David Watford Picks UVA
Chalk another one up for the home team.
David Watford of Hampton High School has verbally committed to the Virginia Cavaliers. Watford (6-2 185) becomes the 20th player to commit to Coach Mike London and the Cavaliers in this recruiting class, and he becomes the first quarterback in Virginia’s 2011 class.
Coach London has aggressively recruited the state since his arrival in the off season. Of the 20 players verbally committed to Virginia, twelve of them are in-state recruits and six of them are 757 area players. Watford joins David Dean (Green Run), Caleb Taylor (Phoebus), Ross Burbank (Cox), Kameron Mack (I.C. Norcom) and Clifton Richardson (Menchville). Richardson’s commitment to Virginia has been debated, but as of now he’s penciled in as a Cavalier next season. National Signing Day is February 2, 2011. That’s the first day that recruits and colleges can official cement scholarship agreements with a signed letter of intent.
Watford’s commitment to Virginia is unique or unusual for several reasons. Firstly, Virginia already has six quarterbacks on it’s roster including four quarterbacks from the 2010 recruiting class. This year’s starter, Marc Verica, is a senior and will exhaust his eligibility after this season, but the depth chart will still be clogged unless Coach London moves players to other positions. Secondly, Hampton High School hasn’t sent a player to Virginia since Marques Hagans in 2001. Coach Mike Smith of Hampton has sent a number of players to Virginia Tech in the past ten years, most notably current Hokie QB Tyrod Taylor.
Oddly enough, Marques Hagans is Watford’s first cousin. Like Hagans, David Watford wears number 5 for the Crabbers.
Watford had narrowed his decision down to West Virginia, Virginia Tech and Virginia, and made his announcement at a press conference held at nearby Christopher Newport University. Watford will be a fantastic fit at Virginia academically. He currently holds a 3.8 GPA and is enrolled in the International Baccalaurate program at Hampton High School. The “IB” program is internationally standardized and recognized as an academically ambitious and rigorous course of study.
Phoebus’ Taylor Commits to Cavaliers
Caleb Taylor is now verbally committed to Virginia
Phoebus now has two BCS level commitments. UNC got a verbal commitment from Daquan Romero over a month ago. Now Caleb Taylor has ended all speculation by committing to Coach Mike London and the Virginia Cavaliers.
Taylor (LB 5-11 230) told recruit757.com of heavy interest from the Cavaliers back in May. “I’ve gotten strong interest from Coach London, Coach West, Coach Brown and Coach Anthony (Poindexter),” said Taylor. From the sounds of things, the Cavalier coaching staff put on the full court press and did their best to keep the Phoebus linebacker in state. A month ago, Taylor had plans to camp at UNC this summer and was still working out the rest of his summer schedule. Now it’s likely that he’s done traveling and can settle on Charlottesville as his home for the fall of 2011.
Taylor becomes the fifth 757 commitment for UVA and Coach London. Menchville’s Clifton Richardson is considered a soft verbal, but London has solid commitments from David Dean (Green Run), Ross Burbank (Cox) and Kameron Mack (I.C. Norcom). Counting Richardson, Virginia has thirteen commitments now for the 2011 class. Coach London has hit the halfway mark in his recruiting for this class.
Now that Phoebus has Taylor and Romero committed, will Rodriguez Jones be next?
Recruiting Desperation at UVA?
Before I start with a potentially harsh assessment of Virginia recruiting at this stage, Cavalier fans I have to level with you. It’s going to be a rebuilding year in Charlottesville. Al Groh did a number on the future of Cavalier football program and it’s going to take more than one recruiting class to fix it.
Why is Mike London in such a hurry to use his scholarships for the 2011 class? Virginia just got their sixth commitment for the 2011 class and it’s only mid-April. According to Rivals, Diamonte Bailey of Hermitage High in Richmond has committed to UVA. Bailey (DE 6-3 220) is the sixth verbal and fourth in-state commitment for Coach Mike London.
Obviously, the Cavalier Football staff has made an assessment of each of the players they’ve gotten verbals from, so this is not a condemnation of any of the athletes that they’re bringing in for the 2011 class. Mike London and his staff are bringing in players that fit needs or they wouldn’t have made the offers.
As far as comparisons go, it doesn’t do much good to compare where Virginia is now versus where Virginia Tech is because London’s a new coach and he’ll recruit at his own pace. At Richmond, London didn’t have the assets that he has at Virginia: ACC Football, playing a BCS Conference and the facilities that go along with that. It seems that London is trying to be proactive in his recruiting because of two factors. Firstly, he’s never been able to recruit so far in advance. Secondly, there’s one ugly possibility on the horizon. UVA’s team will be one of the weakest in the ACC (given that they’ll likely regress from last year) and their schedule isn’t going to help them.
