Commitment! Virginia football lads Woodberry Forest tight end John Kirven

A top-25 player in the state of Virginia is a great way to kick off a recruiting class.

On Tuesday evening, the Virginia football program reeled in its first pledge for the class of 2017, when Woodberry Forest tight end John Kirven committed to the Orange and Blue.

Kirven is a consensus three-star prospect, and ranked among the top 25 prospects in the Commonwealth for the class of 2017.

The six-foot-six, 240-pound tight end last visited grounds for UVa's loss to Notre Dame on September 12, and it took just over a month for Kirven to bring his recruitment to a close.

Kirven received interest from Clemson, Vanderbilt, and Wake Forest among others, but the three-star tight end has been a heavy UVa lean since April. Kirven is of course the younger brother of Virginia basketball player Caid Kirven, and has been to the University's grounds countless times over the last several years.

The Wahoos have hit the tight end position hard in the past two cycles, and Kirven will fit in perfectly with the tight ends already in the fold. Between current UVa freshman Richard Burney, 2016 commit Andrew Trainer, and now Kirven, the Hoos will have several big athletic targets at tight end for years to come.

The junior tight end is a part of a loaded Woodberry Forest offense, led by blue chip quarterback Lindell Stone. Stone, who earned an offer from UCLA before his first day of high school, also holds an offer from UVa. The junior signal-caller is close friends with Kirven, and you can bet that UVa's newest pledge will be in Stone's ear for the next year or so.

Living right in UVa's backyard and having such close ties to the school, Kirven is plenty familiar with the coaching situation at Virginia. While there may be several flight risks in the class of 2016, we expect Kirven to sign with UVa in February 2017, regardless of who is leading the program.