The Virginia Cavaliers reeled in their highest-rated member of the Class of 2021 yet, as outside linebacker Josh McCarron out of Washington tweeted his commitment on Tuesday afternoon.
“...thank you to all the coaches that recruited me in this process,” McCarron included in his commitment tweet. “With that being said, I know where I want to spend the next 4-5 years of my life. I will be attending the University of Virginia.”
100% Committed #GoHoos pic.twitter.com/zhZxOg4sJi
— Josh McCarron (@josh_mccarron8) April 21, 2020
Rated four stars by both Rivals and 24/7, McCarron is the sixth commitment of the Class of 2021 and the first four-star commit. He chose Virginia over offers from Virginia Tech, UCLA, Washington State, Boise State, and 13 other schools.
At 6’4” and 215 pounds, McCarron posted 21 sacks and 30 tackles for loss in his junior season. He was named to the AP’s Washington State first team on the defensive line and earned Everett Herald Defensive Player of the Year honors.
He had previously told Rivals that one of the reasons he was considering Virginia is that, while UVA has done “great stuff” getting linebackers into the NFL, that wasn’t his ultimate focus, and having the backing of Virginia’s academics was “very interesting.”
Here’s highlights from McCarron’s junior season, where you can watch him pressure and pancake quarterbacks over and over.