The WAR ROOM is back and this edition is full of football recruiting scoop! The month of June is almost over and with it, a crazy run of late-spring official visits that have changed the complexion of the 2022 class. At UVa, the Hoos will once again bring recruits to town and we’ll tell you who is expected this weekend before we break down those situations. And we’ll finish with a look at several other key recruitments that remain integral to the storylines for Virginia this cycle.
As always, what’s said in the War Room, stays in the War Room. Let’s go!
Final batch of official visitors are headed for Grounds
If it’s possible for something in recruiting to be both a marathon and a sprint, that’s what June 2021 has been for schools across the country. And UVa is certainly among that group. Bronco Mendenhall and his staff have brought in numerous official visitors each weekend this month and seem to have been able to manage it extremely well, especially considering there were multiple players from the same position group in town at various times.
The final weekend of this mara-spirint will be much smaller than the others thus far, which was expected on some level because players were naturally going to come off the board as others visits happened or as space within UVa’s class dwindled because of OVs that made the picture clear.
In addition to three-star TE commit Karson Gay, who had to move his trip back from earlier in the month, UVa is expecting to host four other official visitors and all have very different situations.
Let’s start with four-star running back Marlon Gunn. The Baton Rouge (LA) Scotlandville standout is coming off a visit to Florida State and the Noles are seen by some as the team to beat. What’s interesting as far as UVa is concerned is that, in addition to getting this visit, the Hoos are looking to take one running back in this class. Since earlier this month, it has consistently felt like King William’s Demond Claiborne was going to be that guy, as he’s been a UVa lean for some time it seems. Claiborne, who we mentioned last week was headed to WVU on an official this week, sounded excited on Thursday night when we touched base with him. He’ll be in Morgantown through Saturday and there’s no doubt that the Mountaineers feel like they’ve got a great shot to wrestle him away from Virginia and Wake Forest. That trip brings about a lot of intrigue, especially since there hasn’t been a lot out there on Gunn’s recruitment to this point.
Three-star DL Felix Hixon is the other big name on this weekend’s visitor list. The 6-foot-3, 284 pounder is coming off a visit to home-state Georgia Tech as well as trips to Illinois and Wisconsin and South Carolina, with a potential return trip to Columbia also potentially being thrown in there as well. A Georgia native, Hixon had long been viewed as a potential UVa lean but for now, it’s best to assume that the Gamecocks are the odds-on choice. But again, the breadth of UVa’s D-line options and how quickly things could be closing up shop remain a potential driver for action.
Now, Utah offensive lineman Joe Brown is a new name to the radar who only earned his offer three weeks ago following a camp performance at UVa. As with the situation on the defensive front, the Hoos have a lot of options on the O-line and if Brown wants to join up, that will put a lot of pressure on the group as a whole but speaks to the depth of linemen UVa feels it needs in this class given the experience the Hoos are poised to lose after this season. As of right now, we feel like there’s a good chance this might go down soon. The offer from BYU, though, does complicate things a bit.
Lastly, Miami (FL) Gulliver Prep kicker Will Bettridge will also be in town for his OV. This isn’t a position that typically gets a lot of ink but the Sunshine State recruit picked up an offer recently from LSU and is coming off trips to Michigan, Florida State, Georgia Tech and Florida. This is one that has always felt like something that was going to get done once the visit happened but we’ll have to wait and see how things shake out in the next 72 hours or so. UVa was the first to toss the offer out there, though, and that could pay dividends.
Updates on some other key targets
We’ll start, as we did in last week’s visitor list, with four-star DE Kaleb Artis. We mentioned last Friday that it seemed for a while like the Hoos were in a good spot for Artis but that Penn State had made a push. Well, it’s clear in talking to him as well as sources in the mid-Atlantic that UVa did a lot of heavy lifting and we think this is a dead heat between the two programs as of today. Not only did Mendenhall’s family approach really make a lasting impact on Artis but Clint Sintim and the players did as well. He felt at home and he felt needed. That’s huge. As far as where things go from here, it’s hard to say. Artis is likely looking to decide in the next few weeks, so whichever way it goes shouldn’t take long. We’d still probably give a slight edge to PSU but there’s no question UVa is firmly in the mix and could absolutely get this done.
