Smoke on the Water

Just let this play while you read this:

Today is the day boys and girls. Taquan "Smoke" Mizzell is set to committ at 2:30 pm today in a ceremony at Bayside High School. We've said all along that Mizzell is the most important recruit for this class for a wide variety of reasons. Let's check him out.

Talent: Smoke just got his 5th star from Rivals. High praise for anyone, and extremely rare for UVA to land a player of this caliber. The last rivals 5-star was Eugene Monroe in 2005. Mizzell brings a very unique blend of speed and power and an exceptional ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and make plays in space. Does that sound familiar? Mizzell is a stronger, quicker, and more agile version of Perry Jones, who this offense seems tailored for. The Hoos seem to have the mentality to get guys that will excel in their scheme, rather than stockpiling talent, but in this case, they seem to be doing both. There is a bit of a logjam at running back, but Mizzell has the talent to play right away.

Bayside: There is little doubt that Bayside is quickly developing into a very strong UVA pipeline. Over the last 3 recruiting cycles UVA has managed to pull the elite talent out of that school, and in looking at the quality of player that comes out of the program, that is a great haul. Henry Coley and Tra Nicholson will most likely start this season at sam linebacker and corner respectively, and young Anthony Cooper has shown great progress at practice this season. Mizzell would become the latest of the great players to come out of Bayside. However the best player to come out of there could very well be in the next class at Bayside, 2014 safety Quin Blanding.

National Prominence: These are the kind of players that help build up your program from good to great. Right now UVA is viewed as a program on the rise, but getting more and more big-time talent to buy in will help transition from a program that is building to a program that is built, and built with a solid foundation of talent. The recruiting momentum gained from getting one of the top players not only in Virginia, but in the country, will do nothing but help UVA gain a more prominent place in the minds of the next batch of recruits, especially the class of 2014.

Should everything go according to plan today this could be one of the turning points of the program. Along with Eli Harold from last season Mizzell is a player of national prominence that will grab headlines and thrust UVA into the limelight. This is a great day Wahoo fans. Sit back and enjoy it. Maybe with some Johnnie Walker Blue, right Kendall?

Reinforcements!

A quick wide-lens view of the 2012 recruiting class, which isn't likely to change between now and National Signing Day tomorrow...

Quarterbacks

Matt Johns

Greyson Lambert, 6-5 / 195, 3-star, Jesup, GA
Matt Johns, 6-5 / 200, 3-star, Warrington , PA
Lambert chose the Hoos over offers from Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Miami, and a few other big-time football schools.  Landing his golden arm was a coup for the program.  Johns (who committed before Lambert) didn't blink when we landed the surprise commitment from Lambert -- I like Johns is unafraid of long-term competition from a more highly-regarded fellow recruit.  I'm guessing that Lambert is on the trajectory to take over for Mike Rocco after Rock exhausts his eligibility in 2013, which would make Lambert the starter in 2014, 2015, and 2016... unless David Watford hangs in there and ends up starting during his senior season in 2014.  Johns seems like a career backup, but that was the plan for Matt Schaub also, and we all know how that shook out.  In any case, with this pair of incoming recruits (actually, Lambert enrolled for the spring semester this January and is already taking classes at UVA), our depth chart and succession plan at the quarterback position is finally repaired from the gross mismanagement of the late stages of the Al Groh regime.


Running Backs
Kye Morgan, 5-10 / 165, 3-star, Somerset, NJ

Kye Morgan

We pursued a number of power backs in this class - Imani Cross, Chris Mangus, and Nathan Staub namely - but came up short in those recruitments.  Morgan is a fine consolation prize, chipped from the same block of chutzpah-marbled granite as Perry Jones.  Morgan is not a between-the-tackles grinder, so that bellcow type back becomes an elevated need in the 2013 class.  However, Morgan's versatility and receiving ability should be a very good fit in Lazor's offense, so don't sleep on this kid.  He has quick feet, great cutting ability, and plus level instincts and timing.  A good running back who emerged later in the recruiting process, we're lucky to have him.  It's hard to say if he'll be more Perry Jones or Khalek Shepherd, but it's always good to have a full deck of aces in the backfield.


