Virginia landed its second commitment this week Friday, when North Carolina native Keeon Johnson made the call for the Cavaliers. Johnson, a Wide Receiver from Kannapolis, chose Virginia over his other two finalists, North Carolina and Notre Dame. Johnson also held offers from Miami, NC State, ECU, Duke, Wake Forest, Minnesota and Georgia Tech. The star wideout is rated 3-stars by all four major recruiting services, Rivals, 247sports, ESPN and Scout. Johnson is the 11th commit for UVA's 2013 class, and joins Andre Levrone and Zack Jones in the classes' Wide Receiver core.
Keeon Johnson has a big frame for a Wide Receiver, standing 6'3'' 200 lbs. He has good speed to go along with that big body, hence the solid offers. Johnson also has an interesting connection to Virginia. Johnson was a high school teammate of current UVA Men's Basketball player Teven Jones, at A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis. That certainly didn't hurt Virginia's chances with Johnson I'm sure.
The timing of this commit was certainly unexpected, but Johnson was fresh off a visit to Charlottesville last week, so it makes sense to some degree. The perception seems to be that spots are filling up in Virginia's 2013 class, so if a prospect feels that UVA is the place for them, then they might want to make that decision sooner rather than later. A while back in an interview with SBNation Recruiting guru Bud Elliot, I lamented that Virginia hadn't taken full advantage of the depth and talent in the state just to the south on the recruiting trail. With the commitments of Johnson and Linebacker LaChaston Smith, its clear that the Cavaliers have picked up some momentum in the "First in Flight" State. UVA is also still a school of serious interest for a pair of North Carolina Linebackers, Peter Kalambayi and Larenz Bryant, so we'll see what happens with their recruitments in the coming weeks and months.
Stay tuned to Streaking the Lawn for all the latest Virginia recruiting scoop and analysis. Hit the jump to view the entire 2013 recruiting class to date.
Virginia Football: 2013 Recruiting Class
Brendan Marshall, Quarterback, Good Counsel (Olney, MD)
6'5'', 210 lbs
Rating: Rivals (3*), 247sports (3*)
Offers: Virginia, California
Sadiq Olanrewaju, Offensive Tackle, Salisbury School (Salisbury, CT)
6'5'', 260 lbs
Rating: Rivals (3*), 247sports (3*)
Offers: Virginia, UConn, Rutgers, Temple, West Virginia
Andre Levrone, Wide Receiver, Good Counsel (Olney, MD)
6'1'' 198 lbs
Rating: Rivals (3*), 247sports (3*)
Offers: Virginia, Auburn, Mississippi State, USC
Tim Harris, Cornerback/Safety, Varina
6'2'' 173 lbs
Ratings: Rivals (4*) 247sports (4*)
Offers: Virginia, California, Ohio State, Michigan, Tennessee, Rutgers, Virginia Tech, Rutgers, Georgia Tech, Ole Miss, Syracuse
Zack Jones, Wide Receiver, Oscar Smith
5'11'' 178 lbs
Ratings: Rivals (NR), 247sports (3*)
Offers: Virginia, Illinois
Micah Kiser, Linebacker, Gilman
6'1'' 215 lbs
Ratings: Rivals (3*) 247sports (4*)
Offers: Virginia, Boston College, Florida, Maryland, Oklahoma, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers, Stanford, Virginia Tech
Corwin Cutler, Quarterback, Ocean Lakes
6'4'' 180 lbs
Ratings: Rivals (3*), 247sports (3*)
Offers: Virginia, Marshall, UConn, ECU
Hipolito Corporan, Cornerback, Westside (Houston,TX)
6'1'' 160 lbs
Ratings: Rivals (NR), 247sports (3*)
Offers: Virginia, Baylor, Tulsa, UTEP
LaChaston Smith, Linebacker, South Iredell (Statesville, NC)
5'11'' 215 lbs
Ratings: Rivals (3*), 247sports (3*)
Offers: Virginia, Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Minnesota, ECU, Wake Forest
Jack English, Defensive End, St. Christopher's (Richmond, VA)
6'6'' 250 lbs
Ratings: Rivals (NR), 247sports (2*)
Offers: Virginia, Virginia Tech
Keeon Johnson, Wide Receiver, A.L. Brown (Kannapolis, NC)
6'3'' 200 lbs
Ratings: Rivals (3*), 247sports (3*)
Offers: Virginia, North Carolina, Notre Dame, NC State, Duke, Wake Forest, Minnesota, Miami, ECU