Three-star ATH Cobbs goes in-depth on his recent visit to Virginia

Making the trip down to UVa is something Brian Cobbs has done several times now. His most recent trip this past weekend was another step in an important process, one that could end up with him being there for the next four years.

And the three-star athlete from Alexandria is excited about what came out of the time he spent on Grounds.

"I didn't really have too many questions going in to be honest," he told CavsCorner this weekend. "I did get to see the football locker room, which I hadn't been able to see before. The locker room near the practice field, I had seen that this summer but this time I got to see the locker room under the stadium so that was really cool.

"I got to try on the jerseys and check out the gear, which is always fun," Cobbs added. "I also talked to the equipment guy that was there. I asked him a couple of questions about the gear available to the skill position guys and he explained to me how different position groups wear different equipment and he also talked to me about safety. With different weights, they want to have different players wear different cleats, that kind of thing. I thought that was really interesting and it was cool how he explained stuff to me."

With six offers in—first from Old Dominion and then UVa followed by NC State, Temple, Wake Forest, and Yale—Cobbs feels like he's had a solid start to his recruitment. So far, the 6-foot-3, 195 pounder is hearing primarily wide receiver from the schools recruiting him.

"Mostly it's all wideout," he said. "Coming in, like during my sophomore year, it was more 'athlete' because that's when I played more defense. Back then, it was more 50-50 but now, I'm playing mostly all offense. After this season, my whole highlight tape is basically all offense and that's what the schools have been recruiting me for so far."

UVa's coaches, the Hayfield standout said, have explained to him how they would use him all over the field, using his versatility and lining him up wherever matchups dictate.

"With my skillset, they think they could really move me around and use me all over the place so if I was to go there, that would be really cool using those mistmatches and things," he said.

Cobbs has plenty of example as to how Marques Hagans, who coaches Virginia's wideouts, has already built a solid relationship with him.

"He's a great recruiter, great coach, and an even better person," Cobbs said of Hagans. "I mean, besides the football aspect of everything and the recruiting stuff, he really takes the time to get to know his players. He'll text me just to check in and ask how the day is going and I feel like that's something that's very important to me. When we went for the visit, him and the whole offensive staff met with me and my dad and they were just telling us how UVa is family-oriented team. They believe in family first, family last, family always. And when we got to position meetings, we barely talked football until the end.

He really talked to us about how to present yourself as a man coming into the world and things like that.

"He just really cares about developing his players as people," Cobbs added. "With his background having played in the NFL and then coaching a lot of great guys, I just feel like I would really get along with him if I were to go to UVa."

Much of Cobbs' experience with Hagans has mirrored his time getting to know Bronco Mendenhall as well.

"They both take similar approaches, honestly," Cobbs said. "He's always checking in on me, making sure things are okay with me. He's always letting me know that he wants me on his team and he's someone who only recruits players he likes. He recruits good players who are also good people. If he doesn't like you as a person, he doesn't want you on his team. I really like him a whole lot."

Being inside John Paul Jones Arena for UVa's final game of the basketball season also stood out about the visit.

"It's great to see the fanbase and how they support their team," he said. "With the basketball team, they've turned it around and now they win a lot and you see how engaged those fans are and how excited they are and how important they are to the team. I feel like if I do happen to go to UVa to play football and we help do the same thing there, those fans will be the same way for football. It really kind of humbles you, knowing you have the chance to do something great like that and doing it for your hometown."

In addition to hearing from Liberty, Cobbs said that he's been talking to coaches from North Carolina, who have asked him to send his transcripts, and Maryland, which he said has continued to recruit him despite tight numbers in their class.

"With the offers I have, I kind of have my top ones set up and I'd say that even though I'm fairly open right now, I'll probably end the recruiting process toward the end of the summer or early in my senior season and that's also depending on what happens with offers and things this summer," Cobbs said. "The farthest I'll go is probably the middle of my senior year honestly."

So what is he looking for in a potential home?

"One, first and foremost, the education so that once I graduate, any business or company will be very happy to hire me," he said. "Two, a campus that I feel good with outside of football, a place where I fit in and feel like I'm not going to get into any trouble. And third, I want a great program with great coaches with great players surrounding me. I want to find a place that can set me up to possibly play in the NFL."

Once his team ended its basketball season, Cobbs said he began to focus on the football offseason. For him this spring and summer, that will mean working on his leg and core strength.

"I think coaches want to see me accelerate past people more," he said. "Last year, I had a lot of big plays but there were definitely times when I could have just blown by people. So if I had the leg strength and core strength, I would've done more of that."