The WAR ROOM is back and this edition is full of football and hoops recruiting scoop! On the gridiron, the Wahoos will host Notre Dame on the field and with such a high-profile matchup on tap, they'll also have a number of big time visitors in the stands. We'll tell you who's expected and break down a few of those storylines, including one official visitor that could be the next member of Virginia's 2016 class. Then on the hardwood, it's a big visit weekend there as well. We'll tell you about the important official visitor who will join UVa's commits on their visit this weekend as well as touch on a few of the moves and visits this week that the coaching staff made now that their able to get back out on the road.
As always, what's said in the War Room, stays in the War Room. Let's go!
Big visit weekend on deck
With the Cavaliers set to host the No. 9-ranked Irish to open their home slate, this is obviously a big opportunity for them to bring in a host of visitors. And as of last check, it sounds like the ship is all but full in terms of the number of tickets they've given out to recruits.
In addition to about half of the committed players, the Wahoos are expecting to host a handful of 2016 prospects as well as more than 20 juniors, about 10 prospects from the class of 2018 and even a few 2019 kids.
Let's start with rising seniors and Laderrien Wilson, a three-star RB from Kissimmee (FL) Osceola who will be taking his official visits. The 5-foot-10, 205-pound back has a solid offer list but it sounds like the Cavaliers have put themselves in a position to close this weekend if he has a good time. We can't say we expect it'll happen but it's very possible. Virginia is also expecting kicker Holland Corbett and, given that he now has an offer, this one could get done as well.
What's probably not possible is for UVa to make a serious move for four-star Rivals250 athlete 16 Grant Holloway. Kudos to the Cavaliers for getting the Grassfield standout on Grounds for the game but given everything at play, we're not sure Virginia is going to be able to make much noise here.
The other two notable 2016s expected are offensive tackles from Massachusetts: three-star Eddy Fish from Lawrence Academy and Patrick Lawler from Thayer Academy. Both guys have good size but we're not sure how hard to Hoos will push.
Moving on to the class of 2017, there are obviously the guys we've touched on in the pass like four-star Rivals250 DEs TyJuan Garbutt and Yetur Matos of Riverbend and Chancellor, respectively. This is obviously a big chance for UVa with guys like that as well as running back AJ Dillon, who also plays at Lawrence Academy, and offensive tackle Mekhi Becton from Highland Springs. We see Virginia as the leader right now for both of them.
The Cavaliers are also expecting to bring in four-star Bishop Sullivan Catholic defensive lineman Breyon Gaddy and four-star Rivals250 DB Devon Hunter, the Indian River prospect who is the No. 26 overall player in the country in the class of 2017. The Wahoos are probably on the very outside looking in for both but clearly getting them up for a visit is big.
Elsewhere in this class, Virginia is expecting to host in-state QB target Alex Faniel from Glen Allen, ATH Tye Freeland from Dinwiddie, linebacker Marquis Hall from Potomac, DB Chris Hunt from Bayside, wide receiver EJ Jenkins from Chancellor, tight end John Kirven from Woodberry Forest, tight end Andrew Park from Lake Braddock, and quarterback Lindell Stone also from Woodberry Forest.
From the DMV, Virginia is expecting to have Nathan Proctor and Chase Young both on Grounds as well. Again, the Hoos are on the outside looking in for both but they're definitely worth keeping an eye on. Proctor is a four-star Rivals250 linebacker from Indian Head (MD) Lackey who has a standout offer list, as does Young, a three-star DE from DeMatha who in the last few days has been on a real offer streak.
In the 2018 class, Virginia is expecting to have North Stafford' Nana Asiedu, Dinwiddie's K'Vaughan Pope, and Bayside's Teradja Mitchell all back in town as well as Ocean Lakes' Jalen Smith. While Mitchell might be a bit of a long shot for the Cavaliers, Asideu, Pope, and Smith are guys we could definitely see UVa getting some traction with in that class. It's also worth noting that among the group of rising sophomores, Central Bucks (PA) prospect Jack Johns is expected to be in Scott Stadium as a recruit. His older brother, Matt, is kind of important to the Wahoos on the field.
Lastly, in the class of 2019, there will be three in-state prospects of note expected: North Stafford's Devyn Ford, Ocean Lakes' Tayvion Land, and Glen Allen's Antoine Whitner, Jr..
