Virginia Recruiting Notes: 4/11

B.J. Stith heading to Oak Hill?

There have been some rumblings of late that Virginia's 2014 basketball commit, legacy B.J. Stith, might play his senior season at Oak Hill Academy. Stith currently plays for his father and former Virginia great Bryant Stith at Brunswick High School, south of Richmond. Some writers have tossed Bryant's name around for a possible move from high school coaching to the college ranks, possibly as an assistant to former UVa coach Jeff Jones at ODU. That would make B.J.'s move to Oak Hill even more likely in my opinion. Bryant has turned Brunswick into a power in Virginia high school hoops, but the upgrade in competition with a move to Oak Hill would be significant. The Mouth of Wilson school has churned out tons of top talent, including Carmelo Anthony, Brandon Jennings and many others. They also seek to play the best schools in the country in tournaments throughout the season. A move to Oak Hill could pay off huge for Stith going forward, and get the UVa program more exposure on a national level, with a top recruit playing for arguably the most visable prep program in the nation.

Is Quarterback in play for 2014?

Virginia has 4 commits for the 2014 class, and the class isn't expected to go above 16 signees or so. It makes sense then, with the amount of depth the Hoos have at quarterback (UVa will have six quarterbacks on the roster in 2014, barring a transfer), that other positions would be a priority, and Virginia probably wouldn't take a quarterback. Here's the issue at hand though: it doesn't matter how many quarterbacks you have if none of them are effective. Right now, it looks like either David Watford or Greyson Lambert will take the first snap of the season this fall against BYU. If neither or them are able to win games, then what? There are other options with Corwin Cutler, Phillip Sims, Brendan Marshall and Matt Johns on the roster, but all of them are unproven as well. I think the one quarterback UVa would probably take at this point for 2014 would be Caleb Henderson. The 4-star prospect has been to Charlottesville several times and seems to be genuinly interested in the Cavaliers. He is also very much aware of the logjam at quarterback he would have to deal with. UVa should be very picky with signal-callers for 2014 considering the few scholarships they have to work with, but if the right guy comes along, like the elite Henderson, the UVa staff should try to get him, regardless of the number of quarterbacks on the roster.

Wunderlich is #4 for 2014

UVa landed the nation's top kicker on Tuesday, when Memphis native Gary Wunderlich made the call for the Hoos. It is rare that kickers earn scholarships, but Virginia and Texas A&M saw enough in Wunderlich to offer him. If you do offer a kicker, honestly, he needs to be a good player. With the number of walk-on options for a program at that position, the kicker on scholarship should be an elite talent, and a starter. Wunderlich should be both of those things for Virginia, probably right away. Kickers are able to come right in and contribute, as long as they have a strong leg and confidence. Obviously, bringing Gary in on scholarship is a sign that Coach London and his staff think he can come right in and start fro day one.

An Early look at 2015

With Virginia taking a small class for 2014, the Hoos have started to focus on targets for 2015 early. Here's a look at a few rising juniors that already have offers from Virginia:

Ricky DeBerry: The Richmond area linebacker has been rolling in offers at a furious pace of late. DeBerry has been to Grounds a bunch of times, and seems really interested in Virginia. We'll see how many big time offers DeBerry ends up with, and how that sways him. But for right now, Virginia is right near the top for the St. Christopher's star.

Garrett Taylor: A teammate of DeBerry's at St. Christopher's, Taylor has also racked up an impressive offer sheet early. Taylor seems more likely than DeBerry to head to the SEC, but there is a long way to go in this recruitment, and UVa is trying to make a move.

Matthew Burrell: The Fredericksburg native is a teammate of 2014 Virginia commit Steven Moss at Chancellor High. Burrell is seen as a top talent, and a likely Top 100 player nationally. UVa is hoping that Moss can help sway Burrell and start a Chancellor pipeline to Charlottesville

Jaason Lewis: The Tidewater native figures to be one of the top recruits for 2015, nationwide. A wide receiver, Lewis has been to Charlottesville several times, and is close with UVa commits Quin Blanding, Taquan Mizzell and others. Lewis seems like he would like to play for a big-time national program, probably out of state, but UVa his hoping the relationships they've built with many "757" natives will help them reel in the talented wideout.