Mike London may be proactively recruiting in order to lock in commitments (as well as he can) before the losing starts. Look at the Cavs’ schedule:
London may be able to outcoach Latrell Scott and beat Richmond in the season opener. The Cavaliers then travel to USC, and Lane Kiffin will look to prove a point as the Trojans’ new coach. That game could get really ugly. UVA will then play VMI before starting their ACC slate. Florida State, Georgia Tech and North Carolina are next on the schedule. Hoos, you could be in for a long season.
Eastern Michigan is on the schedule and the Eagles were 0-12 last year. At least three of the four out-of-conference games are winnable. In ACC play, the Maryland game may be the only winnable game since Duke is rebounding.
Coach London may be doing the smartest thing possible in getting every recruit he can as early as he can. If the Cavs go 4-8 or 3-9 and get drubbed several times during the season (including a season finale at Virginia Tech), UVA Football will be a much tougher sell even by mid-season.
Phoebus’ Daquan Romero Narrowing His Field
Daquan Romero (Photo: Diane Cebula)
Phoebus High School churns out athletes. They’ve had back-to-back undefeated seasons and State Championships, so it’s expected that they have some talent. In fact, Phoebus was recently recognized as the team of the decade in Virginia High School Football.
Daquan Romero is one of several Phoebus players in the 2011 class that’s attracting heavy interest from college recruiters. Romero already has offers from Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina. Romero has visited both UVA and Carolina several times recently and it seems that he’s focusing in on the two schools. Of course naming a leader is tough to do at this point, it depends on which day you ask and which publication you read. Carolina recruiting bloggers have Romero gushing over the Tarheels after visiting Chapel Hill while UVA writers have Romero talking up a tight relationship with lead recruiter Chip West. There’s a long way to go in his recruitment and other schools haven’t been ruled out yet.
There’s one thing that’s almost certain, Daquan Romero (DE 6-0 210) will likely have to move from defensive end to outside linebacker in college. That puts him in competition with a different set of recruits. For instance, Travis Hughes of Kempsville High School in Virginia Beach is also highly interested in North Carolina. Hughes attended the Carolina Blue-White game that was televised on ESPN just 10 days ago. Hughes is a 6-1 215 inside linebacker that might provide some local competition for a scholarship in the case that both Romero and Hughes decide they want to come to Carolina. It’s early enough that there might be room for both on the Tarheels board, but Butch Davis might have some tough decisions to make months down the road if the scholarships start getting tight and both Hughes and Romero are still out there.
The speculation and recruiting watch has just begun for the 2011 class. Expect plenty of drama once the season arrives.
Cavs Ready For New Unis, Spring Game
UVA Head Coach Mike London had his players model new Nike uniforms yesterday at a pep rally related to today’s Blue/White game in Charlottesville. The uniforms really aren’t much of a departure from the old uniforms. They’re made from Nike’s most technologically advanced materials, but the color combinations and designs don’t come close to rivaling what Nike put together for the University of Oregon, thankfully. You can see many of the supposed 384 Oregon uniform combinations here at Nikeblog.com.
The new UVA uniforms are still Navy, Orange and White. There’s some striping in the pants, the stripes are off of the helmets, but overall the look is not much different. When the Cavaliers projected starting QB Mark Verica was asked about his favorite combination, his answer was telling, “At this point, I don’t have a preference,” Verica said. “Maybe when we start winning some games, some sentimental value will be attached to the color of jersey, but at this point, I like them all.”
Coming from a team with a new head coach and no bowl appearance last year, I’d have to agree. New uniforms are nice, but winning needs to come with them. The Cavs have a lot to prove and they’re looking to show a fresh look at today’s Blue/White game.
The UVA Fan Festival starts today at Noon and the game is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start. Position battles and scheme changes abound. Perhaps two of the most intriguing battles could take place at kicker and quarterback. Last year, three kickers shared time including walk-on freshman Drew Jarrett of Virginia Beach’s Cox High School. Jarrett handled extra points, sophomore Chris Hinkebein kicked off and Sophomore Rob Randolph kicked field goals. Randolph eventually won the job of kicking off as well, relegating Hinkebein to the bench by mid-season.
At quarterback, Marc Verica is presumed to be the starter, but Verica struggled to shine at every opportunity he’s had over the past couple of years. Verica was the starting QB in 2008 after the dismissal of then starting QB Peter Lalich. Verica led the team to first place in the ACC Coastal Division with a 5-3 record, then the team lost their final four games and failed to qualify for a bowl game. In 2009, Verica lost the starter’s job to Jameel Sewell, who was academically ineligible for the 2008 season. Verica returned to the starter’s role during the 2009 season after an injury to Sewell, but the Cavaliers again failed to muster a winning season. Mike London recruited four quarterbacks in the 2010 class, but none of them are truly expected to compete with Verica for the starting job.