Let’s go to the O-line next where UVa is expected to be the choice when four-star in-state prospect Brody Meadows announces his commitment later today. As we’ve said, he’s long been a heavy Virginia lean and the timing of his decision is particularly telling.
He won’t be the only recent visitor to announce in the 3 o’clock hour today, though. Four-star DE Brandon Cleveland is also coming off the board at 3:30 p.m. The UVa interest and visit evolved pretty fast, so right on the heels of an official visit—and given the number of quality D-linemen on the board—this one would make sense if a decision is coming in part because of the potential for tightening space. But we’d recommend folks be careful with that POV, as NC State certainly seems poised to be the odd’s-on choice. What little smoke is out there—Cleveland is basically impossible to get up with—all points to the Pack.
Lastly, we need to finish out this week with several prospects we’ve talked about a lot lately….and one we haven’t: Five-star Rivals100 offensive lineman Zach Rice and four-star RB George Pettaway as well as four-star OLs Fisher Anderson and Ryan Baer and three-star OL Jake Maikkula.
Our brass tacks read right now is that UVa is the front runner for Anderson (who is off to Stanford for his final OV this weekend) and the Hoos, per sources, have faded a bit with Maikkula. Both will have plenty to sort through once the visit wheel stops spinning. Baer, meanwhile, is coming off an OV to Michigan State but has since canceled his planned visit to Notre Dame. Instead, his recruitment appears to have entered the next phase. Sources says Kentucky and UVa lead the way with the Wildcats getting the most juice as of now.
And then there’s Rice and Pettaway, who were both in Charlottesville this week. Now, folks who have asked about Pettaway in recent weeks and months have heard the same thing: Since the Cavaliers were the first to offer, they would always be in the hunt for Pettaway. The issue, of course, is that he’s looked for a while like someone who will make his decision in the fall. Rice, meanwhile, is headed to Notre Dame this weekend and ultimately is expected to decide before his in-state running mate. The consensus among sources is that it will still come down to UVa and North Carolina (which is one of several in the mix for Pettaway as well). The Hoos certainly are selling them both on coming to Virginia together but resolution to such a possibility is likely a long way coming. Still, mid-week visits aren’t anything to sneeze at—and yes, Rice’s similar trip to Chapel Hill matters as well—and at this point, the intrigue continues to build.
We remain confident in saying that Virginia is in the driver’s seat for Rice. The question right now is and could continue to be: Is Pettaway coming along for the journey?
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!
Final batch of official visitors are headed for Grounds
If it’s possible for something in recruiting to be both a marathon and a sprint, that’s what June 2021 has been for schools across the country. And UVa is certainly among that group. Bronco Mendenhall and his staff have brought in numerous official visitors each weekend this month and seem to have been able to manage it extremely well, especially considering there were multiple players from the same position group in town at various times.
The final weekend of this mara-spirint will be much smaller than the others thus far, which was expected on some level because players were naturally going to come off the board as others visits happened or as space within UVa’s class dwindled because of OVs that made the picture clear.
In addition to three-star TE commit Karson Gay, who had to move his trip back from earlier in the month, UVa is expecting to host four other official visitors and all have very different situations.
Let’s start with four-star running back Marlon Gunn. The Baton Rouge (LA) Scotlandville standout is coming off a visit to Florida State and the Noles are seen by some as the team to beat. What’s interesting as far as UVa is concerned is that, in addition to getting this visit, the Hoos are looking to take one running back in this class. Since earlier this month, it has consistently felt like King William’s Demond Claiborne was going to be that guy, as he’s been a UVa lean for some time it seems. Claiborne, who we mentioned last week was headed to WVU on an official this week, sounded excited on Thursday night when we touched base with him. He’ll be in Morgantown through Saturday and there’s no doubt that the Mountaineers feel like they’ve got a great shot to wrestle him away from Virginia and Wake Forest. That trip brings about a lot of intrigue, especially since there hasn’t been a lot out there on Gunn’s recruitment to this point.
Three-star DL Felix Hixon is the other big name on this weekend’s visitor list. The 6-foot-3, 284 pounder is coming off a visit to home-state Georgia Tech as well as trips to Illinois and Wisconsin and South Carolina, with a potential return trip to Columbia also potentially being thrown in there as well. A Georgia native, Hixon had long been viewed as a potential UVa lean but for now, it’s best to assume that the Gamecocks are the odds-on choice. But again, the breadth of UVa’s D-line options and how quickly things could be closing up shop remain a potential driver for action.
