Recapping a unique Signing Day at UVa
Bronco Mendenhall’s final recruiting class at Virginia consisted of nine high school seniors and a transfer from Wisconsin.
Mendenhall’s decision to step down following UVa’s Fenway Bowl matchup against SMU on December 29th launched the Cavaliers’ 2022 class into upheaval. Including 2020 signee Andrew Gentry, a four-star offensive lineman who flipped to Michigan last week while completing his two-year LDS mission, Virginia has lost eight players previously committed to play in Charlottesville since Mendenhall made that announcement a day shy of two weeks ago.
As expected, four-star offensive lineman Brody Meadows flipped to Virginia Tech on Signing Day. Defensive lineman Keyshawn Burgos, who decommitted on Monday, also signed with the Hokies. Safety Will Hardy signed with North Carolina after flipping to the Tar Heels this week. Brothers Dominique and Marcus McKenzie both signed with BYU, while offensive lineman Joe Brown remained committed to the Cougars. Defensive lineman AJ Holmes is still fielding offers after being the first to decommit, just minutes after Mendenhall announced he’d be stepping down.
That left 10 recruits still committed to UVa following the hire of Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott as head coach. Elliott spoke with those commits on Zoom on Sunday, and got comprehensive evaluations on each from Mendenhall. In a video Q and A released by UVa on Wednesday, Mendenhall called the players who signed with the school “amazing people.”
“In today’s age of uncertainty and of transfer and of commitment or non-commitment, these young men and their families are, I think, exemplary,” the outgoing coach said, “and I’m so thankful for their commitment. I love their ability. They’re aligned with the University of Virginia in terms of the values, but also the ability to help the program move forward in a very unique transition time. They’ve provided a really nice sense of stability amongst really unique circumstances.”
Since Elliott was hired last Friday, Mendenhall has handed the reins of roster management to his successor. The second Signing Day for the 2022 recruiting class is February 2nd. That will be Elliott’s first opportunity to begin adding his targeted players to the program.
“Tomorrow is going to be a different day,” the Cavaliers’ new coach said in his own school-released Q and A, “because we're going to have to step back and see the numbers, positionally. And I know there's some guys right now that are kind of making decisions on whether they're going to stay or whether they're going to transfer out.
“So definitely we got to make sure that we protect the program by having the right number of scholarship players at each position to have the appropriate depth to be able to go out and prepare for the season,” Elliott added. “I don't know what that combination will be. Obviously, now it's kind of my vision going forward. So it's going to be fun to kind of piece those two together.
Since Mendenhall and his staff recruited the players who signed with UVa on Wednesday, he was the coach to provide scouting reports on those new additions. His thoughts:
On QBs Davis Lane and Delaney Crawford:
Unique skill sets. Davis Lane, wow did we vet him and work him and test him in every possible way. So besides his game film, and he came to camp. Then there was all kinds of drills we put him through, and he kept answering the challenge and answering the test and answering the challenge, and his mobility, his speed, his arm strength, his accuracy and his leadership. We couldn’t turned him upside down and shook him any more to see what kind of fit he would be, and Coach Beck ultimately just said, He has to be at UVA and he has a very bright future, based on all the quarterbacks that we’ve trained. All three here have been very, very good, and we think he has a chance to be another one of those with his own unique skills, and we love who he is and as a student. A lot of great things about him.
Delaney Crawford is electric. 10.5 100 meters, a dynamic athlete, more of the Bryce Perkins type of quarterback, where if he does pull it and run, watch out. Just his ability to extend plays, to make plays and to score and go the entire distance. Again, with an amazing grade-point average and amazing family, great values. We like the dynamic ability with the personal characteristics and see a huge upside for him.
On LB Stevie Bracey, a high school teammate of current UVa linebacker Nick Jackson:
Production, production, production, and the school is something we would call a profile school. He and Nick Jackson, if they’re lined up side by side, they’ll look like brothers or twins, and how they play, how they tackle, their command presence, their leadership, but their leadership for UVA as well: wow, amazing people. Stevie fits UVA in every regard and he’s a really, really good football. I love his presence, I love his durability, I love his physicality, I love his production, as I’ve already mentioned, but I also love his preparation. And from that school in having Nick Jackson, we already know what that’s going to look like, and this is the next version of that.
