COMMIT Q&A: Curry recaps decision to choose UVa
It may not have been his intention, but Houston Curry started a trend when he committed to Virginia last Friday.
When Curry announced that commitment Friday afternoon, the Simpsonville (SC) Hillcrest offensive tackle became the first high school player to join Virginia’s 2022 recruiting class since the school’s hire of new head football coach Tony Elliott. In the days since, UVa has added four more 2022 recruits, including three additional offensive linemen—McKale Boley, Noah DeMeritt and Dawson Alters—plus grad transfer offensive tackle Mac Hollensteiner.
Those other O-linemen all committed to UVa after visiting the school this past weekend. Curry pulled the trigger sight-unseen, with his visit to Charlottesville set for this weekend. He broke the news during a phone call with offensive line coach Garett Tujague Friday morning, who “told me that he wanted me to be the one to tell Coach Elliott,” Curry recalled.
Virginia had just started recruiting the 6-foot-7, 265-pound Curry—who came back from an elbow injury that cost him his entire junior year to earn all-state honors at left tackle as a senior—earlier this month. Tujague extended the UVa offer during an in-home visit last Wednesday.
When Curry called Elliott on Friday afternoon, it was the first time he’d spoken to the former Clemson offensive coordinator, who was hired at UVa in December.
“Since we hadn’t ever talked before, we we really spent the whole time kind of getting to know each other,” Curry recounted, “and at the end of the conversation I told him that the reason I wanted to call him was that I was ready to commit. I was ready to come put the hard work in, and that Virginia is the place for me.”
Curry recapped that conversation with Elliott and discussed his decision to commit to the Cavaliers with CavsCorner:
What was Coach Elliott’s reaction?
CURRY: “He was definitely super excited. We talked about what commitment meant, that it was a big deal. And I told him I was 100 percent in and that I was ready.”
What was Tujague’s reaction when you broke the news to him?
CURRY: “So when I told him he was like, ‘You better not be joking with me.’ I was like, ‘No sir. I’m 100 percent in.’ He was super excited.”
When did you decide? When did you know?
CURRY: “I prayed about it a lot and talked with my parents, and I woke up [Friday] morning and it was just like I knew. It was just a feeling. After praying about it a lot, I could just tell that Virginia was the place.”
Your recruitment accelerated so quickly over the course of the last few weeks. What is it like for this to be the conclusion of that whirlwind?
CURRY: “It’s definitely a relief to know that I don’t have to think about any other schools, that it’s over. All the pressure is released. Just knowing that now I can focus on getting ready for Virginia.”
What was it about UVa—even without having been up for a visit—that made you know it was the right place?
CURRY: “Just with talking to Coach Tujague, I could definitely tell that he’s a really good coach. I really thought that I wanted to play for him. And even though I hadn’t talked to Coach Elliott, I live an hour from Clemson so I know who he is, I’ve heard of him before. I’ve heard great things about him. So it as a pretty easy decision.”
What have they talked to you about what comes next?
CURRY: “So right now I’m working out really hard. I’m trying to get as much weight on as I can before I get to school. Obviously, when I get there I’ll have some more weight to put on. But right now I’m focusing on getting bigger, faster and stronger.
Do they have a number in mind, how big they’d like to get you up to?
CURRY: “We haven’t talked about a certain weight I need to get to, but we’ve talked about some weight room numbers. That I need to get a little bit stronger. Realistically, I think I probably need to put on 40-45 pounds.”
As an offensive lineman, what are the skills you work on now as you get ready for college?
CURRY: “This spring I’m gonna hammer doing all my fundamental works. Workouts with my offseason trainer. Definitely make sure I get my fundamentals down and just preparing for college.”
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