COMMITMENT! Virginia football snags big-bodied wide receiver Dorien Goddard

The Virginia Cavaliers have eight wide receivers on the current roster who are in their first or second year with the program. Four more will join this fall from the 2018 recruiting class. None of those twelve stand taller than 6-foot-2.

That will change in 2019.

Six-foot-three wide receiver Dorien Goddard committed to UVA on Thursday, becoming the third member of the Hoos’ class of 2019.

Rated three-stars and an 82 by 247Sports, Goddard hails from Greeneville, Tennessee. He chose UVA over offers from Georgia Tech and Central Michigan.

Dude is a YAC machine. Even at his size, he’s got the wheels to make an impact in the screen/swing game. He displays really good balance, too, which lets him bounce off of tacklers who have him less than squared up. His technique in catching with his hands is good: away from his frame, not just waiting for the ball to come land in his forearms or biceps. Crisper routes will be necessary when facing players who aren’t as mismatched against his combination of speed and size. There’s also not a lot of jump-ball action on his film, or run blocking; both are likely to be elements of the role he’s asked to play at Virginia.

Goddard joins the duo of Florida speedsters—Major Williams and Seneca Milledge—who committed in late February.

Welcome to Virginia, Dorien!