Recruiting Roundup: 6.24.22

UVa is still chasing a quarterback commitment in the 2023 class, and as recruitments go into the summer the options are starting to dwindle. Obviously UVa wasn’t getting Arch Manning, but even that pipe dream is now off the table. Avery Johnson looks to be focused on Kansas State, Oregon, and Washington. UVa didn’t make the final four for Brock Glenn, which is no surprise given the schools that did make the cut.

UVa could throw more offers out but right now the target appears to be three-star quarterback Anthony Colandrea, who was recently offered by the Cavaliers. This recruitment has a bit of a complication, though, as the Florida native is still committed to Middle Tennessee State. Colandrea chose MTSU back in April, and also holds offers from schools like Arkansas State, Utah State, and Hawaii, among others.

Tony Elliott and Co. were able to get Colandrea on Grounds right after his offer, and although he didn’t flip on the spot history says the Cavaliers will have a real shot to flip the three-star QB. Once players, particularly quarterbacks, get Power-5 offers, recruitments tend to shift. If UVa doesn’t close Colandrea soon, though, perhaps that’s a sign that he’s seriously considering sticking with MTSU or will at least wait to see if more offers come. And if Colandrea isn’t the guy, Virginia will need to move on and get some more offers out. But until that happens, it’s safe to say Colandrea is the player they are after at QB.

It’s camp season and with that often comes new offers. Virginia’s new coaching staff has been deliberate through the recruiting process, and isn’t throwing offers around liberally. Instead, the coaches have put a premium on doing deep dives into individual players and only offering once they have seen what they need to see, especially in person. With camp opportunities this month, the staff has had the chance to see some recruits up close and a few offers have gone out as a result.

We’ll start with a Cavalier legacy that could certainly wind up in the 2023 signing class:. Tight end TeKai Kirby, son of former UVa great Terry Kirby, picked up a UVa offer over the weekend following a solid camp performance on Grounds. Kirby, who plays at prep powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas in Miami, doesn’t appear to have any other offers, so it’s fair to wonder whether he could make the call for Virginia at some point soon. The Wahoos have struggled at times with legacy players in the past and even though Kirby isn’t necessarily the most sought-after prospect, it would be good to get another Kirby family around the program more in the years to come.

Virginia offered an in-state player following a recent camp appearance as well. Oscar Smith receiver Tory Johnson was offered by Virginia in the last week on the heels of a trip to Charlottesville. Johnson, unlike Kirby, already has a lot of interest for similar programs so while the Cavaliers are the in-state school, the Hoos might have some catching up to do now that they re-offered. Johnson also has offers from Maryland, Pitt, and West Virginia, among others, and the Chesapeake product is in Morgantown this weekend for an official visit. If UVa can get Johnson to make a return trip to Grounds, perhaps the Cavaliers can get more in the mix here.

Virginia also extended an offer to 5-foot-9 running back Noah Vaughn this week. Vaughn hails from Marysville (TN) and holds offers from Army, Navy, Tulane, Rice and many of the Ivy League schools, among others. Vaughn does not yet have a rivals rating.

UVa already has a running back in the fold, with Donte Hawthorne already committed. But giving Vaughn an offer having already secured a running back commitment should speak to how much the coaches like him as a prospect.

The Wahoos also offered defensive back Ke’Andre Walker, who quickly got up to Charlottesville for a visit. Walker holds offers from several other FBS programs, like JMU, Charlotte and Miami (Ohio), with plenty of interest.

We’ve talked a lot this cycle about putting down roots at home and the importance for the new staff to build relationships and get some wins in the Commonwealth.

It’s a work in progress, but of UVa’s five commits in the 2023 class, three are from Virginia. Hawthorne hails from Fredericksburg, Cole Surber from the northern Virginia exurbs, and Miles Greene from the always-relevant Highland Springs. It’s a good start but there’s still work to do.

Virginia lost a few key targets to UNC (Joel Starlings and Nolan McConnell chief among them) but is in the mix for a bunch of other in-state talent. How those recruitments go could determine whether the Wahoos focus on building relationships but don’t add many Virginians in the class, or if they create a bit of a ground swell in the Commonwealth with a bunch of commitments.

Safety Caleb Woodson’s recruitment is in the home stretch and UVa is certainly in the mix. The Cavaliers received an official visit from Woodson last weekend following trips to Virginia Tech and Wake Forest. If he goes into decision mode now, those three programs appear to be the choices, though a recent offer from Florida State could shake things up a bit. UVa got the last official visit of the three schools he has visited, which can prove helpful in some recruitments. This one really feels up for grabs and could be one of the first UVa/Tech showdowns on the recruiting trail since the two new staffs took over.

Virginia is also in the mix for Tappahannock native Kamren Robinson, who has plenty of interest from other schools. Last weekend was official visit weekend for Robinson, who is also being courted by Tennessee, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, and many others. This one might be a tough pull for UVa but there’s no reason not to keep pushing at this point.

Moving to the two Woodberry Forest products, starting with Rodney Lora. The New Jersey native took an official to UVa last weekend after visiting Rutgers, and it seems like the Cavaliers will be in it til the end. And based on this cryptic tweet, Lora’s recruitment might be coming to a close.

Lora had previously announced a top five of UVa, Rutgers, Michigan, UNC, and Indiana, with a decision coming in the first week of July. So UVa fans shouldn’t have to wait too much longer to see how this one goes.

Lora’s teammate, Armel Mukam, is still going through the process. Mukam recently visited UVa and before that took a trip to California. UVa is certainly in the mix but it will be worth tracking whether an offer from Stanford, that has come in the last week, is a game changer. Mukam is certainly looking at a specific type of school with UVa and Cal in the mix, and those players typically covet the Stanford offer. We’ll just have to monitor this one and see if Mukam gets out to Palo Alto.

Virginia’s recruiting class is still relatively small as July draws near. There has been a bit of hand-wringing about the size of the group, with fans wondering why there aren’t more commits in the fold. In short, it’s not time to panic just yet. Virginia had just five commits at this time last year that ultimately signed with the Cavaliers. And as we’ve discussed above, UVa is in the mix for some top targets, some of which we didn’t even get to in this update, that will be making the call soon.

The class could easily go from five to 10 or so in the weeks to come, or it could stay where it is. If the latter happens, then the staff probably needs to be a bit more aggressive with offers and look to secure some verbal commitments.

But at this point, UVa is in the hunt for a bunch of solid players that are simply going through the process, and the board is still wide open at this point.