Meet the Recruit: Zach Bradshaw

Zach Bradshaw is a 6-foot-3, 210-pound athlete from Damascus, Maryland. Virginia landed Bradshaw after he decommitted from Penn State in the wake of the sanctions handed down from the NCAA. Slotted to play linebacker, Bradshaw has tremendous speed for his position. Bradshaw projects as a solid weakside linebacker. At Damascus, Bradshaw was a stud on special teams, a task in which he should also excel at UVA. Bradshaw returned punts and kicks, as well as working at receiver and linebacker. He possess a tremendous football IQ, which will translate well at linebacker, especially when he needs to drop into coverage and blanket a slot receiver or a tight end. Bradshaw has tremendous ball skills and solid top-end speed. He will need to gain weight to play, but should become a contributor to the base defense by the end of his career.

UVA Analysis: Bradshaw needs to pack on some pounds. If he gets to 225-230 he will be a nightmare. I think he will redshirt this season, but if Coach Lewis sees something in him, he may not. I think he will be starting and a solid contributor before his career is out, and will grow into a special teams maven.

Meet the Recruit: Connor Wingo-Reeves

All you really need to know about Connor Wingo-Reeves is what 247's UVA recruiting guru Jamie Oakes said about him today: "I see Wingo-Reeves as the steal of this class because of the value he brings at a position of need."  BOOM.  The value?  Prototypical fullback size (220 pounds and still adding beef) with functional fullback speed (4.75 in the 40) and a fullback-style sense of aggression.  (Said Wingo Reeves: "I play with a lot of passion and I'm a very physical football player.  I think I use my hands well and read things well in coverage and study the game. And I just like hitting people.")  The need?  The fullback position, where all we've had so far during the Mike London era is an ensemble cast of retreads and misfits.  We got CWR to flip from an earlier commitment to Temple, and we traded off the services of 3-star cornerback Hipolito Corporan in order to land Wingo-Reeves.  (Corporan's scholarship was stripped away when he chose to visit Utah, in order to create space for CWR's commitment in this class.)  Wingo-Reeves was recruited to play linebacker and/or fullback -- I believe his offer from Navy was to play fullback in that throwback wishbone triple-option offense.  Personally, I'm just glad we can end the trend of moving jumbo-type athletes who fail at their first position to the fullback position here at UVA.  Max Milien (RB), LoVante' Battle (S), Terence Fells-Danzer (LB), Ryan Cobb (LB), and now Zach Swanson (TE) and Vincent Croce (DT) all started out at different positions at UVA, then segued to fullback mid-career.  While Wingo-Reeves also played linebacker and tight end in high school, he's coming to Virginia to play fullback, to focus on developing as a fullback.  He's a fullback, all the way.  He's just a 2-star recruit (according to both 247 and Rivals), and he's the lowest-rated recruit in our 2013 class... but I agree with Jamie in that CWR is the coup of the class.  I look forward to seeing him split blocks and blow open holes as a featured component of a Tom O'Brien-style power running game in that not-too-distant future.

UVA Projection:  I'm going to be bold with this one.  Croce is a full-time fullback since he can't keep the weight he needs in order to play defensive tackle, so with him and now CWR and a few priority walk-ons at fullback, Zach Swanson (who was always too tall to play fullback position, anyway) is free to move back to tight end, where the numbers are perilously thin.  Wingo-Reeves could redshirt this season, but with Swanson out of the way, I see CWR as a four-year starter at fullback and as a core special teams player.

CWR's commitment to this class could essentially improve two positions, including ending a bad revolving door situation at FB.  All in all, pretty good for a lowly 2-star recruit.

