Class of 2025 ATH Reese details decision to pick Virginia

It's been a busy week for UVa on the recruiting front, as the Cavaliers have brought in four commits in the past seven days. The second of those four and one of what is now a 10-man class was Exeter (NH) athlete Isaiah Reese

The 6-foot-3, 195 pounder announced his decision on Sunday, choosing the Hoos over offers from Boston College, Connecticut, and Vanderbilt.

Earlier this week, CavsCorner was able to catch up with Reese to discuss his commitment to Tony Elliott and Virginia.

Reese made his way to Charlottesville this past weekend to take in the Cavaliers Spring Game. It gave him an opportunity to see Grounds after picking up an offer from the program in January. It would ultimately be a trip that played a big part in Reese feeling comfortable committing to Elliott and Co.

"The people made me feel most comfortable, committing to Virginia," he explained. "I don't care about collecting offers so I was really waiting for the place that felt right to me and that's what UVa was."

Reese also enjoyed what he saw of the school and what he saw in the program's on-field work.

"Some highlights of my visit were touring around, seeing the actual campus, and the game. I really liked how physical and fast everyone played," the future Cavalier linebacker said.

Notably, Reese's original primary recruiter was linebackers coach Clint Sintim. However, in early March, the former UVa great left Elliott's staff to take the outside linebackers coaching job at Illinois. Shortly after his departure, the Cavaliers named Mike Adams as Sintim's replacement and Adams didn't miss a beat on the recruiting trail with Reese and others. Despite the coaching change, Reese's interest in the Cavaliers remained high, as he quickly became connected with Adams.

"He made sure to keep in contact with me frequently," Reese said. "Which was greatly appreciated, because I felt the same energy from two completely different coaches."

But it was more than just being comfortable and his relationship with Adams that went into Reese picking the Wahoos.

"An important factor of my decision were academics," he explained. "I know football can only take me so far, so the idea of me getting a high education with a powerful degree. Also playing football at the highest level really also made UVa stick out."

After the conclusion of the Spring Game and when recruits were saying their goodbyes to the staff, Reese says he told Elliott about his decision.

"I told Coach Elliot at the end of the day, after the game, that I wanted to play for him," Reese recalled. "He seemed very excited about my decision."