Welcome to another edition of Recruiting Roundup! Today, we will preview the big basketball recruiting weekend ahead, and touch up on a key football prospect for the class of 2016.
Let's go!
Hunter Set to Visit:
With Mamadi Diakite officially a member of the Virginia Basketball program, head coach Tony Bennett can now turn his attention to closing out the class of 2016. The Wahoos have one scholarship left for this class, and by all accounts, the reigning two-time ACC Coach of the Year has every intention of using it.
For all intents and purposes, the Hoos are down to two four-star wings for the final remaining scholarship… DeAndre Hunter and Braxton Blackwell. Several days ago, the former announced that he will take an official visit to grounds this coming weekend. This is a huge development, and the timing could not have worked out any better for the Wahoos. Hunter, who last visited UVa in early August, is one of the hottest prospects in the entire class of 2016. Over the summer, Hunter's offer list nearly doubled in size, as the 6-7, 195-pound small forward picked up offers from UVa, Maryland, Georgetown, Villanova, UConn, and more.
Hunter will make his much-anticiaped trip to grounds this weekend, but the Rivals Top-100 prospect will not be alone. Virginia's 2016 commits Kyle Guy, Ty Jerome, and Jay Huff will also be in the house, and that the trio of future Hoos will likely be in Hunter's ear the entire time. We are not ruling out a commitment from Hunter this weekend, but this one is likely to drag out a little bit longer. Hunter's stock soared in late-July, and the talented wing is still evaluating his options. The PA native is scheduled to take an official visit to Oklahoma State on September 18th, and we will know a lot more about where things stand following the trip to Stillwater.
Check out Hunter's highlight tape above. His athleticism and ability to score would be a perfect compliment to the army of shooters already in the fold for the class of 2016.
Offer Extended:
With 2016 almost wrapped up, and so few scholarships available for 2017, it is never too early discuss the class of 2018! Last week, the Wahoos extended an offer to sophomore point guard Darius Garland. Garland exploded onto the scene as a freshman in 2014-15, averaging 13 points, 2.7 assists, and 2.7 rebounds per contest. The six-foot guard earned several All-State honors, and helped lead his team to a state championship in Tennessee.
With the Cavaliers losing five scholarship players prior to the 2018 season, the Hoos will need to load up on talent in the recruiting class, and a top flight point guard would be an excellent centerpiece. Obviously, there is a ton of time left in this one.
Mounting a Rally:
Switching gears to football, where it appeared for the better part of 2015 that Virginia was out of the running for in-state defensive tackle Sulaiman Kamara. However, on September 1st, the Hoos received some great news on the Kamara front. The 6-1, 290-pound tackle announced his top five schools, and UVa made the cut. The Wahoos join East Carolina, North Carolina, Temple, and Wake Forest in the Kamara sweepstakes.
While Virginia has enough wide receives and defensive backs to sink a ship for 2016, the Cavaliers are lacking bodies in the trenches, particularly in the middle. Kamara is the 26th best defensive tackle in the entire class of 2016 per Rivals. Seeing as how Kamara is a highly-ranked prospect at a position of need and attends one of the state's top high school programs, the Hermitage standout would be a huge get for the Orange and Blue in 2016.
Kamara has not announced any official visits yet, but if UVa remains among the top five schools, the Wahoos are sure to get one.
New football offer:
On Tuesday night, just hours before the completion of Recruiting Roundup, 2017 Maryland athlete Cameron Sullivan-Brown announced on Twitter that he had received an offer from the University of Virginia. The Wahoos are the 10th school to extend an offer Sullivan-Brown's way, joining the likes of Kansas, NC State, and Temple among others. The six-foot-one, 175-pound speedster can play either defensive back or wide receiver, and has an impressive highlight reel at both positions.
That will do it for this edition of Recruiting Roundup. See ya!