Ian Haislip Video Added To recruit757 on Facebook
Since Ian Haislip was one of about forty high school juniors that attended Junior Day at UVA this past weekend, it seems appropriate to show off some of his highlights from 2009.
On the Facebook Fan Page for recruit757 you can see a good 1:18 video highlight reel from Tabb’s game against York last September. Both offenses were hot that game, but Haislip did get in a few good plays including a sack of York QB Ben Edwards. Haislip also had a highlight reel catch for a touchdown. It was a diving grab in the end zone that has to be seen to be appreciated.
Haislip is just now coming on the radar for most schools, but he’s received early interest from ACC schools including UVA, Virginia Tech and NC State.
More video will be posted on Facebook and the new recruit757.com will be launching soon. Surf on over to Facebook and become a fan of recruit757, check out the videos posted there and whet your appetite for the action to come. Thanks for checking out recruit757!
Clifton Richardson and David Dean Commit?
#10 Clifton Richardson (Photo: Diane Cebula)
UVA had another Junior Day this weekend and initial word out of Charlottesville is that they received a couple of commitments over the weekend. About 40 juniors from all around the state came for the festivities. The typical events are campus tours, a basketball game (in this case a loss to #22 ranked Maryland), and lots of camaraderie among the prospective recruits.
The biggest news coming out of the weekend is regarding Menchville athlete Clifton Richardson (6-1 195). According to sources, the Peninsula District burner with 4.4 speed has given a verbal committment to the Cavaliers. Richardson’s father, Clifton Sr., was quoted in the Daily Press as saying that his son had made a “soft committment” but that the younger Richardson hadn’t committed yet.
Richardson has the tools to become another Percy Harvin, so he would certainly add some needed punch to the Virginia offense. Richardson’s impact on his Menchville squad has been hard to measure since the Peninsula District is loaded with highly competitive teams. Menchville hasn’t been able to fight its way to the top of the district, but there’s no doubt that Menchville would be far worse off without him.
David Dean (6-1 270) of Green Run is a Defensive Tackle that Mike London has had his eyes on for some time now. Dean is a force on the D-Line for the Stallions and had claimed UVA as his leader weeks ago. Dean is also now rumored to be a Cavalier commit, which would give Virginia four commitments for the 2011 class.
All of this is unbinding, so you can expect that other teams could still make a run at both Richardson and Dean between now and National Signing Day eleven months(!) from now. It’s happened time and time again. Recruits make early commitments, change their minds, situations change… there are any number of things that could happen over the next eleven months. The commits are a feather in Mike London’s cap. He’s off to a good start. Just don’t count your chickens yet, Cavs fans. There are more offers and more recruiting battles to come.
London Lands His 757 Showcase
It’s been rumored for weeks, now the deal is done. The Virginia Cavaliers Football Program will hold an organized practice at Foreman Field on the campus of ODU. The event will be held on March 27 and will be open to the public. UVA could plan any number of booster related activities, but the details of the event have not been announced as of yet.
The strategic nature of the event is obvious. Virginia Tech had kicked the Al Groh led Cavaliers up and down the streets of Hampton Roads when it came to recruiting. Virginia had a few recruiting victories here while Groh coached the team, but Tech brought in 757 players at a ratio somewhere near 3:1 compared to the Cavs. New coach Mike London is determined to change that.
First of all, London hired Old Dominion’s recruiting guru Chip West away from the Monarchs. London already has a history with playing football in the area and he recruited the area for Richmond in his tenure there. Now with a showcase event this spring, London has planted a flag in the 757 in an effort to show area recruits that he’s serious about drawing players out of here.
Considering that Old Dominion will have forty Hampton Roads players on the roster next year, how does Old Dominion see UVA? Wouldn’t UVA be a threat to ODU’s recruiting efforts? According to Rich Radford of the Virginian Pilot, Wilder has confirmed his approval of the event and was quoted as saying, “We think it’s a great opportunity to showcase one of the finest FCS facilities in the country in Foreman Field and expose a different set of fans and potential recruits to our venue. It’s an excellent chance for us to partner with UVA.”
Apparently Wilder thinks that Old Dominion will not be negatively affected by giving Mike London more of a voice here in Hampton Roads. If it were to come down to a choice between Old Dominion and UVA, would a recruit give both equal consideration? Perhaps, but you’d have to think that Virginia academics and the chance to play for a BCS program might outweigh the option to stay close to home and play in the CAA. It’s admirable for Wilder to take on the “bigger guy” and see the partnership as an opportunity instead of a defeat.
