On Wednesday, the Virginia Cavaliers picked up an early signing day commitment from talented Georgia defensive end Evan Ward.

The linebacker / edge rusher was originally committed to South Florida but backed off that commitment earlier in November. On Wednesday, after considering uVA, Cincinnati, and USF, Ward chose to continue his academic and athletic career with the 'Hoos. He also held offers from Buffalo, Cincinnati, East Carolina, Georgia State, and Western Kentucky.

His decision comes just a little less than two weeks after taking an official visit to The Grounds. It was a visit that all but essentially locked up his recruitment.

"It was really good, they treated me just not as a recruit but as part of the family," Ward told Cavs Corner. "The culture and how they treat each other. I felt like a part of a family when I was there," reiterated. The 6-foot-5, 219-pound pass rusher was also impressed by the academic side of UVa.

During his recruitment and visit, Ward developed a strong relationship with Cavaliers defensive end coach Chris Slade.

"The main conversations were really just the value had and how large of a piece of the puzzle I am for the program and their defense," Ward said.

He also got to spend time on that visit with head Coach Tony Elliott.

"Coach said they were lacking speed to get to the quarterback and I'm a really good fit," he said. He also was able to spend time with a handful of his future teammates while on the trip, "I made a good connection with the players and I would fit in pretty good with the team," he noted.

Now, officially a Cavalier, Ward will begin preparing for the next stage of his football career in Charlottesville.