Gatorade's 2016 Player of the Year in Virginia, Atkins is ready for UVa

Just a day before he was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in his home state, three-star Lake Braddock running back Lamont Atkins was already looking ahead. Just a few weeks before enrolling early at UVa, the Burke native is doing all he can to prepare.

"This is an amazing honor," he told CavsCorner, "and I'm thankful for everyone that has supported me in this past year."

Atkins, a 5-foot-11, 200-pound back, was a force of nature during his senior season. He ran for 1,905 yards on just 157 carries while scoring 33 total touchdowns. It was a successful seasons despite his team's run come up short of a state title.

"We ran the ball real well this year and our defense played really well," Atkins explained. "Our passing game was really strong, too. It was a great season and I'm sorry that it ended just short of a title. As a team, we achieved most of our goals and I'm proud of the year we had.

"I didn't think I would get that high honestly," he added. "But my coach told me to always be ready to go and that we were going to run the ball a lot. He told me I'd be the one carrying the ball a lot and that I would have to work as hard as possible for us to win. He wanted me get like five yards a clip and I ended up getting like 12 per carry."

There's no doubt that he is one of Virginia's most important commitments, one of several who will enroll early along with fellow three-star running back Jamari Peacock.

Atkins believes that the bond his fellow commits in 2017 share is extremely important but it's also a function of the types of recruits Bronco Mendenhall is bringing in.

"We've grown real, real close over the last couple of months," Atkins explained. "It's really Coach Mendenhall's fault because he recruited such a great group of guys and we get along so well. We just bonded really easily because we're very similar kids. We have the same mindsets. Our group chat is a perfect example of that."

The connection between Atkins' family and UVa's coaches was pretty immediate. It was proof right away that he needed to give the Cavaliers a very long look.

"Really, when they first came to me and I saw a coaching staff that gave me this feeling," Atkins recalled. "It was like a family feeling. You could tell they really want you to succeed on and off the field. They're going to make you work. But they're also going to bring the best of you. That's what I thought when they first reached out and throughout this whole process, they were true to their colors. They've been the same people throughout the whole thing, even after I signed my paperwork and was coming there for sure."

Even though he's starting his UVa experience before the vast majority of his fellow 2017 commits, Atkins has already found a kindred spirit in Virginia legacy and three-star cornerback Germane Crowell, who is also headed for Charlottesville next month.

"I have my roommate already, Germane Crowell from North Carolina," Atkins said. "Me and him have gotten real close. We've been talking a lot. We were on our official visits at the same time back in October and our families got to know each other real well. Our whole families have grown close and we've been talking a lot these last couple of months. We're both ready to get up there, for sure.

"When we met each other that morning at breakfast on the official visit, we bonded right then," he added. "We have a lot of the same ways of thinking about things, the same goals, same work ethics. Our families sat down next to each other and it was great from the start."

Along with Peacock and three-star Millbrook standout P.K. Kier, Atkins is a part of one of the deepest groups of running back commits in recent UVa history. He and the other two backs are well aware of what's ahead of them.

"We've talked a lot and we think having such a great running back class is a great thing," he said, "and it's going to encourage us to work even harder because we're going to push each other. That's going to make us better players all around."

So, with a month left until he heads to Charlottesville, how's he feeling?

"I'm feeling a little bit of everything really," Atkins said. "I'm ready for the football aspect. The school aspect will be a different look, for sure. But I know the academic staff and support, I'll be able to adjust quickly."

And any advice from the current players on how to get ready for the offseason conditioning work he'll start shortly after his arrival?

"I've talked to the players about it," he said with a laugh. "And they said the only thing I should do is run. Don't worry about lifting. Just run. So I've been running every day and I hope I'm ready when I get there. Or ready-ish."