Virginia Football Recruiting Roundup: Ronnie Walker picks Indiana over UVA

Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention, please. May I have your attention, PLEASE!?

It’s football season.

This weekend, the 2017 recruits will have their first opportunity to impress us and I couldn't be more excited. HOWEVER, the Virginia Cavaliers’ 2018 recruits had an exciting week as well.

Let’s get to it.

Commitments

The big news of the week was less than savory.

Four-star running back Ronnie Walker chose Indiana University over Michigan State and Virginia in a live stream video from his high school in Hopewell, Va., and this tweet from his personal account.

It would have been a great sign for the coaching staff figuring out in-state recruiting, but it’s not the end of the world for Virginia’s 2018 running back class, as it already includes the talented Wayne Taulapapa.

While I can’t encourage any of you to tweet at recruits, (seriously, please don’t), you should all keep that fire burning until next year when the Hoos face Walker in Bloomington, Indiana, on September 8th.

Offers

The Cavaliers offered 2018 wide receiver Devin Ravenel following his visit to Charlottesville this past weekend.

UVA offered Ravenel as an athlete despite his current commitment to James Madison as a wide receiver. At 6’1, 180 pounds, Ravenel could be versatile enough to switch to cornerback in Charlottesville.

Updates on Commits

The rest of the 2018 class is just getting started with their final high school seasons and so far, they have been nothing but impressive. Here a couple notables from this week.

Wyatt Rector, QB: Rector threw for 311 yards and two scores while adding 68 yards and three scores on the ground in his opening week game for Leesburg High School.

Noah Taylor, OLB: Taylor had a solid opening game for Avalon High School. He blew up multiple screens, showed surprisingly good coverage skills and nearly came down with an interception. Color me impressed!

Samson Reed, DE: Reed, AKA the “Silverback Gorilla,” had his second solid week in a row after he recorded four sacks. This followed his performance last week where he recorded multiple tackles for loss. In two game this season the Reed-led defense has yet to give up a score. Not. Too. Shabby.

What To Watch For

While the 2018 class has room for improvement, there is certainly space for optimism, too. The coaching staff continues to try and add depth while the commits continue to improve and dominate local competition. For a program that has had its struggles recently, this is good news.

Under Armour All-American and Virginia recruit Jacob Isaia will be visiting Michigan State in the opening weeks of the new season. Don’t be surprised to see him come off the board by the end of September.

For this week though, my friends, don’t listen to what the prognosticators are saying. Don’t believe the preseason rankings. Football is back and the Cavaliers are UNDEFEATED.

I will see you all at Scott. Let’s ride.