Jonathan Pennix got to meet the new Virginia coaches during a January visit. On Wednesday, he got to see that new staff at work.
The 2023 three-star cornerback from Appomattox County was back in Charlottesville for another visit Wednesday morning that included a chance to watch spring practice at Scott Stadium. As Pennix watched, he was reminded of the message that new UVa head coach Tony Elliott and his assistants delivered at that Junior Day a few months ago.
“They are what they said they were,” Pennix told CavsCorner following this week’s visit. “They have high expectations for their team.”
Pennix originally picked up a UVa offer last December, revealing the news on Twitter just a few hours before Elliott was announced as the Wahoos’ new coach. That initial offer was extended by UVa director of high school relations Blanda Wolfe and then-director of player personnel Justin Anderson, now in that same position at East Carolina.
Pennix was one of the players invited to Elliott’s first Junior Day on January 15th. UVa offensive line coach Garett Tujague, one of the holdovers from former head coach Bronco Mendenhall’s staff and now the Wahoos’ recruiting coordinator as well, re-offered Pennix during a trip to Appomattox a few days after the cornerback was in Charlottesville.
New defensive backs coach Curome Cox had not yet joined Elliott’s staff when Pennix was in town in January. He had been looking forward to a one-on-one meeting with Cox on Wednesday, but that had to be postponed when Pennix had something come up that forced him to head home early. He’ll “definitely be back” to meet with Cox another time, Pennix said.
For Pennix, what jumped out most from the sideline at Scott Stadium on Wednesday was Elliott’s hands-on approach to practice.
“To be honest, he brings the most energy,” he said, “and I love it. I definitely see a difference about this football than the past.”
At Appomattox, Pennix played on state title teams as both a freshman and sophomore before the Raiders’ bid for a third straight ended in last year’s Class 2 state semifinals. He was named first-team all-state at both running back and defensive back by the VHSL as a junior. The 6-foot, 175-pound Pennix describes himself as a “greedy corner.”
“I like to get the ball in my hands,” he explained. “I take pride on my team to follow the other teams best receiver. I have that mindset that I can take away half the field.”
Pennix has continued to pick up offers since adding Virginia to the list last winter. Akron became school No. 10 to offer last week. Almost half of those schools—Boston College, Pittsburgh, Louisville and UVa—come from the ACC. West Virginia is the fifth Power 5 school on the cornerback’s list.
Boston College was the first to offer, during Appomattox’s state title run last April (a result of the COVID-19 altered schedule of Pennix’s sophomore season). The Eagles remain the program recruiting him hardest, Pennix said on Wednesday. Penn State is also putting in work, though they haven’t offered. Pennix will be in Happy Valley on Friday.
He’s also made a few trips to Virginia Tech in recent months to get acquainted with new head coach Brent Pry and his staff, though the Hokies have yet to offer either. Pennix says his plan is to commit prior to the start of his senior season at Appomattox. As he visits different schools and talks to various coaches, Pennix has been able to shape what he’s looking for at the next level.
"At schools I’ve been to, I’ve seen that they want to make you the best man you can be,” he explained. “Second it’s getting that education. Then football. So those three things is what it’s all about.”
