Three-star WR Dakota Twitty felt comfortable with a final group of four schools because he felt like they all offered something similar. On Wednesday, he finally made public the decision he passed along to UVa’s coaches last week.
He’s going to be Wahoo.
The 6-foot-5 receiver committed to the Cavaliers over Georgia Tech, NC State, and Yale, becoming the fifth member of Virginia’s 2022 class.
He told CavsCorner on Monday night that the reasoning for picking the Hoos was simple, especially when it came to receivers coach Marques Hagans and the program that Bronco Mendenhall has built in Charlottesville.
“I’d say that kind of after everything,” he explained, “it was really the connection I have with Coach Hagans and how I feel that Coach Mendenhall and that whole system benefits me.”
Over the course of his recruitment, Hagans and the Cavaliers made it clear to Twitty that he would fit the system well. He believes he’ll line up in a variety of spots once he arrives on Grounds next summer.
“That’s what I pride myself on being able to play,” he said simply. “Everywhere.”
As far as a comparison, the one UVa made really resonated with the Mooresboro (NC) Thomas Jefferson Academy standout.
“They kind of compared me to Lavel Davis,” Twitty explained. “I like to be able to run all of the routes on the route tree. That’s big to me, really being able to play anywhere on the field. Just because I’m a big guy, I want to still be able to play any of the spots. On my film, I want to showcase how I can move like a smaller guy can move. So you can put me in the slot or you can put me outside and I’ll win one-on-one matchups. But if you need me to route up a guy, I can. And run after catch, too, I’d say that’s what I put on my film this year.
“My freshman and sophomore years,” he added, “folks kind of saw my ability to go up and get the ball. But what I wanted to do was to not be labeled as just that red-zone receiver or just that X receiver. So I wanted to be able to showcase screens and my run after catch.”
So how did he break the news to the Wahoos?
“I got on a Zoom with my parents, Coach Mendenhall, and Coach Hagans,” he recalled. “I told Coach that I wanted to talk about something and he was like ‘what’s it about?’ and I said ‘Coach, I just want to talk about something.’ And he was like, ‘Good news or bad news?’ And I said, ‘Yeah it’s definitely bad news’ and then I was like ‘Nah, I’m just playing’ and then we talked it out. It was really good.”
With his decision made, what’s his message to UVa fans about what the Hoos are going to get from him?
“I’m giving them the hardest worker there could possibly be out there,” Twitty said. “My plan is to make a difference and help them go win a national championship.”
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