On WR/KR Devin Chandler, a Wisconsin transfer who almost picked UVa coming out of high school:
I still remember Devin on his visit as a high school player, and coach Hagans and I sitting with him. And it was basically down to us and Wisconsin and he ultimately chose Wisconsin, and I thought at that time he would be a better fit with us. And so when he became available, it was an easy choice. Exceptional wide receiver. Fast, athletic, dynamic, very good hands and great after the catch, and we need a returner as well. And so Devin is a skilled returner, also, with three years of eligibility. Really addresses a need, but also addresses it with a level of competency that is really growth0oriented for him and us. And coach Hagans, again, has built a great relationship with Devin. He knows that this is the place for him. Really excited, as any receiver would be, the chances of Brennan coming back, and already knows not only the system we were in, but is excited about the system coach Elliot will bring. And so a lot of upside and a lot of potential there.
On running back Xavier Brown, the Gatorade State Player of the Year in Kentucky, and whether he’s comparable to any backs on the current roster:
I'm not sure comparable, but he plays football. And so Keytaon is a football player; Xavier is very good out of the backfield. He can line up in the slot and catch the football. He tells me he can throw. But he does a lot of things. He's very versatile. And I like players that are versatile and productive and capable to contribute in multiple ways, and that's what he is. And again, a really good student, an amazing person and pretty high honor, when you look at what his peers and the coaches and others think of him. And lights up the room when he comes in and just a joy to be around.
On LB Trey McDonald and TE Karson Gay, two Chattanooga natives coming in together:
I'm not sure if that influenced them coming, but a fun relationship to see develop. Trey McDonald, a great lacrosse player also. Just everything about him. Any kind of helmet he could wear to play a sport, he’s going to put on that helmet. He loves contact. When he came on his official visit, there’s gainers off the side of the pool, and he's just wired to play football. And so how and who he is, is exactly the ype of player like the coach on defense. It’s all gas and no brakes, which is really fun. At an amazing school that’s so challenging. And he's got this kind of split personality happening of aggression and then academic modeling which is unreal.
And then Karson. Wow. Somewhere between a flex Y and a tight end. So length and size and speed and ability to be a great receiver, and athleticism in so many ways. Not the same size as Jelani, and not the same elusiveness or maybe versatility as KT, but somewhere in between that. And we've coached players like him throughout our career as a staff and wow, they've been successful. So huge, huge upside, especially in the receiving game for him.
On 6-foot-5 WR Dakota Twitty:
Well as a football player, as you've already mentioned, size, but very good hands. I think exceptional production. But we like big targets at wideout and we like capable players and we like physical players. And we think that's the next step as for growth in our offense, but also for college football. Those matchups are hard. And as a defensive coach, we know they're hard and so we're presenting and attracting as many players as possible for that to happen.
On the upside of Sean Wilson, another 6-foot-5 receiver:
I don't know where it is, other than it's beyond what I could think. So we don't put a limit on it, but it's it's off the chart. Another very big, physical, active, fast, talented football player that's a great person. And so when you consider the chance of maybe Lavel and Dakota, and goes by JR, being on the field all at the same time, in addition to right Dontayvion as well as Devin, there starts to be a pretty powerful combination from quarterback to those players. And again, a lot of that, I would say a lot of the credit should go to coach Hagans for identifying and attracting and building that room.
On the accolades earned by kicker Will Bettridge:
I don't think you could have more. So every every game or thing that you could be invited to, or every award you could get, he has. And points matter. Wow, was I proud of Brendan Farrell this year and what he did for our program. This now becomes someone targeted early on that has a great chance, again, to fit perfectly at UVA, and have elite production at a position that adds points, and points determines outcome. So proud of Will but also just really excited for what he's going to bring.
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