Wide Receivers
Canaan Severin, 6-3 / 215, 4-star, Worcester, MA
Anthony Cooper, 6-0 / 187, 3-star, Virginia Beach, VA
Mario Nixon, 6-4 / 216, 3-star, Norfolk, VA
Adrian Gamble, 6-2 / 175, 3-star, Fork Union, VA
Kyle Dockins, 6-4 / 200, 2-star, Virginia Beach, VA
Jamall Brown, 6-0 / 178, 2-star, Hampton, VA

Adrian Gamble

This year was the motherload of wide receiver recruits.  Severin is the headliner, and he's an elite-level athlete; a big receiver who is really more of a WR/TE hybrid.  The same can be said for Nixon (a basketball player turned wideout, sound familiar NFL fans?) and Dockins (an undersized tight end recruit moved to wide receiver).  It seems to me like Lazor is sort of phasing out the true prototypical "6th offensive lineman" blocking-savvy tight end in favor of more Gronk/Graham type athletes.  It's an interesting transition, and I can see how it could make our offense more explosive in the long run.  In any case, it seemed like finding a few big receivers was a priority in this class.  Mission accomplished.  We are following the trail blazed by the Alshon Jefferys and Juron Criners of the world.  Meanwhile, Cooper is a Kris Burd-type all-around receiver, Gamble is a wildcard after his prep year at FUMA, and Jamall Brown is the lightly-recruited darkhorse.  This is a big haul of receiving talent, and I'm really looking forward to seeing how these guys fit with Darius Jennings, Dominique Terrell, Miles Gooch, and E.J. Scott over the next few seasons.  The cupboard is now very well-stocked at wide receiver... I bet we're about to see a lot more 3- and 4-wide spread-like tendencies from our offense.  Lazor wants the ball in the air, and now we're getting close to having enough studs to catch it.


Tight Ends
No Recruits
Kyle Dockins was technically a tight end recruit, but the staff already told him he'll be getting his first look as a wide receiver.  Max Valles might also get a look here, but my thought is he'll end up on defense.  So this is another year where the tight end position is lightly recruited, further proof that Lazor is moving away from the prototypical TE in his base offense.


Offensive Line
Andre Miles-Redmond, 6-4 / 260, 3-star, Richmond, VA
Mike Mooney, 6-5 / 265, 3-star, Malvern, PA
Sean Karl, 6-6 / 284, 3-star, Manorville, NY
Ryan Doull, 6-3 / 305, 2-star, Fork Union, VA
Jackson Matteo (recruited walk-on / blueshirt), 6-5 / 276, 2-star, Ashburn, VA
Just like at the quarterback position, the o-line had an alarming lack of numbers after Al Groh razed the depth chart on his way out the door.  Recruiting the big uglies has definitely been a focus for Mike London, and he landed four OL recruits in the 2011 class, and now five more in 2012.  Consider the line re-stocked and the pipeline flowing again.  This year's haul is slanted a little bit toward the interior of the line, so finding legit tackle prospects could be a key to next year's recruiting class.  In any case, this is a talented, athletic group of linemen that will help the Virginia offensive line continue its solid play in the future.


Defensive Ends
Eli Harold, 6-4 / 215, 4-star, Virginia Beach, VA
Mike Moore, 6-4 / 255, 4-star, Hyattsville, MD
Courtnye Wynn, 6-6 / 240, 3-star, Norfolk, VA

Eli Harold

Any 4-3 defense worth its salt has the ability to put two good edge rushers on the field at the same time, in the two defensive end spots.  The big, run-stopping pluggers are also important, but it's the juice around the edge that really elevates this base defense into something special... and it's edge rush talent that our team has been lacking since Mike London took the reins and switched things over from Al Groh's 5-2 base... sorry... 3-4 base.  Anyway, with Cam Johnson gone and Bill Schautz working to return from a gruesome broken leg, it's important that we find some edge rush talent from our incoming freshman class.  Enter Eli Harold.  He's a little on the skinny side and will need to add some weight, but there's no way he redshirts.  Dude's the top recruit in our class, and the top recruit in the state of Virginia this year.  He's a terror around the edge, and I'm sure there's a niche role Jim Reid can carve out for a guy like that, despite his lack of beef.  Moore and Wynn are also good pass rushers, but they are more all-around talents that could play LDE, or in the case of Moore, bulk up a little and slide inside to tackle.  This is a top-notch trio of d-end recruits, and I am very excited about these guys joining the team.