Meet the Recruit: Keeon Johnson

Keeon Johnson is a 6-foot-3, 200-pound receiver from Kannapolis, North Carolina. A rare blend of size and speed, the Hoos held off Miami, Notre Dame, and UNC (among others) to secure Johnson's services. With a wide frame and solid height and leaping abilities, Johnson projects as a redzone nightmare. Pairing Johnson with fellow big bodies Canaan Severin, Mario Nixon, and Jake McGee, UVA could develop into a lethal redzone offense. Showing great strength at the point of attack, Johnson will be a matchup nightmare in the slot, either manhandling a nickel corner, or blowing past a slower linebacker. He brings the size and strength that this offense really lacked at receiver outside of Severin this past season. Johnson played in the Carolina Shrine Bowl with fellow Wahoo LaChaston Smith and excelled. Johnson represents the spreading influence of the Hoos into North Carolina, an influence which is sure to increase with the additions of TOB and Jon Tenuta.

UVA Projection: The true value of having a big receiver lies in the running game, and in the redzone. I think Johnson will redshirt this season, but immediately become part of the heavy/redzone package in his redshirt freshman season. With the proper development he could become a huge, sure-handed target over the middle for years to come.

It's Signing Day!

Follow the action, HERE.

And don't forget the Signing Day Celebration at JPJ Arena this evening at 6:00 PM.  I'm going to try to make it out, but family duties may block my best efforts.  Anyway, it's a pretty fun event, free food, prizes, and it's good for the kids.


Charlottesville, Va. - Virginia head football coach Mike London and his staff will announce the Cavaliers' 2013 recruiting class at a National Signing Day celebration to be held at John Paul Jones Arena on Wednesday, Feb. 6. The event is free of charge and open to the public. Parking in the arena's main (west lot) is also complimentary.

Doors will open at 6 p.m. for the 90-minute event. Fans will have the opportunity to interact, take photos and get autographs with the coaches and members of the 2013 Cavalier football team on the arena floor for 40 minutes before the start of the program.

London and his coaching staff will then provide commentary and coaching insights about the recruiting class accompanied by highlights on the large video screens in JPJ.

All fans attending the event will receive a voucher good for a hot dog or slice of Domino's pizza and a Pepsi product courtesy of the Virginia athletics department.

Fans in attendance will also receive raffle tickets and have the opportunity to win a pair of season tickets, pairs of single-game tickets for each home game, a television from Crutchfield, a signed Virginia football helmet and other special prizes.

Roster cards featuring information on each signee, along with other promotional items, will be distributed by the Virginia cheerleaders and Cavman to fans as they enter JPJ.

The Cavalier Team Shop will also be open and feature special sale merchandise during the evening.

WINA radio (1070 AM) will broadcast its popular "Best Seat in the House" show live from the event and the Charlottesville Newsplex stations will also provide coverage of the activities.

Meet the Recruit: Andre Levrone

One of the things Mike London has done since he was named Virginia's head coach is recruit wide receivers, and lots of 'em.  E.J. Scott, Miles Gooch, Darius Jennings, Dominique Terrell, Adrian Gamble, Canaan Severin, Mario Nixon, Kyle Dockins, and Jamall Brown in the 2010-12 classes, and Zack Jones, Keeon Johnson, and Andre Levrone in 2013 adds up to a pretty nice stockpiled hoard of receivers.  Levrone is a nice prospect as a possession-type receiver with good-enough (4.57) speed, fairly good (albeit streaky) hands, and nice size (6-2, 193).  His best asset is probably his strength and physical nature at the receiver position -- a fairly unique thing to see.  He struggles with "slumps" catching the ball, like he sometimes gets a case of the dropsies for no good reason.  His prep career suffered through injury-related fits and starts, along with being overshadowed by Stefon Diggs and Kendall Fuller at Good Counsel.  Luckily, he showed enough on the camp circuit to draw scholarship offers from Auburn, Mississippi State, and USC.  Still, Levrone flew a bit below the national radar, and enters the Virginia program as a bit of a darkhorse-type recruit.  Fine by me, as he clearly has BCS conference talent, and could be a steal for the Hoos.  Expectations should be relatively low (I'd say there's a pretty good chance he ends up being "just a guy" due to his lack of top-end speed and inconsistent hands), but it's okay to allow hopes to soar with this kid -- the frame and the strength could add up to a special possession receiver at some point down the line.

