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We all knew getting a bid to as big a bowl game as the Peach Bowl was going to pay huge dividends in recruiting, but I’m not sure we expected it to pay off this quickly. According to multiple reports Gainesville, GA running back and former UVA target Imani Cross has decommitted from Tennessee, and listed 4 schools as possible new destinations. Those schools are Wisconsin, Vanderbilt, North Carolina and Virginia. It’s interesting that Cross has completely backed off of Tennessee, which speaks volumes about how much a winning program affects the recruitment of these players. Of the 4 competing for Cross’s services I would rank the Hoos at the top of the list based on how close we were at the beginning, but this could be the first of many dogfights we get into with James Franklin and the Vanderbilt Commodores. (On a side note how stupid does Maryland feel right now?)

The Hoos have a running back already committed for 2012 in Kye Morgan, a 5-10 165 pound speed back from Somerset, New Jersey. So why would the Hoos be looking to add another back to this already packed recruiting class? Because of the kind of back Cross is.  At 6-0 222 pounds Cross is a bruiser. A good compliment to the shifty speed of Morgan, and a definite need for the Cavaliers in the future, Cross could be seen as an eventual replacement to current change up power back Kevin Parks. Cross becomes even more important with the hiring of Urban Meyer at Ohio State, which makes it very likely that the top power back in Virginia for 2013 Derrick Green from Hermitage in Richmond will follow teammate Curtis Grant to Columbus as the next national level player that leaves the state.

The biggest thing the Hoos have going for them right now is the location of the Bowl Game. In all likelihood this will be the only game Cross can attend, and Coach London would most likely roll out the red carpet for him. It also helps that Eli Harold, top recruit and from all reports top recruiter, will be attending the game. It has been documented this season how close this recruiting class is with one another already, and how big a factor that is with recruits when they come visit. If UVA can swing a big recruit turnout, looking at you Greyson Lambert and C.J. Moore, that atmosphere could travel down to the game with them. If you’ve read my article comparing Randy Shannon and Mike London you know how important it was for the success of the Miami recruiting tree to develop this sense of community and how much of an effect it has on recruiting, and it looks like Coach London is fostering that sense very well.

The question then becomes can we land Cross after this game, as well as will C.J. Moore be bringing Nathan Staub who I am still convinced can be turned. We shall see what happens, but the results can already be seen.

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