Brown, long considered a heavy lean to Virginia Tech, stunned everyone by naming Virginia as his strong leader a few weeks back. After an official visit to Maryland this past weekend, the Cavs and Terps are battling this one out with the Hokies on the outside looking in. So what's the deal?
No one is truly certain what's going on between Tech and Brown, but the 5-foot-11, 185-pounder still says he has interest in Tech and will likely take an official visit there on Jan. 31, rebuffing internet rumors that the Hokies have pulled their offer.
Brown is expected to visit Clemson this weekend and has Virginia on Jan. 17. However, the weekend of Jan. 24 could be the most important weekend of all as Brown will be taking the SAT.
He still hasn't qualified academically, but is closer than most think with a 790 on his last attempt. If Brown qualifies and ends up at Virginia, it will be a huge deal for the Cavaliers. His play-making ability on special teams could impact UVa right away and he and Marcus Hamilton could become one of the best shut-down cornerback duos in the ACC.
With Brown getting most of the attention the past few weeks, Bethel standout defensive end Chris Ellis is quietly ready to begin his official visit schedule. Ellis, a 6-5, 230-pounder, visits Maryland this weekend and has his trip to UVa set for Jan. 17, the same weekend as Brown.
After that he has a mid-week visit with Tennessee (Jan. 20), his official visit to Virginia Tech (Jan. 24) and a scheduled trip to NC State (Jan. 31) that he may or may not make. Ellis said that he's aware of Brown's situation and if the Phoebus stud ended up at Virginia, it would certainly be a point in the Cavaliers favor.
However, Ellis is closer with another Phoebus standout, linebacker Xavier Adibi, and the two spoke once again at a basketball tournament over the Holidays. Adibi is more of a lean to Virginia Tech than ever now that his teammate and best friend, athlete D.J. Parker, has been offered by the Hokies. Parker won't qualify academically and will spend at least one semester at Fork Union Military Academy before enrolling.
He'll be visiting Blacksburg with Adibi and Ellis on Jan. 24 and won't count towards this year's scholarship numbers for Tech. The 6-0, 175-pounder might be considered a safety net for the Hokies in case they lose Brown. He might also have received the scholarship earmarked for Brown if Tech has truly lost interest. This will get interesting down the stretch.
The Cavaliers are in a holding pattern of sorts, waiting for many of their top targets to visit and make their decision. Brown, Ellis and Robinson wideout/safety Chase Anastasio all have scholarships waiting for them if they want to jump on board and each will be on hand Jan. 17 for their visits.
The Cavs have backed off a few different wide receiver prospects over the last few weeks including Delran, N.J., speedster James Townsend and Morganton, N.C., wideout Chris Jefferson, so the assumption is that they feel very confident when it comes to their chances with Anastasio. The 6-2, 190-pounder is also scheduled to visit Virginia Tech on Jan. 24 and has already been to Notre Dame and Ohio State, but I think he commits on his official visit to Charlottesville.
After the in-state trio mentioned above, the Cavs are holding space for at least two linebackers if they can get them. At the top of the list is Hackensack, N.J., linebacker Jermaine Dias, a 6-3, 215-pound difference maker who is down to UVa, Boston College, Maryland and North Carolina.
He'll take his official trip to Charlottesville on Jan. 17 as well. Elizabethton, Tenn., defensive end Vincent Redd is also high on UVa's list at linebacker, despite his 6-7, 240-pound frame. Redd has already visited Virginia and Virginia Tech and has Arkansas (this weekend), South Carolina (Jan. 17) and Tennessee (Jan. 31) left on his schedule. Most in the know feel that Redd is a lock for the Vols.
Roswell, Ga., sleeper Emmanuel Awofadeju is also high on the Cavs list and scheduled to visit UVa on Jan. 24. However, Awofadeju favors Stanford and could be off the market by the time his visit rolls around. Virginia has also talked to Camden, N.J., defensive end Claude "Turk" McBride about playing some linebacker and the 6-foot-4, 235-pounder is very interested. Reportedly, McBride is set to cancel his Miami visit set for Jan. 17 and visit Charlottesville instead.
Ohio State seems to be the team to beat, but Virginia is gaining fast along with Tennessee and N.C. State.
If Virginia strikes out on all of the above linebackers or land just one of them, they will almost certainly offer Virginia Beach defensive end Sherman Logan as a linebacker. Logan, a 6-3, 230-pound sleeper, has offers from James Madison, Richmond and Delaware but said he'd commit to Virginia if they offered. He's already been on his official visit and said he expects to hear from the Cavaliers by Jan. 31 or earlier.
Virginia would take Logan over some other higher-rated out-of-state candidates because he plays a position they covet, is an in-state player and has a tremendous upside. Most who have seen the difference between Logan's junior and senior years rave about his long-term potential; he improved that much.
There's still a chance that Virginia will take Roselle, N.J., athlete Jesse Holley as a wideout, even if they land Anastasio as expected. If the Cavs find themselves with a few scholarships available over the next few weeks, the 6-4, 190-pounder will be very tempting. He's down to Virginia and Ohio State and will visit the Buckeyes on Jan. 17.
Ohio State wants Holley very badly despite limited scholarship numbers because he can play many different positions and he's also a top-notch basketball player who could start for most college programs by his sophomore season. When's the last time Virginia had to think about backing off a player that the defending national champions covet? UVa recruiting sure has changed over the last two years.