Three-star WR Wicks saw himself fitting right in with the Cavaliers
Charlottesville might not be right down the road from his home in Louisiana and it might have been colder than he's used to. But there's no doubt that Plaquemine (LA) playmaker Dontayvion Wicks felt right at home on his official visit last weekend.
And that's why the 6-foot-2, 202-pound receiver decided it was the right time to end his recruitment and commit to the Wahoos ahead of signing with them on Wednesday.
"I started hearing from them in November I think," he told CavsCorner. "Might've been late November I think. During the season. So, pretty recently I guess."
UVa, he said, happened to come across his highlights and knew right away that he was someone they wanted to touch base with. Things moved quickly from there.
"I was expecting it to be chill and I wasn't expecting it to be like it was," he said. "I really enjoyed the whole trip. We were busy and we saw a lot, did a lot."
Wicks said he had a great time seeing Scott Stadium and touring the facilities as well as trying on the jerseys. He specifically remembers that Saturday morning how welcoming the coaches were and how much it meant to him to feel comfortable so fast.
"They just make you feel so welcome," he said. "That was real cool. They showed us a lot of love."
On the trip north with his mother and sister, Wicks not only connected with the staff and the school but he also connected with the players. His host for his official visit was Olamide Zaccheaus and, Wicks joked, you'd have never known his status by the way he acts.
"He's just such a cool dude, man," Wicks said of Zaccheaus. "He talked to me a lot about the brotherhood that's there and that it's unmatchable. They got a lot of trust going on there and he said the first thing you need to build up is trust with the coaches. Once they trust you, you can do anything."
That Zaccheaus is UVa's all-time leading receiver was something Wicks admits he would never have known if he hadn't asked the All-ACC receiver himself.
"At first I didn't even know that, man," Wicks said with a laugh. "Like, I knew about him. I knew about him before because I had watched their games. The first dinner, I was sitting there with him and then I went to the hotel thinking like, 'I don't know where No. 4 is at.' Then I looked up the roster and it was him. I was like, 'Dang.' He's a silent killer, man."
UVa's coaches made Wicks feel very comfortable with how he'd fit into things once he arrives next year.
"It's a nice offense and they throw the ball a lot," he said. "They want me to be a big receiver outside at the X. They want me to go up and get the ball and that's cool with me."
An interesting wrinkle was that, according to Wicks, the coaches broke out film of Washington State wideout Davontavean Martin, a 6-foot-3, 185-pound sophomore from Louisiana who the staff had recruited previously.
"They told me about a dude that went to Washington State," he said. "His nickname was Tay too. I thought that was real cool."
So when did he start to get a feeling like he might want to commit?
"Later on that Saturday," he said. "After dinner that night, after we came from the basketball stadium. I knew that night but I didn't tell anybody really until the next morning and I told them at breakfast. They were really excited and so was I."
Neither the distance or the cold seemed to bother Wicks at all.
"I know for sure I'm going to get homesick but my momma really wants me to get out of Louisiana and I really wanted to leave Louisiana too. So it won't be too much of a problem. And I'm not real worried about the cold. I'll have to adapt to it, get used to it, but it'll be fine."
All told, being done with the recruiting process is a huge weight off his shoulders.
"It's really nice," Wicks said. "At first, I had to worry about a lot and now I can get back to focusing on basketball and school work since my decision is done. That's real nice. I was ready to get it over with for sure."
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