As for exposing more fans to ODU and Foreman Field, that’s useful too. There is the pesky problem of capacity, however. Old Dominion filled the stands for every game in 2009, selling out every seat to season ticket holders. If the program continues with that level of success, a stadium expansion has to be on the horizon for S.B. Ballard Stadium.
Haislip and Hughes To Attend UVA Junior Day
#40 Ian Haislip of Tabb (Photo: Diane Cebula)
It’s the time of year for Junior days and this weekend is no exception. Coach Mike London and the Cavalier football program play host for another Junior Day this weekend and several locals are attending.
One of two confirmed local attendees is Tabb linebacker Ian Haislip (6-0 190). Haislip is coming on the radar for schools in-state and out-of-state. While Haislip has no scholarship offers as of yet, it’s still early. Don’t let the Bay Rivers District history of drawing few Division I-A offers draw you into thinking that the 2011 class will go the way of classes past. In the 2010 class, Smithfield’s Boden Fuller was the only Bay Rivers athlete to go DI-A when he committed to Army. In the 2011 class, Tabb may have two “big school” bound kids in Haislip and QB William “Rex” Harrison (6-2 185). Several other Bay Rivers District teams have recruits in the 2011 class that could draw interest from Division I-A schools as well.
Also confirmed for UVA’s Junior Day this weekend is Kempsville linebacker Travis Hughes (6-1 215). Hughes is already neck deep in his recruitment and the offers keep on coming. Hughes’ offer list has hit double digits. Having Southern Cal make an offer recently hasn’t hurt. Hughes has added offers from Tennessee and Texas Tech since the offer from USC came in, and it now seems far from a foregone conclusion that Travis will follow the path his brother took to Maryland. Hughes has half of the ACC to choose from, a Big 10 offer from Penn State, SEC offers, Big East offers and of course a USC offer to hang his hat on. Hughes claims that he will narrow his list before the school year, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him take his time.
Cavalier Football Barnstorming Tour?
Mike London is in a heck of a spot as a first year coach. UVA Football has been on a decline and former Head Coach Al Groh left the program in a lull. Fan interest has been down, attendance has been down, even Groh’s last few recruiting classes weren’t up to par with some in previous years.
New Head Coach Mike London has been brought in to change that. London already has the Cavalier faithful fired up about a return to glory. The 2010 recruiting class is not a complete turn around for the Cavaliers, but it is a step in the right direction. Now a new guerilla marketing campaign is being crafted.
According to sources, the UVA Football staff is working on a concept that would bring the Cavalier Football team on a tour of the state for spring practices or scrimmages. It’s not yet known whether the staff will successfully schedule stops around the Commonwealth, but the desired impact is obvious. Virginia Tech has become “the state’s football team” due to their success on the field over the last decade plus while the Cavaliers faded into the background by comparison. The UVA teams of years past haven’t failed by any stretch. They’ve had their share of winning seasons and bowl appearances, but you can look at the head to head record against Tech over the last 15 years to see who’s won the hearts of the casual college football fan in Virginia. Over the last 15 years it’s been Virginia Tech 12, Virginia 3. Over the last 10 years it’s 9-1 in favor of Tech and the Hokies have won the last six games head to head.
The marketing concept has more local impact when you consider Virginia’s hopes for a local stop. Virginia Athletics officials have made contact with Old Dominion about using Foreman Field for a practice/scrimmage session possibly in late March. At this point, Old Dominion officials have acknowledged the contact, but have denied that talks have progressed. The impact could be significant if a deal is struck. The Old Dominion Football staff is working hard to establish The 757 as a recruiting hotbed and home turf for its program. For the 2010 season, 40 players on the ODU Football squad are from the Hampton Roads area. ODU and UVA have already battled head to head for several recruits, most recently for Stephen Lawe of Maury. Lawe decided to go to UVA. Monarch coach and Recruiting Coordinator Chip West left the ODU program a couple of months ago to join Mike London’s staff at UVA.
Virginia still has the upper hand against Old Dominion in Football and that’s no surprise. Virginia is a heritage school and a BCS program. Old Dominion is a football upstart, and only a few decades ago was known as the Norfolk Campus of William and Mary. In just a few recruiting classes and one year on the field Old Dominion’s Football staff has proven that they can compete for players.
UVA may yet succeed in marketing themselves with a grand tour of the Commonwealth. Just don’t expect them to get a showcase opportunity on Old Dominion’s campus.