Meet the Recruit: Malcolm Cook

Malcolm Cook is a 6 foot 1, 194 pound safety from Fork Union, by way of Richmond. Cook chose to attend this season at Fork Union due to lack of visibility at Armstrong. Cook earned an offer after a strong showing at UVA's Elite camp over the summer. Upon receiving the offer, Cook committed almost immediately. Following the camp, Cook's stock shot up, making him a 4-star according to 247 Sports. Cook is a dynamic playmaker who can hit and cover. This season at Fork Union, Cook broke the state record with 15 interceptions, including 5 picks returned for touchdowns. Additionally he also forced 7 fumbles, and registered 60 tackles. Cook is the kind of talent that you want to have at the back end of your defense, so when the coaching changes were made, there were plenty of teams ready to strike.

Cook immediately connected with Jim Reid. He felt that Coach Reid had given him a chance when other coaches had not. This made his firing earlier this offseason that much harder on him. Of all the recruits we were concerned about losing due to the coaching changes, Cook was at the top of that list. However once Cook had a chance to meet with Jon Tenuta and discuss his projected role in the defense, his commitment was reaffirmed. In a class that his heavy with DB talent, Cook has the chance to be a real game-changer at safety. Tenuta's high pressure scheme generates a lot of rushed and poor throws from opposing QBs, so having a ball hawk at safety will translate those bad throws into turnovers, something this secondary desperately needs to be able to do.

UVA Projection: Cook should get a redshirt next season. Safety is not a position of tremendous immediate need, and unlike players like Kirk Garner and Tim Harris, Cook doesn't project to cornerback. However, he should slide into the vacated free safety spot in his redshirt sophomore season to pair with hopefully Quin Blanding (fingers crossed) in what would be potentially one of the best safety tandems ever at UVA. BAM! How's that for bold?

Meet the Recruit: Sadiq Olanrewaju

First things first:  It is pronounced sah-DEEK O-lahn-ree-wah-shew.  Sadiq Olanrewaju is a large, athletic, semi-raw OL prospect.  He reeled in 3-star ratings from both 247 and Rivals, and that was based mostly on his size (6-6, 280) and potential.  He's far from refined, far from a finished product.  I stop short of calling him a project, however, because after a redshirt and a year to understudy, I think he's got the potential to be a starting left tackle, and a pretty good one.  Branden Albert 2.0, right here... but not quite as heavy, with better feet, and with better potential to protect the blind side at the college level.  He'll need to add strength, but I hope the coaching staff doesn't try to make him too big -- a fleet-footed OT can be a real weapon, both in pass pro and as a pulling blocker in the run game.  Olanrewaju will be a fun OL prospect to follow as he develops.

UVA Projection: I like his potential to compete for a spot on the two-deep by his redshirt sophomore season, 2015.  He'll work behind Jay Whitmire, Sean Karl, and Mike Mooney, and then be ready to take over a starting spot once those guys are gone.  So call Sadiq a starter as a junior and senior, hopefully with left tackle upside.

Meet the Recruit: Taquan Mizzell

Taquan Mizzell (TAY-kwan MY-zell), also known as "Smoke," should be familiar to most of our readers, as he's the most-hyped recruit of this year's class. Coming out of UVA's pipeline at Bayside High School in Virginia Beach, Smoke is a high-four or five star player, depending on the rankings, and one of the most dynamic all-purpose backs in the country. Recently he's been in the news for a harmless run-in with the CPD, but few non-Hokies would consider him anything but someone with a good head on his shoulders. Smoke pulled off a highlight reel kick return in this year's Army All American Bowl and should immediately impact the big-play ability of UVA's roster. Check his senior year highlights here:

UVA Projection: While next year's team still has plenty of talent at RB in Parks, Richardson, and Shepherd, I would be shocked if Smoke is not starting game one as a returner and factors in a big way on offense throughout the season. In fact, at the Army AA game, Mizzell practiced all week as a wide receiver, essentially because he can. He's got great speed and vision, as well as exceptional hands, so look for him to continue the UVA trend of running backs catching short passes for big gains (hello, Alvin Pearman). Slot. Backfield. Returning kicks. UVA fans and opposing teams should get used to seeing a lot of Smoke, and soon.