Hunter among the hoops visitors
As we transition to the hardwood, it's clearly not only a big visit weekend for the football squad since Tony Bennett and his staff will be bringing in all three committed players in the 2016 class as well as four-star Rivals150 wing target DeAndre Hunter.
We said last week that this visit was possible but hadn't been locked down, so credit to the Cavaliers for putting in the work to make sure it got done. And before you ask, the answer is yes, the Hoos will be looking to try and close this out before the Keystone State native heads back home presumably to take other visits like the planned trip to Oklahoma State next weekend and then to Miami and Notre Dame. Word we've heard from non-UVa sources is that the Wahoos are seen as the team to beat right now. Our team sources, though, remain a little unsure because of just how good the 6-foot-7 wing is in terms of holding his cards close to the vest.
The great thing about this trip versus the unofficial visit he took last month, of course, is he gets the full college experience. He not only gets to see the University while students are in town but he also gets to watch the team work out and hang out with them off the floor. Comfort is going to be a very big deal in this recruitment. Needless to say, having his potential future teammates all on Grounds with him is a very intriguing recipe...
Bennett goes to see Blackwell
Though the Cavaliers will be looking to get a commitment this weekend, it doesn't mean they have stopped pursuing four-star Rivals150 small forward Braxton Blackwell, who got a visit at Oak Hill Academy from Bennett on Wednesday, as expected.
As of late this week, no date has been set in stone for Blackwell to take his official visit. Our read is that if UVa comes out of the weekend without a commitment from Hunter, the Cavaliers will get that date locked in. The interesting piece here is that Blackwell is looking more and more like someone who isn't in a hurry, meaning the timeframe works out perfectly for UVa. The Hoos can make a push for Hunter, see where it goes, and continue to recruit Blackwell if need be. All of our sources continue to say that should the Cavaliers not be able to lock up either of these wings they will take the scholarship into the spring.
Other visits of note this week
While Bennett was at OHA, he obviously got a chance to see 2017 four-star point guard Matt Coleman, as we eluded to last week in this space.
We've also heard that assistants visited Gonzaga, which is where 2018 wing Myles Dread and a couple of other potential targets play. The Cavaliers were also showing a deep presence in North Carolina with assistant coaches at Northside Christian, home to 2018's Nathan Hinton, and at Greensboro Day, which is home to 2017's JP Moorman and 2018's John Newman.
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!
Big visit weekend on deck
With the Cavaliers set to host the No. 9-ranked Irish to open their home slate, this is obviously a big opportunity for them to bring in a host of visitors. And as of last check, it sounds like the ship is all but full in terms of the number of tickets they've given out to recruits.
In addition to about half of the committed players, the Wahoos are expecting to host a handful of 2016 prospects as well as more than 20 juniors, about 10 prospects from the class of 2018 and even a few 2019 kids.
Let's start with rising seniors and Laderrien Wilson, a three-star RB from Kissimmee (FL) Osceola who will be taking his official visits. The 5-foot-10, 205-pound back has a solid offer list but it sounds like the Cavaliers have put themselves in a position to close this weekend if he has a good time. We can't say we expect it'll happen but it's very possible. Virginia is also expecting kicker Holland Corbett and, given that he now has an offer, this one could get done as well.
What's probably not possible is for UVa to make a serious move for four-star Rivals250 athlete 16 Grant Holloway. Kudos to the Cavaliers for getting the Grassfield standout on Grounds for the game but given everything at play, we're not sure Virginia is going to be able to make much noise here.
The other two notable 2016s expected are offensive tackles from Massachusetts: three-star Eddy Fish from Lawrence Academy and Patrick Lawler from Thayer Academy. Both guys have good size but we're not sure how hard to Hoos will push.
Moving on to the class of 2017, there are obviously the guys we've touched on in the pass like four-star Rivals250 DEs TyJuan Garbutt and Yetur Matos of Riverbend and Chancellor, respectively. This is obviously a big chance for UVa with guys like that as well as running back AJ Dillon, who also plays at Lawrence Academy, and offensive tackle Mekhi Becton from Highland Springs. We see Virginia as the leader right now for both of them.