UVA Projection: Levrone needs to stay healthy, develop some downfield blocking chops, and learn to run good routes and catch the ball consistently at the college level (otherwise known as natural development for an ACC-caliber flanker).  If he does those things, he could end up being one of the late-blooming gems of this recruiting class.  No doubt he'll have a chance to muddle through the crowded depth chart at receiver and find some playing time once Jennings and Terrell exhaust their eligibility after the 2014 season.  He's not an instant impact player, and I expect to see him redshirt in 2013 and struggle to crack the rotation in 2014.  But as an upperclassman, he could break out.  I see Michael McGrew / Kris Burd upside here.  Hopefully he embraces special teams work as a younger player, as that could be his quickest path to serious playing time.

Meet the Recruit: Kirk Garner

I like tall, physical cornerbacks who can run and hit.  I also like slick, speedy, athletic cornerbacks who can shut down opposing receivers in coverage.  But my favorite type of cornerbacks are the ones who work hard to hone their craft, play like real battlers on the field, and beat you with strong technique and the elimination of mistakes.  Strong, tough WORKERS.  Kirk Garner is my favorite type of cornerback.  At 5-11, 180, he doesn't wow you with his size.  Running a 4.55, he doesn't wow you with his speed.  But he wows everyone who sees him play with a tenacity and a technical know-how that is truly unique to players at his position at this age.  247 gave Garner a high 3-star rating, just on the verge of 4-star status.  Rivals liked him enough to go ahead and give him that fourth star.  For my money, he's a better cornerback recruit than Tim Harris, and that's really saying something.  (Harris is a stud.)

UVA Projection: No doubt, he should redshirt his true freshman season, but if none of the redshirt freshmen (C.J. Moore, Divante Walker, Kelvin Rainey) are ready for spots in the two-deep in 2013, my money is on Garner to beat our Harris for a crack at some playing time as a true freshman.  For his UVA career, I think Garner projects to be a solid 2- or 3-year starter, with decent NFL aspirations after his senior season.  Players like him are unique, and I'm excited to see what he can do against receivers who rely too much on their raw athleticism at the college level.  In any case, between Harris and Garner, we have done an excellent job of addressing the cornerback position in the 2013 recruiting class.

Meet the Recruit: Zack Jones

When Zack Jones committed to the Hoos last April, it probably seemed like a foregone conclusion to most fans. After all, Zack's older brother, Perry, was headed into his senior season as a star player for the Wahoos, and Zack had never been shy about how much he enjoyed his time at UVA seeing his brother excel. However, the convenient family connection shouldn't take away from the skills this younger Jones possesses, the different type of player he is, and the celebration Mike London & Co. had when they locked down this commitment. Zack is a few inches taller than his brother, runs a 4.5 second 40 yard dash, and plays wide receiver (where he projects to play for the Hoos) rather than running back. He's a solid 3-star in the ratings and is listed inside the top-25 of players in Virginia. Family connection, in-state player from a powerhouse high school program, with solid talent and potential, Jones was a must-get for London and while few expected any other result in his recruitment, we've lost this type before (I'm looking at you, previous little brother of a star running back named "Jones"). Thankfully Chip West took care of business and UVA fans have four more years of watching a speedy Jones on offense. Check some highlights here:

UVA Projection: With the current talent at wideout, plus Taquan Mizzell's ability to play in the slot, there's little need for Jones to play next year. As such, I expect him to redshirt. However, we've seen London throw out frosh skill players on special teams frequently during his tenure. Was that a case of needing a talent upgrade? A distinct strategy to help player progression? An inability to properly manage a roster? Probably moreso the first than the others...but I wouldn't be floored if Jones sees the field at some point in 2013. Hopefully he'll have a redshirt year to learn his routes and hit the gym. Look for him to be a solid contributor on offense for many years after that.