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Cavs' goal: Get 'em near home

June 15, 2008 12:15 am

BY TAFT COGHILL JR.

The numbers were staggering.

And not even the staunchest of the University of Virginia football program's supporters could ignore them.

The Cavaliers had signed just three high school seniors from Virginia in their 2008 class this past February, while rival Virginia Tech hauled in 22.

It was easily the fewest in-state recruits Cavaliers head coach Al Groh had delivered in his tenure, which began in 2001.

Groh has said the pool of players who fit the academic and athletic model for the Cavaliers wasn't big last year, but some aren't easily convinced.

"I don't think anyone was satisfied or would accept that type of performance on a consistent basis," said Charles McDaniel, a Fredericksburg resident and former Virginia standout linebacker, who is on the executive committee of the Virginia Athletic Foundation.

"We should've doubled that total at least. I think we could've gotten eight to 10, but we simply got beat by some other programs."

Groh has made sure that won't be the case for the 2009 class.

The Cavaliers have taken oral commitments from 15 high school juniors and 10 are from Virginia, including Chancellor running back Dominique Wallace, Liberty defensive back Corey Lillard and Orange quarterback Quintin Hunter.

The early recruiting success has Virginia supporters optimistic about the final outcome of the 2009 class, which will probably include at least 22 players in February.

"You'd better believe that those kids who have given an oral commitment are out there helping us recruit," said McDaniel, who is also a member of an advisory board of ex-players picked by Groh. "It just builds on itself."

A renewed commitment

Liberty head coach Tom Buzzo has had eight players sign with Division I-A colleges in his seven-year tenure, but none chose Virginia--until Lillard.

"The thing they did differently with Corey than any of our other players was how fast they offered him," Buzzo said. "They offered Corey before we even finished playing."

Buzzo said Virginia was the last interested school to offer a scholarship to former offensive linemen Brandon Gore, who later signed with Virginia Tech, and Alex Stadler, who signed with Alabama and later transferred to Liberty University.

Lillard went on to receive offers from Wake Forest, Boston College, Arkansas, Rutgers, Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State, but none had a realistic chance because of the Cavaliers' early aggressiveness.

"They were on [Lillard] so early and often, it was amazing," Buzzo said. "When everybody else got onboard, Virginia was so far ahead. He had probably been [to Virginia] 11 or 12 times before he had seen or heard from anybody else."

Buzzo added that the Cavaliers "made every visit they could without breaking the rules."

That was a change from the coach's earlier dealings with the Cavaliers, including in 2003 when they didn't recruit defensive back A.J. Brown until he had orally committed to Syracuse. Brown went on to sign with the Orange, and Virginia never offered.

That scenario isn't likely this year.

The Cavaliers were also the first school to offer Wallace and Hunter.

Hunter said the Cavaliers' constant attention won him over.

"They were contacting my coaches two times a week," he said. "When you're around people often, you get comfortable with them. It's like a family."

Tech-nical difficulties

Hunter and the other new Virginia recruits were about 8 years old when Virginia Tech quarterback Michael Vick became a household name.

For Hunter, Vick's national championship game performance in a loss to Florida State was his first memory of watching college football.

That Sugar Bowl contest and the Hokies' six subsequent 10-win seasons have left quite an impression on the current generation of state players and often put Virginia at a disadvantage in recruiting.

"When I was little, I always liked Virginia Tech because of Michael Vick," Hunter said. "It was always Michael Vick, Michael Vick. But I'm grown up now, and things have changed."

One reason things have changed this year is the Hokies' lack of available scholarships.

They signed 31 players last year, leaving them with a limited number for this season, which is one theory for Virginia's success.

"If you look at the few scholarships that Virginia Tech has to give out, it's almost a one-horse race for these kids," Buzzo said.

That's good news for Virginia, because the Hokies have proved tough to contend with in head-to-head recruiting battles.

McDaniel said part of the reason for that is Virginia "is not dealt the same deck of cards as Virginia Tech" when it comes to tough academic standards.

"I think Virginia has used that as an excuse in the past," McDaniel said. "I don't think we can anymore. We have to go after some of those kids."

McDaniel said the Cavaliers are looking into ways to offer better academic support to their players once they arrive on campus.

He wants to avoid situations like this offseason when several key players, including starting quarterback Jameel Sewell, were dismissed from school because of poor academics. The attrition dampened the enthusiasm from a nine-win season.

"We do the recruits a disservice, and it hurts us in recruiting," McDaniel said. "[Other coaches] are saying, 'Hey, you're going to Virginia. You're not going to be able to graduate. It's too tough.' But if we get them in, we have a responsibility and they have a responsibility to work hard."

Making an impression

The Cavaliers' coaching staff has certainly put in the hard work.

First-year defensive coordinator Bob Pruett recruits the talent-rich Hampton Roads area, and he's already come away with two commitments there.

Wide receivers coach Wayne Lineberg primarily recruited Lillard and Hunter. Wallace was recruited by defensive backs coach Steve Bernstein.

"To me, he was really straightforward," Wallace said of Bernstein. "He doesn't just tell you what you want to hear."

Wallace said Groh "is a great speaker."

He added that he and his mother "enjoyed [Groh's] swagger" when they visited for a Gator Bowl practice in December.

Once Wallace committed to the Cavaliers in February, he swayed Hunter, a close friend, who then helped deliver Lillard, a friend of Hunter's since early childhood.

The trio is now hoping to convince Brooke Point standout defensive end Lanford Collins to commit soon. Collins said Virginia, Virginia Tech and Penn State are his top choices, but he'll make a decision when he's comfortable.

"I'm not in that much of a hurry," Collins said.

The buddy system paid off this year, but McDaniel said it should also help that Groh has made some changes with his staff.

He's refocused running backs coach Anthony Poindexter's recruiting efforts to Northern Virginia and Lynchburg instead of the random scouting he did in the past.

It's all added up to a much better showing than the troubling numbers for the 2008 class.

"Last year, it was not as good a crop of players who fit the Virginia culture, but it wasn't as bad as we made it out to be," McDaniel said. "Groh knows the effort that's expected, and I think you're seeing that this year."

Taft Coghill Jr.: 540/374-5526
Email: tcoghill@freelancestar.com