Quin's Essential

In case you missed it on Wednesday, the Hoos reeled in consensus 5-star free safety prospect Quin Blanding from Bayside high school in Virginia Beach.  If this is news to you, you really should read more about it -- HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.

Say hello to "Pretty Ricky"

Saying Blanding is a 5-star doesn't even begin to tell the tale.  He's not only the #1 safety recruit in the nation, he's also the #4 recruit overall according to Rivals (#7 overall according to 247) and the #2 recruit in the state of Virginia.  Some analysts have joked that if the recruiting services gave out 6th stars, Quin Blanding would get one.

So he's a great player -- a free safety all the way, a guy who runs like a deer and hits like a truck, who is smart on and off the field, ca cover from sideline to sideline and boundary to boundary, has the proverbial 6th sense when it comes to taking proper angles from the safety position, has the clichéd "high football IQ," has outstanding ball skills, has a great attitude and work ethic, is a grinder, instinctive, has legit NFL potential, and is a charismatic leader.

And it's that charismatic leadership that makes Quin so essential.  Because not only are we getting a great player - probably the best safety prospect we've had since Anthony Poindexter, and it might not even be close - he's also one of those "first domino" types of recruits who has a ton of friends who happen to be very talented football players, guys who Blanding will work hard to help recruit to UVA.  Those very talented friends include:

• 5-star defensive tackle Andrew Brown
• 4-star wide receiver Jamil Kamara
• 4-star defensive end Jalyn Holmes
• 4-star offensive lineman Steven Moss
• 4-star defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi

It's not a stretch to think that Blanding could help reel in four of these five recruits, giving Virginia its best recruiting class in a over a decade, and setting the stage for UVA to ascend to the top of the ACC and to a position of national relevance.

So celebrate this commitment, because it's a pretty big deal.

Yep, that's right.  Number 3.  I have little doubt Pretty Ricky will be able to live up to the legacy of Dex.  Incredible to be able to say that, isn't it?