Defensive Tackles
Tyrell Chavis, 6-3 / 300, 3-star, Richmond, VA
Chavis is a wide-body zero-technique or one-technique nose tackle; the type of recruit that is really hard to find.  He would have been a great fit as a nose in Groh's 5-2... er... 3-4.  Under tackles (the smaller / lighter DT in the two-DT formation) are much easier to find, and in many cases defensive ends grow up into unders (see also: Matt Conrath).  Therefore, it's less important to find those under tackles in recruiting.  But the big baby behomth nose tackles... you gotta recruit those as is, and they are rare.  Chavis moonlights along the offensive line, but he's a nose tackle recruit for us, all the way.  He's a bit unheralded, but Boston College and Vanderbilt were on him hard, and he's a well-regarded recruit in coaching circles.  Good enough for me.


Linebackers
Kwontie Moore, 6-2 / 243, 4-star, Norfolk, VA
Mark Hall, 6-4 / 225, 3-star, Virginia Beach, VA

Max Valles, 6-5 / 210, 2-star, Hammonton, NJ

Kwontie Moore

If Eli Harold is the recruit I'm most excited about in this class, Kwontie Moore is a close second.  THIS is what I wrote when he first committed, and nothing has happened in the eight months since to make me change this opinion: "Mike London is a defensive coach, and he now has his defensive centerpiece.  I don't want to overstate it, but imagine the day the Baltimore Ravens drafted Ray Lewis."  Yep, just dropped the Ray Lewis bomb.  Again.  Boom.  Meanwhile, HERE is what Mike had to say about Mark Hall, a guy who projects to be a very good player at either outside linebacker position.  Valles is a raw athlete who could end up at tight end or defensive end, but my guess is outside linebacker.  Make no mistake, he's a project who could really land anywhere on the roster once his physical development trajectory is set.  Linebacker is one of our more thin positions in terms of the overall depth chart, so I am surprised we aren't seeing more recruits at this position in this class.  That said, Moore and Hall are two big-time recruits that should solidify our defense as future starters.


Safeties
Demeitre Brim, 6-3 / 215, 3-star, Lakeland, FL

Demeitre Brim

Brim's recruitment was a bit of a roller-coaster, as he emerged from darkhorse status amid offers from Miami, Florida, and a full-court press from UCF.  He broke his jaw and missed a big chunk of action on the field, but his stock continued to rise.  It's a bit of a miracle that we were able to hang on to his commitment.  Beating Miami at Miami and then Florida State at Florida State with Brim in attendance for both games definitely helped.  Is this late bloomer a future star at safety?  Who knows.  Heck, he might not even end up at the safety position, as he's already almost too big for that spot... he could easily bulk up to linebacker (think LaRoy Reynolds.)  I'm listing him at safety here, mostly because we desperately need safeties on the roster, and partly because safety is the position Brim played in high school.


Cornerbacks
C.J. Moore, 5-10 / 165, 3-star, Buford, GA
Maurice Canady, 6-0 / 160, 3-star, Richmond, VA
Kelvin Rainey, 6-1 / 174, 3-star, Houston, TX
Divante Walker, 5-10 / 157, 2-star, Virginia Beach, VA
Wil Wahee, 5-11 / 179, 2-star, Norfolk, VA

Divante Walker

Along with wide receiver and offensive line, this is the most exciting numbers haul in the 2012 class.  This class of corners includes a bunch of athletes slotted at cornerback -- Canady, Walker, and Wahee all fit that description.  Moore and Rainey are more traditional cornerback recruits, though both saw mysteriously light pursuit from schools in their home state (GT didn't recruit Moore, and Georgia never offered; only Rice delivered an in-state offer to Rainey.).  I'll admit, this group feels a bit like "throw something against the wall to see what sticks," which I am totally fine with.  One or two of these guys (Canady, specifically) might be able to move to safety, one might land at running back, and those that don't stick on defense will at the very least be plus-level contributors on special teams.  The hope is that we find two serviceable cornerbacks from this group of five, and I think that's a lock.  Canady, Walker, and Wahee are all Virginia guys who have earned a lot of accolades as underrated prospects, so I'm excited about that.  It will be interesting to see what comes of this group of recruits as their UVA careers progress.  (Note: for some strange reason, I have a very good gut feeling about Maurice Canady.  Not sure why.  Just some of the comments I've read about him have made me feel especially optimistic.  I felt the same way about Perry Jones when he was an incoming recruit.)


