In his first year as head coach of the Cavaliers, Mike London has placed Virginia back onto ESPN's radar -- and this time, not as the victim of an opponent's breakout performance. The 2011 National Signing Day, which brought in a unanimous top-25 recruiting class, has re-energized Virginia fans, who of late have tried to ignore signing day and, well, football generally.
Service |
Ranking
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ESPN |
19 |
6
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16
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247 |
20 |
8
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14
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Scout |
25 |
4 |
19
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Rivals |
25 |
5 |
17 |
Heading into signing day, Virginia had 24 commits, two of which were already enrolled (and therefore technically count as the Class of 2010), and were waiting to hear from three highly sought after players: 5-star linebacker Curtis Grant and four star athletes Dominique Terrell and Darius Jennings. While Grant committed to Ohio State, both Terrell and Jennings chose the Wahoos over North Carolina, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, and a combined 38 offers.
It's not just these two last-minute commitments that give Virginia fans reason to celebrate. Virginia finished the day with both the Maryland and Virginia Gatorade State Players of the Year in Jennings and Demetrious "Trey" Nicholson, respectively. In addition to Nicholson, Jennings and Terrell, Brandon Phelps and Clifton Richardson round out the five ESPNU 150 recruits that signed with Virginia yesterday.
"High achievers on the field, high achievers in the classroom, and that's one of the things we want to continue to do," London said. "We want to bring young men to the University of Virginia, guys that when they get here, are high achievers in the community as well."
Most notably, London found a way to recruit in-state. Virginia's 17 commitments from the Commonwealth are the most in a UVa recruiting class since 1990. In fact, four of the top ten players in the state, as ranked by The Roanoke Times, signed with Virginia, as compared to Virginia Tech's one. These include Nicholson, Terrell, Jay Whitmire and Richardson. Virginia signed almost half (12) of the top 25 in the state.
London also made huge gains for the program in the talent-fertile 757 area. Of the 17 commitments, nine hail from the Tidewater region -- compare this to the Hokies' one, in an area that Virginia Tech has dominated in recent memory.
"Hopefully within the state of Virginia, with a lot of the great high school coaches that are there that we've extended our hands and embraced it as soon as practices are open, meetings are open, anything that we can do to get them on Grounds, we're looking to do that. We'll continue to keep trying to find ways to have better relationships with high school coaches in state and in those areas that are touching us."
Don't forget: Virginia went 4-8 last season. Four of UVa's last five seasons have left the program below .500, including three straight losses to Duke.
Duke.
That London was able to bring in such a highly rated recruiting class is a true testament to the players' faith in the new coach, and that folks really are "buying into" the system. Say what you will about London's coaching at Richmond and whether their national title was a result of the man at the helm or recruiting classes and personnel at his disposal, but for now, London's doing everything right in Virginia.
Virginia's 2011 Recruiting Class
Diamonte Bailey Defensive End
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Thompson Brown Defensive End
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Hermitage (Hermitage, Va.) 6' 3" / 225 lbs Scouting Report and Highlights Official Signing Video
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#77 DE |
247: |
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#122 DE |
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St. Christopher's (Richmond, Va.) 6' 4" / 230 lbs Scouting Report and Highlights Official Signing Video
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#67 DE |
247: |
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#111 DE |
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Ross Burbank Offensive Lineman
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Rob Burns Defensive End
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Cox (Virginia Beach, Va.) 6' 4" / 290 lbs Scouting Report and Highlights Official Signing Video
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#87OT |
247: |
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#56 |
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Stone Bridge (Ashburn, Va.) 6' 7" / 230 lbs Scouting Report and Highlights Official Signing Video
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#80 DE |
247: |
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#84 DE |
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Vincent Croce Defensive End
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Tim Cwalina Offensive Tackle
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Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney, Md.) 6' 4" / 250 lbs Scouting Report and Highlights Official Signing Video
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#36 DE |
247: |
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#55 DE |
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#40 DT |
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Mount Lebanon (Pittsburgh, Pa.) 6' 7" / 295 lbs Scouting Report and Highlights Official Signing Video
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#142 OT |
247: |
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Scout: |
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#107OT |
Rivals: |
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David Dean Defensive Tackle
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Adrian Gamble Wide Receiver
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Green Run (Virginia Beach, Va.) 6' 1" / 285 lbs Scouting Report and Highlights Official Signing Video
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#19 DT |
247: |
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#70OT |
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#30 DT
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Independence (Charlotte, N.C.) 6' 1" / 180 lbs Scouting Report and Highlights Official Signing Video
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#86WR |
247: |
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#156 WR |
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#1 DE |
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Kevin Green Athlete |
Anthony Harris Defensive Back
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Petersburg (Petersburg, Va.) 6' 2" / 205 lbs Scouting Report and Highlights Official Signing Video
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#155 ATH
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247: |
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Scout: |
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#95 QB
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Rivals: |
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L.C. Byrd (Chesterfield, Va.) 6' 1" / 185 lbs Scouting Report and Highlights Official Signing Video
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#203 ATH
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247: |
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Scout: |
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#68 WR |
Rivals: |
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D.J. Hill Linebacker |
Darius Jennings Wide Receiver
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Newton (Covington, Ga.) 6' 0" / 210 lbs Scouting Report and Highlights Official Signing Video
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Service |
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#81 OLB |
247: |
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Scout: |
