The future is bright for upcoming Stafford standout Eric Mensah. The 6-foot-3, 255-pound defensive lineman from Mountain View High School is one of many elite college prospects on the Wildcats roster. The class of 2024 prospect is hoping to carve out his own path and make a name for himself in the upcoming high school football season.

Mensah will be terrorizing opposing offenses along with fellow 2024 prospect, Kristopher Jones, who also holds an offer from the University of Virginia, among several others.

Though it’s early in the process, Mensah picked up an offer from the Hoos this summer after he camped in Charlottesville. So how has he handled the recruiting process and what has he taken away from it?

“The recruiting process has been great,” Mensah told CavsCorner. “There have been a couple of positive things that have come out of it. I get to interact with college coaches and visit different campuses to get a feel for the universities and the football programs.”

Thus far Mensah has secured six offers and will surely have a host of others down the road. In addition to the offer from UVa, he also has West Virginia, Boston College, Old Dominion, Wake Forest, and Virginia Tech actively recruiting him.

So what has each school loved about Mensah’s game?

“One thing that really stands out is that they all liked how I pursue the ball,” he explained, adding that he thinks he is “very coachable and able to play on the offensive and defensive lines. I would say that my strength is the ability to be fast off the ball and be violent.”

Although Mensah obviously has numerous suitors at this point, when asked specifically about UVa and the program that Tony Elliott is trying to establish it stood out that Elliott was the one who personally offered Mensah at camp.

“[Coach Elliott] was really impressed with all my achievements,” Mensah said. “He believes I will be a great addition to the UVa program.”

With the high school season approaching, Mensah and his teammates are focused on bringing home a state championship to Stafford County.

What kind of season does hr have in mind for himself and his team?

“First and foremost, I want to work and study hard to pass all my classes with honors,” Mensah said. “When it comes to football, my plan for this season is to get three defensive touchdowns, 12 sacks, 150 tackles, 70 assists, 30 tackles for loss, and be one of the leaders to take our school to the state championship.”

Mensah added that he will be taking visits during the season and wants to get back down to a UVa game sooner rather than later.