Specialists
Dylan Sims (recruited walk-on / blueshirt) -- Kicker, Lynchburg, VA
James Coleman (recruited walk-on / blueshirt) -- Punter, Martinsville, VA
Hallelujah!  Two specialists, zero scholarships out of the chute.  Gone are the days when Al Groh would toss around all-important grants-in-aid to lure kicking prospects.  Gone are the days when good in-state kickers went to other schools over UVA.  Gone are the days I'll need to hate our kickers just because.  Sims has a booming leg and might handle kickoffs as a true freshman.  Coleman will compete for the starting punter job as a freshman.  Bring 'em on!

The Last (First?) Piece from North of the Border

The Football staff has been flirting with 6-3 235 Canadian Athlete Trent Corney since Mid-January and it looks like both sides are ready to pull the trigger. Sources are reporting that Corney has been extended an offer to join the Hoos next January. While this seems strange it is most likely the best solution for all parties involved.

This process is called "grey-shirting" which is a term used to designate an incoming freshman who waits until the second semester to enroll rather than the fall. College athletes are allowed a five year calendar to play four seasons. The calendar begins once one is enrolled. By waiting until the spring to start college, a player will be playing his last season in the sixth year after high school rather than the fifth. This is especially appealing to a player like Corney because his football experience has not been the best, since he is from Canada. Corney is most likely headed to Fork Union in the fall.

Corney is being mentioned as a potential linebacker or fullback, but if I had to guess I would say he is going to play fullback. Mostly due to the positional scarcity on the roster. UVA will most likely start a walk on this season.

New 2012 Targets enter the crosshairs

In case you haven't heard Greg Schiano has been hired by the Tampa Bay Bucs to be their next head coach, a move that perplexes me a little bit but that is neither here nor there. What matters most is that now there is a free for all in New Jersey, and for all the Rutgers recruits, which believe it or not are fairly numerous and high in quality. Two players in particular have grabbed our coaches attention. Let's look at them a little more closely.

Quanzell Lambert (LB) 6-2 240 Sickleville, NJ
Lambert was a player that UVA desperately wanted, but missed out on. He would make a great strongside lineback to play alongside Kwontie Moore. At 6-2 240 Lambert already fits the part, making it obvious why UVA would be so high on him. Lambert is an excellent tackler and excels in run support, which I think makes him and excellent cantidate to play on the strong side to help take some of the pressure off our smaller DE's, especially if Harold remains as slight as he is. Having a sure tackler in run support behind you makes it a little easier to rationalize having lighter DEnds in for a more aggressive pass rush. All that being said I don't think we will see Lambert jump ship. There are stories written about how Lambert is now recruiting other talent in New Jersey to come on board. That being said Virginia has the same advantages on the depth chart that Rutgers had, so it will be interesting to see if Coach London can work some magic here.

Chances we can get back in: 2/10
Chances we can land him: 1/10

Chris Muller (OL) 6-6 287 Boyertown, PA
Muller is a more likely prospect to come on board, but UVA will have to get in line here too. It'd hard to believe but scouting reports say that once this kid fills out he could be a mauler. Think a more athletic Austin Pasztor. Muller has the strength to bowl kids over and the speed to get out to the second level. UVA is in the fortunate position to not have Muller be a need to get kind of kid, but is he a want to get? Absolutely. In the 2 hours after Schiano took the Tampa Bay job Muller had 28 missed calls and 18 voicemails. Must be nice!

Chances we can get back in: 6/10
Chances we can land him: 4/10



There are some other prominent kids from New Jersey that were considering Rutgers including 2 big time stars that UVA had offered in Devin Fuller and Darius Hamilton, but both those players had eliminated the Hoos. Fuller seems now destined to Nebraska, his only other official visit, while Hamilton will most likely head to Florida, though Miami is still in the mix. It will be interesting to see how this all shakes out. I personally think all these kids will wait to see who is hired before they sign. That being siad with it so close to signing day, this could be one of the more interesting stories we've had in a while. It all is going to hinge on a few guys, I think if Lambert jumps ship, there will be a big time exodus. If he can convince Hamilton and Fuller to commit, then nothing will change. Should be fun!

Instant Dividends

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.

You know you want to...

