid-week trip to West Virginia next Wednesday and didn’t have anything else lined up. So, for now at least, it looks to us like UVa remains the team to beat for the versatile in-state playmaker, who said he still plans to make his college decision soon and make it public on July 19th.
That is it for this week, and as always, what’s said here, stays here!
Our thanks to MyPerfectFranchise for their support of CavsCorner:
Are you a displaced corporate executive or wanting to put your career in your own hands? Or are you an experienced entrepreneur wanting to diversify? Well, @Andy MyPerfectFranchise.Net can help! Having owned multiple franchises and businesses in his career, he uses his expertise to helps others find their American Dream through a very thorough and FREE consultation process. Call Andy, put your life and career in your own hands. It’s 100% free, so what do you have to lose?!!*
Call Andy at (404) 973-9901 today or email him: andy@myperfectfranchise.net
