It has been quite the offseason for Tony Bennett and his staff as they have had to revamp their roster with multiple transfer addition and an excellent late signing in to their 2023 class as well. With Anthony Robinson likely to redshirt this upcoming year, he can be though of as ultimately being the first part of UVa’s 2024 group.
The last question that needs to needs to be answered before the roster is finalized for next year is if Reece Beekman is coming back or staying in the NBA Draft. The deadline to withdraw is two weeks from today, meaning a decision will come soon.
As far as the 2024 recruiting class is concerned, we are about to enter a dead period from May 18-26, which means prospects will not be allowed to visit schools during that timeframe. But as soon as that is over the staff will try and get guys on Grounds for visits and most of those prospects will be 2024 targets.
While Virginia is heavily involved with a number of players from that class, the Wahoos definitely have some work to do as I am not sure they are the favorite to land any of them as of today.
Let's take a look at some of who those prospects are and where things stand.
Isaiah Abraham: Out of all prospects on this list, Abraham might be the one that Virginia sits the best with right now. Associate head coach Jason Williford has been recruiting the 6-foot-7 small forward from Team Takeover and Paul VI for a while now and Abraham has used that relationship to visit multiple times the past two years. The one hurdle for Virginia might be Marquette, where his dad played collegiately and where he just took an official visit. With Kim English now at Providence, he is making a run at Abraham too and could have him on campus soon for an official visit. UVa is right in the thick of it with Abraham and he’s a guy the staff would love to have commit soon.
Christian Bliss: The latest prospect to pick up an offer from Virginia, Bliss has really made a name for himself on the national level the past year at the George School and has had a strong start to the AAU season for PSA Cardinals. His recruitment is starting to heat up but there has been no talk of another visit to Virginia for the 6-foot-4 guard. He was in town back in the winter and has already taken an official visit to Villanova and is planning on taking official visits to Miami and Xavier. Having just offered him, Bennett will definitely monitor Bliss in June during the two live periods to see if he can make up any ground with him but we see Villanova being the favorite for him as of right now.
Ty Davis: Davis is guard prospect that Kyle Getter was recruiting when he was an assistant at Virginia. I spoke with Davis earlier in April and he said that he would still like to visit Virginia because he has built a solid relationship with Bennett. At the end of the day I see Notre Dame landing the skilled guard from Alabama as his dad is reportedly a die hard Notre Dame fan.
William Jobe: A new name that Virginia fans might want to pay attention, Jobe is a 6-foot-10 stretch forward that just won a state championship at King’s Ridge High School in Georgia. What he can do offensively with his size is extremely appealing since he can shoot it from all over the floor but can also take defenders off the dribble and finish at the rim. There is a lot of damage he can do on the defensive end with his length as well. Jobe is off to a strong spring with Team Dickerson which has caught the eyes of Williford and Isaiah Wilkins. With Wilkins being a Peach State native himself, his ties could be big in helping UVa’s cause here. June could end up being a big month for Jobe as a lot of high majors continue to get involved with him.
Ryan Jones: A top performer on the New Balance Pro 16 Circuit this spring for Team Judah Nation, Jones is a recruit Virginia has been picking up its contact with of late. The Florida native and The Rock School standout sits at 65th in the Rivals150 and is an athletic power forward that stands at 6-foot-9. He has battled injuries in the past but this spring he has shown the type of player he can be when healthy. LSU has been rumored to be in the lead with him but now that’s he getting back healthy, a slew of schools could come calling as we head into the summer.
Kon Knueppel: There was a time when a lot of people thought UVa sat very well with Knueppel and that might still be the case but things have been quiet with him of late. He missed part of the spring because of injury and visited Virginia earlier in the winter as Bennett and the staff have done a good job prioritizing the Wisconsin native. The staff will not slow down recruiting the 6-foot-6 wing as they will most likely visit him multiple times in June for the live periods. While Wisconsin and Marquette are doing everything they can to not let him leave the state, don’t count out Virginia here.
Bryson McGlothin: Virginia has been mentioned with McGlothin, who just announced he will be playing with the Texas-based JL3 program for the rest of the AAU season. The 6-foot-7 wing could be more of a long-term project and upside type of guy but UVa has definitely taken notice and I believe it has been more of Wilkins. The Texas native could be a guy that Virginia takes a look at more closely in the summer.
Patrick Ngongba II: Ngongba is a 6-foot-10 post player who has had a great spring thus far with Team Takeover. The Paul VI product has polished his game and shown signs of the type of big man a lot of people thought he could become. He is another Williford recruit but there are some other schools that might have a better chance of landing him at this point including Kansas State, Iowa and Providence. There was also a rumor going around that John Calipari of Kentucky made a call for him.
Travis Perry: Perry, a 6-foot-4 guard from Kentucky, is playing for Indiana Elite on the Adidas 3SSB Circuit. If that sounds familiar it’s likely because former Virginia great Kyle Guy also played his AAU basketball with Indiana Elite. There was a lot of positive chatter with Perry earlier in the year and that was mainly because of now former Virginia assistant coach Kyle Getter. Even though he has moved on to Notre Dame, Perry is on record of saying he would still like to visit Virginia but we will have to wait and see if that comes to fruition. Our guess is Perry ends up in the Big 10.
Jase Richardson: This was a surprise as Richardson put out a list of his final eight schools recently that included UVa along with Alabama, Arkansas, Cincinnati, Michigan State, San Diego State, Stanford, and USC. Richardson is the son of former NBA player Jason Richardson, who starred at MSU. A strong point guard that plays his high school ball at Las Vegas powerhouse Bishop Gorman. Richardson is currently averaging 14 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists per game with Paul George Elite in the EYBL.
Micah Robinson: Robinson is a 6-foot-7 small forward that attends Oak Hill Academy in Virginia and is playing on the Adidas 3SSB Circuit with Southern Assault. The number one thing that stands out about Robinson is his versatility and length. He can play multiple positions on both ends of the floor and that is what makes him so intriguing going forward. He can finish strong above the rim, make shots at multiple levels and finishes well over smaller defenders. He uses his length to challenge shots and grab rebounds on both ends of the floor. Could Robinson be an underrated recruit that Bennett goes after? Time will tell, starting with next month’s live periods.
Jarin Stevenson: The recruit that most fans seem to be fixated on as of late, Stevenson is a 6-foot-9 forward that is currently ranked 24th in the Rivals150. The North Carolina native was the first prospect from the 2024 class to pick up an offer from Virginia and arguably the Hoos have been on him the longest along with UNC given how close he lives to its campus. There has been (and in some ways continues to be) a lot of talk about him possibly reclassifying into the 2023 class but the clock is ticking on such a decision. If he does decide to reclass, count Virginia out. The schools that would take him in 2023 most likely are Carolina and Alabama, where he just took an official visit. It’s fair to say, though, that UVa made an impression on his when Bennett and Co. had him on Grounds for his OV this spring. We can’t say with certainty right now which way he is leaning right now but the my gut says he will stay in 2024, which would be the right choice as he is not ready for college right now. If that happens, the Cavaliers instantly become among the teams at the very top of what could be a long recruitment.
Caleb Williams: Williams is another DMV native from Sidwell Friends School that Williford has been recruiting for a while now. He is part of that highly talented Team Takeover group that is loaded from top to bottom, which has sometimes not allowed Williams to contribute as much. I get the sense that the Virginia staff might be cooling a bit on Williams but again, the live periods will tell us a lot. Two dark horse candidates for the D.C. forward are Michigan and Indiana.