BOOOOM!!!!!! Now what have we learned

First of all let's start with how great that game was. In what, let's face it, most of us thought was going to be a throttling by the number 12 team in the country and our arch-nemesis former head coach the Hoos played a darn near perfect game. Yes we had an extra week to prepare, yes Georgia Tech is now 5-9 when the team they are playing had a bye the week before to study their offense, yes Jacob Hodges and Jim Reid know the spread option backwards and forwards and helped studying, and YES it is helpful that most of your coaching staff worked under that three four defense. BUT. NO WAY anyone saw this coming. Not a performance like this. I thought it was going to take an offense explosion for us to win based on the inconsistency and  lack of discipline that the defense has been showing this season,  but aside from that drive to start the 3rd quarter and the one in the middle of the second where GT decided that they wanted to shove the ball down our throats the defense played a PERFECT game. Holding GT to a scoreless first quarter, first time all season, and holding them to only 296 rushing yards, also a season low, is an incredible performance, one that should not go unnoticed not just by UVA fans, but by the rest of college football. It was a great win. And I hope at least some of you got on the field. I know I sure did.

But let's get into the bigger picture of what this means for the program and what we learned:

It really doesn't matter who the Quarterback is:

This is a bold statement so bear with me. This offense is not and should not be based on Quarterback play. What we learned yesterday is that the offensive line and ground attack is more than capable of taking the football, giving it to any of our three studs in the backfield, and shoving the ball right down your throat. To quote one of my favorite sports talk guys from home and former Redskin great Doc Walker, that game at the end became a "Manhood Issue" which we certainly won. You don't think all those big boys were extra motivated by shoving the ball right down their old coaches throat? I certainly do. Watching those last 6 minutes tick off the clock as they ran a perfect drive was beautiful to watch. We have the line to do this to EVERY team we play the rest of the way. Does there need to be some semblance of a passing game to keep our opponents from putting 11 in the box every play? Of course. But does that mean we need one of these guys to blossom into Joe Montana to win. Absolutely not. Pick one, get them in a rhythm, get them confident, and get them to master the turn-around-and-hand-it-to-stud play and the season and future will be much brighter. I understand that we promised David Watford playing time. But you need to read a the situation. Because after 6 games and a lot of head scratching I am finally on board with Michael Rocco.

More of this

On a side note about the offensive line while I was working the South Lot Shuttle with fellow Wahooze reader Andrew McCampbell there was a little kid asking for autographs. Oday Aboushi not only signed the kids program but talked to him for a while and I'm pretty sure made his day.

Enough sappy stuff let's move on.

This defense, when focused, can be pretty stout:

Who saw this coming? After watching Steve Greer release Tight Ends on seam routes with no safties in sight for the last 3  games did anyone think we had the discipline to shut this offense down? I sure didn't. But man was I wrong. While I don't think this makes us elite, or even great for that matter, I do think this allows us to be confident that our defense can shut people down. I think this game demonstrates the kind of team we should be which is running and defense, as opposed to the team we have been trying to be all season. The defense looked mean and forced turnovers, including another pick from Nicholson. The horses may not all be there quite yet but this should give you confidence in the coaching.

Speaking of the horses.

I cannot explain how big this was for recruiting:

But I'll give it a shot. First off this was the biggest recruiting day of the year. By far. UTS could barely handle them all. All but 8 of the commits from the 2012 class were here. (I counted when they ran by me while they stormed the field, and yes I can recognize our recruits by their faces already, what do you do with your free time?) More importantly Nate Staub (#33 right) and Kyle Fuller, both of whom are 2 of our last remaining targets of 2012, we there and on the field too. Talk about the game to come to! Especially for those two, Staub a fullback and Fuller an offensive lineman. If that doesn't show what this program can become I don't know what will. Kwontie Moore, who is by far my favorite recruit, ran right past me screaming "More to come next year baby!" Oh my god was that great to hear. You think Greyson Lambert, who is from Georgia and might be our savior at QB, isn't excited and now even more firm in his decision? This is so huge for recruiting that it's impossible to ignore.

6-4 280 as a sophomore...

It wasn't just the 2012 kids there either. Top 2013 RB target Taquan Mizzell out of Bayside was at the game along with Ocean Lakes QB Corwin Cutler. Not to be outdone 2014 Monster DE Andrew Brown (left) from Indian River, as well as Jamil Kamara were also in attendance. This is the kind of game that with all these players at, and more importantly at TOGETHER, that builds up the program. I'll reference that Miami article I wrote and say that these are the kind of games the build up a tradition. An expectation that we all want to go to UVA to be a part of that. Coach London is building that up and wins like this can only help. Can you imagine if we can win that game on the 26th of November...

