Virginia Football and Basketball Recruiting Roundup! Ricky DeBerry Releases His Top Eight

Welcome to another edition of Recruiting Roundup! Today, we will update you on a key piece to the 2015 football puzzle and take a look at some of the visitors from last Saturday night’s win over Pittsburgh.

Let’s go!

DeBerry Drops Top Eight:

Ever the showman, four-star Atlee linebacker Ricky DeBerry released his top eight schools via twitter last night. The elite ‘backer posted a graphic displaying the logos of his top schools, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Alabama, Tennessee, Ohio State, Penn State, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M. It was probably completely random, but the UVa logo was above the rest. *Dramatic voice* or was it?

The 6-2, 240 pound DeBerry visited UVa twice in August, and was in the house for the Cavaliers’ loss to UCLA. DeBerry took an official visit to Tennessee this past weekend, and will take one to College Station this Saturday for Texas A&M’s home game with Ole Miss.

Saturday Night a Success:

The Cavalier football team improved to 2-0 in the ACC under the lights last Saturday night. In addition to thousands of white, orange, and blue-clad Wahoo fans, a plethora of 2015 and 2016 prospects were in the house to see it all go down.  Juan Thornhill, Nick Johns, Ryan Bischoff, R.J. Proctor, and Eli Hanback of the 2015 class were at the game, while wide receiver Cole Blackman represented the two-man class of 2016. A pair of Woodberry Forest standouts, 2016 offensive lineman Clark Yarbrough and 2017 quarterback Lindell Stone also made the short trek down to Charlottesville for the win. In addition, out of staters such as 2015 Florida cornerback Derrick Baitey and 2016 Connecticut tight end Scooter Harrington were in attendance.

Jennings Returns:

Virginia already has a commitment from three-star wide receiver David Eldridge, but the Wahoos would love to add more talent to the position in the class of 2015. Colonel Forge standout Gary Jennings would be an excellent addition to what UVa already has on offense, and the three-star wideout was also in the house to watch the Hoos take down Pitt. It was Jennings’ second visit to grounds this fall. The 6-2, 190 pounder was also in Scott Stadium for Virginia’s win over Richmond last month. Jennings will be in Wisconsin this weekend for an official visit, but has not announced any other visits yet. Keep it here for the latest.

Off the Board:

We are still a year and a half away from signing day 2016, but one of UVa’s targets for that class is off the board. LCA safety Tim Glass verbally committed to NC State last Friday. The Wahoos offered Glass following a one-day camp last summer, but the three-star defensive back elected to run with the Wolfpack.

Thursday Night Lights:

Due to the observance of Yom Kippur, many 757-area games were played last Thursday, including the Beach District battle between Ocean Lakes and Kempsville. The Dolphins walked away with a decisive 56-0 win, thanks to five-star WR/DB Levonta Taylor. Taylor hauled in five catches for 76 yards and two touchdowns in the blowout. The five-star is so versatile, that many schools, including UVa have told Taylor that they could see him playing on both sides of the ball at the next level.

Offer Extended:

Switching gears to hoops, were head coach Tony Bennett and his staff extended an important 2016 offer last week.

The Hoos have several point guard options on the table for 2016 already, but you can now add four-star Temple Gibbs to the list. Gibbs has been on a hot streak this fall, adding offers from Georgia Tech and Boston College in addition to the Wahoos. Virginia is also in the mix for five star point guard Tyrus Battle, and four-star Curtis Jones. The Cavaliers already have three-star combo guard Ty Jerome in the fold for 2016.

Speaking of Jerome:

It was another weekend, and another standout performance for the UVa commit. Last Sunday, Jerome participated in the NYC vs. Long Island Challenge, which was a part of the Jim Couch Super 16 National Training Showcase. Jerome stole the show, scoring 30 points and taking home MVP honors for the contest.

That’s all for this today’s Recruiting Roundup. Have a great week everybody!