UVA Recruiting Notes: One Week 'til Signing Day

UVA in the hunt for Adeosun

As we mentioned last week, George Adeosun, a 6'6'' offensive lineman from Alpharetta, Georgia, visited Charlottesville for the Cavaliers' big official visit weekend. Adeosun, who was previously committed to William & Mary, has seen his stock soar in recent weeks, picking up offers from the Hoos, Oklahoma, Missouri, Purdue, Kentucky and Arizona State. That might not be the end of Adeosun's run off offers though, as other teams may enter in a late offer before Signing Day next week. It's also worth noting that Adeosun has drawn interest from several Ivy League programs, reflecting how serious the Peach State native is about academics. Adeosun took an official visit to Oklahoma last weekend, and could get a final visit in over the weekend if he chooses to do so. At this point, he only has a week to decide, and there is a lot of new angles and opportunities for the rising star to take in. Virginia has to feel pretty good about their chances, considering that he has already made his way to Charlottesville, and that he seems geniunly interested in top-flight academics. It's hard to say which way this one will go, but Virginia is right there in the thick of it. If the 6'6'' lineman, the final target on Virginia's board for 2013, decides to make his choice on signing day, we at Streaking the Lawn will do everything we can to bring you the news as it breaks next Wednesday.

Lazor heads back to the NFL, but recruiting won't suffer

With the news that Bill Lazor is heading to the Philadelphia Eagles this week, many wondered what Lazor's departure would affect in terms of not only the makeup of the coaching staff, but also recruiting at Virginia. We do know that UVa will now have to fill another opening on the staff, and we'll just have to wait and see who it is, what their role will be, and whether it will yield more recruiting success. But, in a vacuum, Lazor's departure should not be a major setback in terms of recruiting for the Cavaliers. Of all the coaches on the staff, Lazor was the least dynamic in terms of recruiting. He went out on the road sparingly, covering parts of Central Virginia, and areas like Ohio and Illinois. But Virginia rarely pulls a player from any of those areas, ever. That's not because Lazor is a bad recruiter, but those areas just aren't as important as others, like Maryland, New Jersey, etc. Lazor's biggest role as a recruiter had been with quarterbacks, as he was their position coach. Lazor's scheme helped reel in Greyson Lambert and Matt Johns in the 2012 cycle, but Lambert was really impressed with Mike London, and Lazor wasn't the lead recruiter for either prospect. Both Corwin Cutler and Brendan Marshall are solid to Virginia despite Lazor's departure. This offensive coordinator opening could make Virginia's recruiting staff even better, if they are able to bring in an offensive coach with experience coaching and recruiting at the FBS level.

"The best home schedule in Virginia Football history"

There has been plenty of debate over Virginia's decision to add both Oregon and BYU to the home slate for 2013. Both games will certainly be a challenge for the Cavaliers on the field, but have the opportunity to get the attention of prospects in the 2014 cycle and beyond. First off, the recruiting visitor list for the Oregon game will probably be off the charts. The same goes for the Clemson and Virginia Tech games, as well as BYU since its the season opener. The opportunity to get talented prospects in your stadium during the season is so vital to recruiting success, especially late in recruiting cycles. Playing on national television will also give Virginia more exposure to prospects around the nation. Granted, if UVa gets destroyed by the opponents it can work against them, but playing against Oregon at home and losing probably moves the needle a lot more for recruits than beating a team from the MAC or Sun Belt does. Wins are important, but if prospects don't even know that you beat an also-ran, because they weren't paying attention, then it does little for recruiting.

Signing Day coverage at Streaking the Lawn

We're really excited to bring a ton of UVa recruiting coverage for National Signing Day next Wednesday. We will have a ton of articles, analysis, a live thread, and lots more right here on the site. Make sure to check out the coverage, starting bright and early and going throughout the day, as Virginia welcomes another talented group of players to the football program.