Now, Utah offensive lineman Joe Brown is a new name to the radar who only earned his offer three weeks ago following a camp performance at UVa. As with the situation on the defensive front, the Hoos have a lot of options on the O-line and if Brown wants to join up, that will put a lot of pressure on the group as a whole but speaks to the depth of linemen UVa feels it needs in this class given the experience the Hoos are poised to lose after this season. As of right now, we feel like there’s a good chance this might go down soon. The offer from BYU, though, does complicate things a bit.
Lastly, Miami (FL) Gulliver Prep kicker Will Bettridge will also be in town for his OV. This isn’t a position that typically gets a lot of ink but the Sunshine State recruit picked up an offer recently from LSU and is coming off trips to Michigan, Florida State, Georgia Tech and Florida. This is one that has always felt like something that was going to get done once the visit happened but we’ll have to wait and see how things shake out in the next 72 hours or so. UVa was the first to toss the offer out there, though, and that could pay dividends.
Updates on some other key targets
We’ll start, as we did in last week’s visitor list, with four-star DE Kaleb Artis. We mentioned last Friday that it seemed for a while like the Hoos were in a good spot for Artis but that Penn State had made a push. Well, it’s clear in talking to him as well as sources in the mid-Atlantic that UVa did a lot of heavy lifting and we think this is a dead heat between the two programs as of today. Not only did Mendenhall’s family approach really make a lasting impact on Artis but Clint Sintim and the players did as well. He felt at home and he felt needed. That’s huge. As far as where things go from here, it’s hard to say. Artis is likely looking to decide in the next few weeks, so whichever way it goes shouldn’t take long. We’d still probably give a slight edge to PSU but there’s no question UVa is firmly in the mix and could absolutely get this done.
Let’s go to the O-line next where UVa is expected to be the choice when four-star in-state prospect Brody Meadows announces his commitment later today. As we’ve said, he’s long been a heavy Virginia lean and the timing of his decision is particularly telling.
He won’t be the only recent visitor to announce in the 3 o’clock hour today, though. Four-star DE Brandon Cleveland is also coming off the board at 3:30 p.m. The UVa interest and visit evolved pretty fast, so right on the heels of an official visit—and given the number of quality D-linemen on the board—this one would make sense if a decision is coming in part because of the potential for tightening space. But we’d recommend folks be careful with that POV, as NC State certainly seems poised to be the odd’s-on choice. What little smoke is out there—Cleveland is basically impossible to get up with—all points to the Pack.
Lastly, we need to finish out this week with several prospects we’ve talked about a lot lately….and one we haven’t: Five-star Rivals100 offensive lineman Zach Rice and four-star RB George Pettaway as well as four-star OLs Fisher Anderson and Ryan Baer and three-star OL Jake Maikkula.
Our brass tacks read right now is that UVa is the front runner for Anderson (who is off to Stanford for his final OV this weekend) and the Hoos, per sources, have faded a bit with Maikkula. Both will have plenty to sort through once the visit wheel stops spinning. Baer, meanwhile, is coming off an OV to Michigan State but has since canceled his planned visit to Notre Dame. Instead, his recruitment appears to have entered the next phase. Sources says Kentucky and UVa lead the way with the Wildcats getting the most juice as of now.
And then there’s Rice and Pettaway, who were both in Charlottesville this week. Now, folks who have asked about Pettaway in recent weeks and months have heard the same thing: Since the Cavaliers were the first to offer, they would always be in the hunt for Pettaway. The issue, of course, is that he’s looked for a while like someone who will make his decision in the fall. Rice, meanwhile, is headed to Notre Dame this weekend and ultimately is expected to decide before his in-state running mate. The consensus among sources is that it will still come down to UVa and North Carolina (which is one of several in the mix for Pettaway as well). The Hoos certainly are selling them both on coming to Virginia together but resolution to such a possibility is likely a long way coming. Still, mid-week visits aren’t anything to sneeze at—and yes, Rice’s similar trip to Chapel Hill matters as well—and at this point, the intrigue continues to build.
We remain confident in saying that Virginia is in the driver’s seat for Rice. The question right now is and could continue to be: Is Pettaway coming along for the journey?
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