The Cavaliers are also expecting to bring in four-star Bishop Sullivan Catholic defensive lineman Breyon Gaddy and four-star Rivals250 DB Devon Hunter, the Indian River prospect who is the No. 26 overall player in the country in the class of 2017. The Wahoos are probably on the very outside looking in for both but clearly getting them up for a visit is big.
Elsewhere in this class, Virginia is expecting to host in-state QB target Alex Faniel from Glen Allen, ATH Tye Freeland from Dinwiddie, linebacker Marquis Hall from Potomac, DB Chris Hunt from Bayside, wide receiver EJ Jenkins from Chancellor, tight end John Kirven from Woodberry Forest, tight end Andrew Park from Lake Braddock, and quarterback Lindell Stone also from Woodberry Forest.
From the DMV, Virginia is expecting to have Nathan Proctor and Chase Young both on Grounds as well. Again, the Hoos are on the outside looking in for both but they're definitely worth keeping an eye on. Proctor is a four-star Rivals250 linebacker from Indian Head (MD) Lackey who has a standout offer list, as does Young, a three-star DE from DeMatha who in the last few days has been on a real offer streak.
In the 2018 class, Virginia is expecting to have North Stafford' Nana Asiedu, Dinwiddie's K'Vaughan Pope, and Bayside's Teradja Mitchell all back in town as well as Ocean Lakes' Jalen Smith. While Mitchell might be a bit of a long shot for the Cavaliers, Asideu, Pope, and Smith are guys we could definitely see UVa getting some traction with in that class. It's also worth noting that among the group of rising sophomores, Central Bucks (PA) prospect Jack Johns is expected to be in Scott Stadium as a recruit. His older brother, Matt, is kind of important to the Wahoos on the field.
Lastly, in the class of 2019, there will be three in-state prospects of note expected: North Stafford's Devyn Ford, Ocean Lakes' Tayvion Land, and Glen Allen's Antoine Whitner, Jr..
Hunter among the hoops visitors
As we transition to the hardwood, it's clearly not only a big visit weekend for the football squad since Tony Bennett and his staff will be bringing in all three committed players in the 2016 class as well as four-star Rivals150 wing target DeAndre Hunter.
We said last week that this visit was possible but hadn't been locked down, so credit to the Cavaliers for putting in the work to make sure it got done. And before you ask, the answer is yes, the Hoos will be looking to try and close this out before the Keystone State native heads back home presumably to take other visits like the planned trip to Oklahoma State next weekend and then to Miami and Notre Dame. Word we've heard from non-UVa sources is that the Wahoos are seen as the team to beat right now. Our team sources, though, remain a little unsure because of just how good the 6-foot-7 wing is in terms of holding his cards close to the vest.
The great thing about this trip versus the unofficial visit he took last month, of course, is he gets the full college experience. He not only gets to see the University while students are in town but he also gets to watch the team work out and hang out with them off the floor. Comfort is going to be a very big deal in this recruitment. Needless to say, having his potential future teammates all on Grounds with him is a very intriguing recipe...
Bennett goes to see Blackwell
Though the Cavaliers will be looking to get a commitment this weekend, it doesn't mean they have stopped pursuing four-star Rivals150 small forward Braxton Blackwell, who got a visit at Oak Hill Academy from Bennett on Wednesday, as expected.
As of late this week, no date has been set in stone for Blackwell to take his official visit. Our read is that if UVa comes out of the weekend without a commitment from Hunter, the Cavaliers will get that date locked in. The interesting piece here is that Blackwell is looking more and more like someone who isn't in a hurry, meaning the timeframe works out perfectly for UVa. The Hoos can make a push for Hunter, see where it goes, and continue to recruit Blackwell if need be. All of our sources continue to say that should the Cavaliers not be able to lock up either of these wings they will take the scholarship into the spring.
Other visits of note this week
While Bennett was at OHA, he obviously got a chance to see 2017 four-star point guard Matt Coleman, as we eluded to last week in this space.
We've also heard that assistants visited Gonzaga, which is where 2018 wing Myles Dread and a couple of other potential targets play. The Cavaliers were also showing a deep presence in North Carolina with assistant coaches at Northside Christian, home to 2018's Nathan Hinton, and at Greensboro Day, which is home to 2017's JP Moorman and 2018's John Newman.
That is it for this week, and as always, what's said here, stays here!