On a side note I also spotted the 2014 basketball recruiting class sitting together int he Stith brothers and Devon Hall, who came with his brother, and UVA football commit, Mark to the game.

I'll close with this photo and say that we all need to embrace the magnitude wins like this can have on this program in it's rebuilding effort as well as this season going forward. This game was not only great to watch, but very telling as far as blueprints for success going forward this season. Big win, no HUGE win, for the Hoos all around. Let's keep it up vs. NC State next weekend!

WAHOOWA BABY!

First Brick in the Wall

We're going to need to work on the
photo skills a little Ryan

Coach London continued his torrid recruiting pace by picking up his 5^th commitment on May 28^th with the addition of offensive lineman Ryan Doull. Doull is a 6-3 305 pound mammoth Guard from Kanata, Ontario, Canada by way of Fork Union. Doull will be playing this season on the Fork Union post grad team which has a reputation for turning out some great linemen for the Cavaliers. In fact two of our starting linemen, Guard Austin Pasztor and Tackle Morgan Moses, are recent products of Fork Union and Coach John Shuman. Coach Shuman raves about Doull saying that for a man his size he is extremely light on his feet. In a story on Rivals following his commitment Shuman stated that, “Ryan is so unusual because he's so athletic but he's also so strong. His size along with him being feather footed really will translate to him being a force along either line.” This lightness and footwork skills come from Doull’s experience playing lacrosse, which forced him to move and learn to play in with contact but also in space. 

While Fork Union will be playing Doull on both sides of the ball look for Coach London to make him into the next great guard pulling around the corner as the lead blocker for what should be a very potent ground game based on a big time offensive line that is being constructed this offseason. Doull was the first lineman to commit but certainly was not the last in what is shaping up to be a stellar class for the Hoos. 

Doull is currently rated a 2-star recruit on Rivals but look for that to change as he gains exposure this season at Fork Union. 

Next Up: Max Valles

Coach London Kicks Down the NCS Door

The fourth commit Coach London has added this offseason is one of the best in terms of talent and importance to the football program. At 6-2 243 Kwontie Moore is a MAN at middle linebacker that will undoubtedly relieve any remnants of a sting that Curtis Grant left Wahoo fans with when he spurned the instate Hoos for the Buckeyes of Ohio State. Moore is the prize of the NCS quartet and is the top middle linebacker in the country, and the number 6 player in the state according to Rivals. Moore chose Virginia over offers from Arkansas, Connecticut, the Naval Academy, North Carolina, Old Dominion, Oregon, Stanford, Vanderbilt, and of course Virginia Tech.

Moore not only looks the part of a strong anchor at middle linebacker but also backs it up. Moore is a beast at the point of attack overmatching virtually anyone that gets in his way. His tremendous size and strength makes him a menace on defense. He also shows tremendous leadership on his team and is undoubtedly the leader of the team and the others of the quartet. Moore brings everything Coach London would want as an extension of himself out on the field as the quarterback of the defense. You can tell Moore is an intelligent players just by looking down his list of offers. Including UVA Moore received offers from some of the top academic schools in the country. This is a nice continuing trend Coach London has developed of finding not only talented players, but intelligent ones as well. Moore also sports very quick feet for a man his size. Watching his highlight film you see a tenacious attacker who absolutely steamrolls people. You also don’t see much pass defense which is an area Moore will need to improve in. He does however play both ways at NCS and does possess some ball skills. Moore is extremely strong making open field tackles. Moore will shore up a quickly depleting linebacking corps and be a centerpiece to the future of this defense and is possibly the biggest pickup of the London era to this point.

Watch this film. It will get you very excited:

Next Up: Ryan Doull

The First Foot in the NCS Door

Coaching Staff was all smiles when
Wahee entered the fold

The third commitment UVA picked up was probably one of the most important of the offseason. On May 9^th UVA received a commitment from Will Wahee, a 5-11 179 pound athlete from Norfolk Christian School in Norfolk, Virginia. Wahee projects as either a DB or WR and is the type of versatile athlete it seems Mike London covets. Wahee has been clocked at 4.47 in the 40 and has the speed to make a solid corner or slot receiver. In looking at Wahee’s film it becomes evident the Wahee is very strong at the point of attack and is strong making open field tackles. These skills to me project Wahee as a corner when he gets to Charlottesville, especially with the commitment of Anthony Cooper and Jamall Brown who would be similar style receivers.

