Now with the 2025 recruiting cycle in its quietest period, CavsCorner will be taking a look over the next several weeks at UVa's 2025 recruiting class piece by piece, offering some insights on each player's respective recruitment and what they could potentially bring to the Cavaliers once they enroll on campus next year.
First up in our commit profiles is one of the Cavaliers latest commitments, three-star athlete Davin Chandler. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound prospect out of Berlin (MD) committed to the Hoos as a safety after developing a strong relationship with Cavaliers DB coach Curome Cox.
Cox chose the Cavaliers over Air Force, Army, Boston College, East Carolina, Kent State, Temple, Towson, and West Virginia.
Chandler is glad to have recruitment done, chasing second straight state title
"My summer has been good," Chandler said. "Just been grinding for my senior season and it feels good to have it behind me."
The Maryland standout is focusing on doing everything he can this summer in not only improving his own stock but also making sure he's putting Stephen Decatur in the best position to repeat as Maryland state champions.
Last season, the Stephen Decatur Seahawks went a perfect 14-0 including 7-0 in Bayside 3A/2A play and won the 2A State Championship. Across 14 games, their defense led by Chandler allowed just 135 points, an average of 9.6 points per game.
That being said, when it comes to improving himself, Chandler has long term goals in mind.
"I wanted to improve my body this offseason," he said. "I feel like to compete on the next level, I have to be physically stronger than I was before."
The three-star prospect also noted that the Cavaliers coaching staff has also been focused on him getting bigger and stronger.
Since his commitment, conversations with Cox have continued to be strong.
"Those conversations were good," he said. "The same way it's been when we first started talking."
In previous conversations with CavsCorner, Chandler noted that he has felt that he could talk with his future position Cox about "anything. "Every time I see Coach Cox, we don't talk about football. We talk about life. It felt like I had known the coach for a while."
What does Chandler bring to Charlottesville?
The 6-foot-2 playmaker is an exciting safety prospect. A quick look at his HUDL film and it's easy to tell that Chandler is the type of prospect that loves to be in the center of it whether it's on defense, offense, or special teams. He's a big play machine in all facets.
Of course, his abilities on defense will be the focus of this scouting report.
A STRONG PHYSICAL FOUNDATION
Overall, Chandler is in a strong spot from a physical standpoint entering his senior season.
He already has quality size for the safety position and he'll need to add another 15-20 pounds before seeing the field but he's got a strong foundation. From an athleticism standpoint, Chandler has a reported 40-yard dash time of 4.6, which while not an elite time is once again a strong starting point for the three-star prospect and one that can be improved once he arrives in Charlottesville next year.
Notably, Chandler is also quite the standout on the hardwood for Stephen Decatur as well, averaging over 14.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game during his senior season.
PASS COVERAGE
Chandler shows quite a bit of upside in pass coverage as a safety.
He shows the ability to stay with outside wide receivers well and can play both zone and man coverage at a quality level. He's able to read the quarterback's eyes at a high level and position himself well to make a play on the ball. Additionally, he shows the need instincts to read and react to plays naturally and quickly, allowing him to always have a presence around the ball. Plus, he's got ball tracking skills that allow him to make consistent plays.
RUN DEFENSE
Elsewhere, Chandler shows the ability to come down from safety and play downfield against the run at a high level, offering strong support from the third level. Once again he shows the needed instincts of anticipating the next move from a ball carrier, filling in gaps, and taking strong routes to the ball.
OVERALL
Overall, Chandler is a smart, high-football IQ safety that shows the ability to be a strong well-rounded safety for the Cavaliers in the future.
His athleticism should be able to help his transition quite a bit to the collegiate level and should be able to retain that athleticism even as he continues to add mass to his 6-foot-2 frame. He'll have the ability to develop into a potential key rotational safety or even potential multi-year starter for the Wahoos in the future.
