Three-star QB Rector goes in-depth on his decision to pick the Wahoos

As he wrapped up a visit on Saturday afternoon in North Carolina, three-star Leesburg (FL) quarterback Wyatt Rector knew what he had to do. It was time. He was ready to commit.

It just wasn't to the school he was currently visiting.

Not many players see their recruitments end the way Rector's did this weekend, as the Sunshine State standout finished the UNC visit and called UVa to set up an impromptu Sunday trip to Charlottesville so that he could become the second member of Virginia's 2018 recruiting class.

"It's been a pretty crazy day or so," he told CavsCorner on Sunday afternoon. "The experience at North Carolina and everything, it really helped me see how much I wanted to go to Virginia. I just didn't feel very much at home there the way I did at Virginia. So I decided to go where I wanted to go. And [visiting UVa] was better the second time than it was the first time, honestly. It's an awesome feeling."

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound signal caller, his parents, and his three brothers made the trip north this weekend with a plan that only included the visit to Chapel Hill. He may have gone in with UVa and UNC as his top two but he had no way of knowing what was ahead.

"Virginia was just much, much more welcoming and they made you feel at home," he explained. "At North Carolina, I wasn't one of their top recruits or whatever and they made me feel that. I just really loved the campus and the environment at Virginia and I knew [Saturday] that I was ready to commit."

Having been on Grounds for the first time a couple of weeks back, his decision Saturday to call QB coach Jason Beck and set up a return trip was in large part because of how successful the first visit was.

But that trip earlier this month only included his father and one of his best friends. This time, the entire family got a chance to see things up close. That was the last piece of the puzzle, Rector said.

"The second trip I just wanted to see my family's reaction to UVa and how the environment was," he said. "My mom really, really loved it. She said that, when she was talking to the coaches, she was ready [to commit] at 'hello' for her. But as they were showing us around and everything, I could see their mouths drop. And my mom was like, 'Man Wyatt, you're smart enough to get into this school' and I said, 'Yes ma'am!' "

Rector went into Sunday's time with Virginia's coaching staff hoping to feel that family vibe and what he experienced was far beyond it.

"This trip was supposed to be about visiting North Carolina for junior day and I just didn't feel the same way so I called Coach Beck and told him that we wanted to come up and show my family around and as long as they like it, I'm going to commit," he recalled. "I already had that mentality going in, that I was going there to commit. I thought about it a lot on the drive and then that night. The coaches were actually outside the building waiting for us when we got there and they gave us a big welcome, which I thought was really cool.

"And that's what I'm talking about: They made us feel like family," Rector said. "And it was on a Sunday too, meaning they all took time away from their families to meet mine. That meant a whole lot to me. That shows how much they're willing to invest in me and how much they care about me. It was pretty neat."

Rector didn't wait long to let at least one staff member on how well things were going and it wasn't Bronco Mendenhall.

"I told Coach Beck during the tour what the deal was," he added. "He pulled me aside and asked me how I thought things were going and if I had any questions and I told him that I had narrowed it down to North Carolina and Virginia and I told him that I didn't like North Carolina and that I was going to commit to Virginia because it feels like home. He was so excited but I told him not to tell Coach Mendenhall yet because I wanted to tell him in person the way he offered the full scholarship to me."

Later, as he and his family sat down with Mendenhall, Rector finally let his future head coach in on the secret.

"He was talking to my mom and my brothers about the visit," Rector said, "and he was asking then what they liked and what they thought and what their favorite parts were and then I told him, 'Coach I'm ready to be a Cavalier. I want to go ahead and commit.' And he told us a story about proposing to his wife and he talked about loyalty and commitment, which really stood out to me.

"Once I commit, I'm fully committed to that team and that's what I told him too," he added.

So what kind of player is UVa getting at quarterback in 2018?

"I would describe my game as being a dual-threat for sure," he said. "I feel comfortable running and passing. A lot of people think you're just a running quarterback but that's not it at all. What you are is sitting in the pocket and throwing the ball but if you're getting rushed or if you need to pick up yards on the ground, you can do that too. That's who I've always been and who I am."

It's been a wild ride for Rector over the last year. But now, with his commitment out of the way, he couldn't be in a better situation.

"I'm truly blessed," he said. "I just feel so fortunate right now. The emotions are mixed, to be honest. On the one hand I'm super excited to know where I'm going and to have my decision made and to be going to a great university with a chance to play early if I work hard. At the same time, I am really, really relieved. No more visits or camps or worrying. No more wasting money on camps or trips that aren't necessary. I know where I'm going.

"Overall I'm just really excited," Rector added. "I'm excited to get the process started. I'm ready to do what I can to help change the program around and win games and show other teams that didn't offer me that they made a mistake, a real mistake. They're going to know when they go up against me. I'm going to do my best to kick their butts for sure."

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