Four-star Josey a perfect fit for UVa's O-line of the future

In what is arguably UVa’s best recruiting cycle since Bronco Mendenhall arrived on Grounds, the 2021 class seems chock full of players who not only address needs but who also raise the level of play in the program.

“Greater than, not equal to” is a Mendenhall refrain when it comes to each successive recruiting class and during the early period last week, he pointed directly to landing guys like four-star Tennessee native Noah Josey on the offensive line as further evidence of that.

Josey, who said he is checking at 6-foot-5, 315 pounds, told CavsCorner recently that his decision to end his recruitment when he did was as much about the destination as it was the process.

“For me really, deciding when I decided came down to me just feeling like I was ready,” Josey explained. “For me, it was always about when I was comfortable with the place. And UVa was the place that I was really the most comfortable and so I decided to make my decision.”

The No. 11 offensive guard nationally, the Brentwood product had more than two dozen offers and it was a Who’s Who among schools from all over, including the SEC.

“It was a really big relief, a lot of weight off my shoulders,” he said of committing to UVa in October. “It was just, you know, constant. It was just a constant reminder, basically, because everybody always asked about it.”

The connection that Josey felt to Mendenhall and offensive line coach Garett Tujague was built brick by brick and led him to that level of comfort. But that was really more the norm for him rather than the exception.

“I honestly had a great relationship with a lot of coaches I was talking with, and it really never wavered that much,” he said. “It was really just the people around me, always asking about it asking about it asking about it. It was just a lot. I thought I had a great relationship with all the coaches I talked to.”

The process began early and really didn’t let up.

“So I got my first offer the January of my sophomore year,” Josey recalled. “And then it really exploded from there, within like two or three months I had like 15 offers. And I really went from a nobody to somebody pretty high up pretty quickly. For me, it was really just my family and my friends and my coaches. I really attribute that to all of them for being able to help keep me grounded through that time. I really think it's made a difference.”

So, why UVa?

“Really, it came down to academics,” he said. “For me, I really realized that’s the biggest part of this equation. Academics I think are just as big in terms of getting as much out of my four years wherever I went so that was something that was really important to me. I really started honing in on some academic places, just because that's what I figured was most important to me. So I was really looking hard at Stanford, I was looking hard at Michigan. And Virginia was really the only other one.”

Consider what the Cavaliers think of his potential, his decision was among the biggest in the class.

“Noah Josey is big and physical and tough and strong and aggressive, and a play-finisher, and all the things that we want our offensive line to be, which started to manifest this year at the highest level since I’ve been the coach at UVa,” Mendenhall said last week. “Our offensive front is becoming and became more of that this year, and I think we all saw that. This is basically the next generation upgrade already to what we already had, and will be starting at a much further-along development point than some of our existing players that are playing well now, that they came in with.”

His story was similar to a lot of those in his recruiting class nationally, as visit opportunities never materialized and decisions had to be made without deeper in-person experiences.

“I was supposed to have gone there during the spring but I couldn't get it on schedule because COVID happened,” he recalled. “I’ve done a ton of virtual stuff with them, though…I was going to try to wait until the dead period was over. that was my initial plan. But as soon as I saw them extend it again and after early signing day, I knew that it was going to be time to make my decision so that’s when I really started zeroing in.”

Tujague, who led the way for Virginia, was a big draw for the future Wahoo.

“Coach Tujauge really reminds me a lot of my O-line coach,” Josey said. “He’s just a guy who is just about his players and about the family aspect of the offensive line, which I think is extremely important. I can tell how much he loves his guys and so that was something that really connected with me and helped me connect with him.”

In terms of fit, Josey really likes the way UVa plans to utilize his skillset.

“I think they obviously see me on the interior, be it guard or center,” he said. “Both of those places would fit me and I think that will be great for me.”

One thing that Josey said really stood out to him was the way Virginia’s offensive line played this season. It’s a group he can’t wait to be a part of, as he admitted that he would’ve loved to have been able to go early if his school allowed mid-year graduations.

“Their running game is very impressive to me,” Josey said. “I think it’s hard nosed and extremely physical and nasty and that’s how I like to play.”

That quote sounded much like his future head coach.

“I really like the size,” Mendenhall said, “the physicality, the play-finishing, the athleticism, and the existing competency and capability as a high school player [that] he’s really developed.”

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