Meet the Recruit: Corwin Cutler

Turtle is very similar to Donta Wilkins in that he is a guy who gained considerable acclaim and "momentum" as a prospect during his senior season, after many of the recruiting services had already cast their rankings into a plaster mold.  Cutler is a 3-star quarterback (according to both 247 and Rivals) who really played like a 4.5-star recruit this fall in leading Ocean Lakes to a 14-1 record, including wins over powerhouse programs at Bayside, [Virginia Tech recruit] Bucky Hodges' Salem High, and Oscar Smith.  In fact, Turtle didn't even quarterback the lone loss, after shredding his knee late in the season.  That rehab muddies the waters a bit, but he was destined for a redshirt season anyway, so a return to full form won't be rushed.  On the field, Turtle is a lean, high-slung (6-4, 180) passer who has a very strong, accurate arm, a quick, compact release, and sees the field extremely well.  He's also a tremendous leader who did a lot of work in luring other recruits from the 757 to Virginia.  He needs to get his knee right and he needs to add some beef to his frame, but he's a kid I have no problem saying is my favorite of this recruiting class.

UVA Projection: He'll redshirt as a true freshman, then likely ride pine during his redshirt freshman season as Phillip Sims, Greyson Lambert, and/or David Watford hold down the position.  If Sims starts in 2013 and 2014, his graduation would open the door for Turtle to compete with Lambert, Watford, and also Matt Johns and Brendan Marshall for the 2015 starting gig.  I have no idea how all of this will shake out, but I will be shocked if Corwin Cutler isn't UVA's starting quarterback - and a damn good one - at some point in the future.  I'd wager on him against any other quarterback in our program right now -- his skills and leadership ability are that good.

Meet the Recruit: Tim Harris

Tim Harris is a big time shut down corner. At 6-2 173, Harris represents a long corner that is very strong at the point of attack. When paired with Reese Canady, Virginia has the potential to have two very physical shutdown corners. Harris initially projected as a safety, but given the bump and run, one-on-one style that John Tenuta likes his corners to employ, he will absolutely be a corner. In fact, Tim could very well prove to be the prototypical corner in this new defense. He will need to put on a few pounds to play more physical, but should grow into that frame and develop nicely. If you want a preview of what the Virginia CBs could look like in the near future, pop in the tape from a Seahawks game. Harris comes in at an obviously huge position of need and will most likely see some playing time right away. He will definitely crack the two deep, and could push DreQuan Hoskey for the nickel spot.

UVA Projection: Part of the secondary rotation as a true freshman. Should pair with Canady to make a dynamic combo in the next few seasons. In my opinion, he may be the best player in this class.

Meet the Recruit: Donta Wilkins

Donta Wilkins is a big ol' hoss of a run-plugging defensive tackle.  At 6-2, 305 pounds, he's already a load to deal with in the middle of the defense, and he's only going to improve with the power and endurance gained from a college-level strength and conditioning program.  Wilkins earned 4-star status from 247 and 3-star status from Rivals, but has risen so steadily up the state rankings and performed so well on the all-star circuit that many consider him to be underrated.  Most recruitniks see him as a bit of a late bloomer who seems capable of making an instant impact at the ACC level.  That's good news, because with Chris Brathwaite exiting stage left and Will Hill exhausting his eligibility, we need a freshman DT to be able to step up and immediately join Brent Urban, Justin Renfrow, and David Dean in the tackle rotation.  I'll admit, with Brath (our best DT) leaving the program abruptly, it opened up a HUGE hole at that position.  Wilkins represents the best hope to fill that hole.  It's also important to note that UNC made him a priority recruit toward the end of the recruiting cycle, so there's another coaching staff that is bullish on Wilkins' immense upside... and backside.

UVA Projection: Part of DT rotation as a true freshman, three-year starter afterward.  I think he absolutely is one of the most important recruits in this class.

Wahooze NLI Coverage

For the uninformed, "NLI" = National Letter of Intent.

This Wednesday, February 6th, is NLI Day for college football recruiting.  That means the hay will be in the barn for Virginia's 2013 recruiting class as of Wednesday.

This week, the Wahooze staff will give you 20 (maybe 21!) short posts.  Each post will spotlight one of the 2013 commits and future UVA football players.

So be sure to check the blog early and often, and learn more about our incoming class of Hoos!