Four-star defensive lineman Artis recaps his OV to Virginia

Four-star defensive lineman Kaleb Artis is like a lot of other recruits in the 2022 class in that he’s spent every weekend this month on road taking official visits. His trips to Auburn, Penn State, and now UVa have kept him busy, same as his pending trip to FSU to finish things out next weekend will as well.

But Artis admits that he approaches these visits and the process in general differently, especially in terms of how he and his family will go about choosing a school next month.

“It’s been real busy but a lot of fun,” he told CavsCorner late Sunday night. “I’ve got one more left and then it’s time.”

A 6-foot-5, 291 pounder, Artis said he had a great time in Charlottesville this weekend particularly because of the people he got to meet.

“So, I just wanted to get a feel for the school and the campus and things, see how it was there and see the facilities and what not,” he said. “But I think what I enjoyed most while I was there was seeing Coach [Clint] Sintim and Coach [Donte] Wilkins because we’ve been speaking for quite some time. After all these months of being on the phone and being on Zooms, it’s not that fun. So, when you see them in person, it’s much much more interesting.”

Right off the bat, he was impressed by the way things felt at Virginia.

“So when we got down there, we got to the stadium—it’s a beautiful stadium, real nice,” Artis recalled. “Then we went over to the complex and went over to the McCue and toured that and what not. Then we ate dinner, again at Scott Stadium which was really dope. I think the stadium is really unique compared to other college stadiums, which I like a lot. You’ve the little grass that you can sit on and the pillars holding everything up and everything, that was real cool. Then after that I was so tired, so I went back to the hotel room and got some sleep. Then Saturday night, I went out with the players and that was a great experience.

“They hooked me up with Nusi [Malani] but I was really with Su [Agunloye] a lot of the time and that was real cool,” he added. “Su is a real good dude. He’s from Long Island as well, so that was real cool. We just talked a lot about UVa and how much he liked it and how he feels about it, especially being all the way from New York like me. That’s something that we definitely have in common because of the travel for both of us and our families. He was telling me all about his comfortability there but also how the team treats him. He said it’s real genuine. We talked a lot about that. But on top of that, me and him had some time alone just chilling, kicking it. He’s a very cool dude, laid back. I really enjoyed my time with him as well.”

The football piece was obviously important and both Sintim and Wilkins helped Artis understand the way he would fit into what the Wahoos do on the D-line.

“So they definitely see me play a 3 [technique] but on top of that, we were talking and they were just telling me how good I looked and how they would utilize me,” he said. “How much of an impact they thought I could have. We watched some film. Coach Sintim and Coach Wilkins broke it down for me in terms of how they would use me, where they would use me, and we talked about who my favorite players were so we watched some clips of Khalil Mack and everything. They just really made it clear how they’d see me playing.

“I know for a fact, we spoke for a quick second not only about can I play the 3 but I can move up and down the line because I’m so flexible and everything,” Artis added. “And I’m pretty agile as well, so they can utilize me in different ways, not just in one spot.”

It was also the time he spent around Bronco Mendenhall that seemed to leave a lasting impact.

“Coach Mendenhall, man I was waiting for you to ask me about that,” he said with a laugh. “He’s a good dude, wholesome dude as well. We spoke and I think what’s really cool is how much he trusts everybody on his staff and who he coaches. He treats them like family for real. Guys come over and really do whatever they want at any time. They’re welcome at his house like it’s their own. I think that’s very cool and it shows a lot of trust within the organization as well.

“You’ve got to go,” he said of Mendenhall’s house with another laugh. “Seriously, you’ve got to go. We hopped on a horse. I rode Rocket, beautiful horse. I think its 32 to 40 acres, and so we went around and we paced the whole entire area. He had his cattle out there and we saw everything. He had this big pond but it’s not so much a pond because ponds are quite smaller than what that is, ya know? It was just a great time.”

Artis believes that how he treats his players at his home speaks to a greater vibe that runs through the program.

“That’s what I’m talking about: He leaves the fishing rods out there for people to come thru and unlock the gate, like it’s their own house,” he said. “He’s not worried about anybody doing him wrong or anything like that. So, yes, we went to his house and it was a beautiful place. Went to his pool, deep end, 12 feet. So we had a great time.”

As much as Mendenhall and Sintim want him, there was no pressure to commit and that’s something that Artis said went a long way with him and his family.

“Nah nah nah, not at all, not at all,” he said of the lack of pressure. “We did what you always do on the last day, right? You sit down with the coach and you talk about your experience and everything. We sat and he spoke with me and he was just telling me ‘No pressure at all.’ He said he loves the person I am and on top of that he thought it was a great fit for me to go over there to Virginia. I’ll tell you, I didn’t feel any pressure from him when I had that meeting with him this afternoon with my parents. I’m sure they didn’t feel uncomfortable at all either. We had a lot of great laughs. Like I said, wholesome guy. He’s real genuine and you can tell he really cares about you at the end of the day.”

With the UVa visit behind him, the road ahead is clear.

“So I have one more visit left, I have this official,” he explained. “Then after that, I’m definitely going to decide in July. I would say early to mid-July I’ll drop it and make my decision and see how it goes from there.”

And when he enters the decision-making phase, it won’t be based on just any one factor but on the work his family has done the whole way.

“I don’t know how everybody else does it but I know me and my family we do everything differently,” Artis said. “So at the end of every official visit, we do our due diligence. We write down things, we go online and look things up, and we try to do pros and cons of each school so we can compare it to the others and what not. We really get down to the nitty gritty and what not with everything.

“That’s how the decision will be made,” he added. “We’ll evaluate everything pretty well, do whatever we’ve got to do, and then after that based on how I felt when I was there as well—doesn’t matter if all the pros check, if I didn’t feel good when I was there—that’s how we’ll do it.”

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