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#103 OLB |
Rivals: |
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#41 ILB |
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Gilman (Baltimore, Md.) 5' 11" / 175 lbs Scouting Report and Highlights Official Signing Video
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#15 ATH |
247: |
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#10 ATH |
Scout: |
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#43 WR |
Rivals: |
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#10 ATH |
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Kelby Johnson Offensive Tackle
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Marco Jones Defensive End
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DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) 6' 7" / 285 lbs Scouting Report and Highlights Official Signing Video
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#130 OT
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247: |
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Scout: |
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#113 OT |
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Boys Latin School (Baltimore, Md.) 6' 3" / 250 lbs Scouting Report and Highlights Official Signing Video
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#65 DE
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247: |
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#54 DE |
Rivals: |
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Kyrrel Latimer Defensive Back
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Darius Lee Linebacker |
Dematha/Fork Union (Hyattsville, Md.) 5' 10" / 200 lbs Scouting Report and Highlights Official Signing Video
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St. Stephen's & St. Agnes (Alexandria, Va.) 6' 1" / 205 lbs Scouting Report and Highlights Official Signing Video
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#66 OLB
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247: |
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Scout: |
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#122 S
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Rivals: |
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Kameron Mack Defensive Back
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Demetrious Nicholson Defensive Back
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IC Norcom (Portsmouth, Va.) 6' 5" / 200 lbs Scouting Report and Highlights Official Signing Video
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#80 S
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247: |
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Scout: |
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#114 OLB
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Rivals: |
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Bayside (Virginia Beach, Va.) 5' 11" / 170 lbs Scouting Report and Highlights Official Signing Video
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#4 CB
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247: |
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#2 CB
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Scout: |
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#3 CB
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Rivals: |
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#5 CB
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Brandon Phelps Defensive Back
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Clifton Richardson Running Back
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Damascus (Damascus, Md.) 6' 0" / 175 lbs Scouting Report and Highlights Official Signing Video
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#7 CB
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247: |
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#11 S
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Scout: |
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#37 WR
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#19 S
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Menchville (Newport News, Va.) 6' 0" / 195 lbs Scouting Report and Highlights Official Signing Video
Rankings: |
Service |
Stars |
Pos. Rank |
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#24 ATH
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247: |
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Scout: |
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#47 WR
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Rivals: |
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#20 RB
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Daquan Romero Linebacker |
Caleb Taylor Linebacker |
Phoebus (Hampton, Va.) 6' 1" / 212 lbs Scouting Report and Highlights Official Signing Video
(January Enrollee)
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#99 DE
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247: |
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Scout: |
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#95 DE
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Rivals: |
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Phoebus (Hampton, Va.) 6' 0" / 225 lbs Scouting Report and Highlights Official Signing Video
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#42 DE
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247: |
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Scout: |
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#26 MLB |
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Dominique Terrell Athlete |
Mason Thomas Defensive Back
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Osbourne (Manassas, Va.) 5' 11" / 170 lbs Scouting Report and Highlights Official Signing Video
Rankings: |
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ESPN: |
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#19 ATH
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247: |
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#15 ATH
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Scout: |
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#23 CB
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Rivals: |
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#11 ATH
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Kempsville (Virginia Beach, Va.) 6' 0" / 200 lbs Scouting Report and Highlights Official Signing Video
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Stars |
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#272 WR
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247: |
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Scout: |
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Rivals: |
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David Watford Quarterback |
Jay Whitmire Offensive Tackle
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Hampton (Hampton, Va.) 6' 1" / 180 lbs Scouting Report and Highlights Official Signing Video
(January Enrollee)
Rankings: |
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Stars |
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#58 QB
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247: |
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Scout: |
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#77 QB
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Rivals: |
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#29 QB
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T.C. Williams (Alexandria, Va.) 6' 6" / 290 lbs Scouting Report and Highlights Official Signing Video
Rankings: |
Service |
Stars |
Pos. Rank |
ESPN: |
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#70 OT
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247: |
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Scout: |
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#30 OT
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Rivals: |
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#43 OT
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