Wahee’s commitment however brought something in addition to a talented player to the UVA football program, and that is an opening into an extremely strong quartet of players from Norfolk Christian School. In addition to Wahee Norfolk Christian’s football team boasts DE Courtnye Wynn, WR Mario Nixon, and the prize of the class, LB Kwontie Moore. For all the recruiting Mike London and his staff can do there is no stronger recruiter than a teammate. With Wahee on board this gave Coach London a huge boost in recruiting his teammates. Managing to convince someone you grew up with and trust that your program is worthy of their talents goes a long way toward convincing them that that program is also worthy of yours. Wahee’s commitment also scored a huge win over Tech for a player from NCS and in the 757 which is always huge for UVA. With Wahee on board it shows that UVA can go into what was a Tech stronghold and come out with victories for some of the state’s top players.

Next Up: Kwontie Moore

An Intriguing Piece

The second prospect Coach London has brought on board this offseason is Demeitre Brim, a 6-3 215 pound safety from Victory Christian Academy in Lakeland Florida. Brim committed April 22^nd as a relatively unheralded 3-star prospect, with UVA being his only FBS scholarship offer. However more programs have started to take notice of late, most notably offers from Ole Miss and Wisconsin and a potential offer looming from Al Golden and Miami. Brim however has recently reaffirmed his commitment to UVA after a recent trip to the Grounds which included meeting Norfolk Christian commits Kwontie Moore and Will Wahee, who have both become major players in the UVA recruiting effort. Holding on to Brim will be turning into more of a fight than the coaching staff expected, but a fight definitely worth putting up. Brim is one of the most intriguing prospects in this class and is going to very quickly skyrocket up the recruiting charts as his high school season progresses.

               
Brim plays a hard hitting safety in high school but due to his height and frame he has the potential to move up to linebacker. I personally love big safeties but believe that the rest of the recruits for UVA will dictate the position he plays in college. Brim can pack on the pounds and play a  good weakside linebacker, but I truly think he would be best staying at safety. Players like Trey Edmunds and Ken Ekanem at linebacker and  defensive backs Kelvin Rainey and A.J. Justice are going to make that decision for Mike London. If UVA can add one more stud to this linebacking class then I think coach London can feel comfortable leaving Brim as a big, hard hitting, strong safety, which I think is the perfect position for him and could make this defense quite fearsome in the future. With a few more pounds he could grow into a LaRon Landry type safety, but with actual ball skills, who won’t get burned on double moves, every time, alright rant over.

Brim staying at strong safety fills a roster spot for the 2012 class. Once these profiles are complete, and UVA stops getting recruits every 5 seconds, Kendall and I will release a projection of the depth chart for just that class.

Next Up: Will Wahee

The First Domino

Over the next couple of weeks Wahooze is going to take a look at the prospects that the football team has gotten commitments from and the impact we think they are going to have on the program. The 2012 class is shaping up to be a doozy and already sports a good chunk of the top players in Virginia as well as a nice stable of bulls to handle the offensive line for the next 4 years. These articles are going to be in chronological order and will hopefully show how each signing has impacted the rest of the class.

                Mark Hall, a linebacker from Green Run High School in Virginia Beach was the first commitment Coach London picked up way back in February of 2011. That’s quite early and caught me a little by surprise, but is a huge get. Hall was the first domino to fall and was a good start. To pick up a kid from the 757 this early in the process was a great sign for things to come for Coach London and left Wahoo fans optimistic for the future.

                Hall, a 3-Star recruit on rivals.com, is listed at 6-2, 208 and is projected as an outside linebacker in the future. Hall picked Virginia over Delaware, Duke, Maryland, UNC, Pitt, West Virginia, and of course Tech. Hall is ranked as the number 64 outside linebacker in the country and, more importantly, the number 18 player in Virginia. Hall also excels on the basketball court and is a very fluid player in space. He also has room to pack on weight making him ideal for an outside linebacker. Hall has the ability to both rush the passer and drop into coverage. What Hall will lack in polish he will more than make up for in athleticism. I suspect he’ll be redshirted to pack on weight but if not Hall could have an impact on special teams his freshman season (I’m seeing a blocked field goal). Regardless of what happens this signing showed the rest of the state of Virginia that UVA came to play this offseason and that the students are buying into the coaching staff. While the best recruiting tool we have is wins it helps to be able to build a strong recruiting base by landing top talent in the state, and Coach London got started on that early. This is a good pickup and will help Coach London get his players for his system.