Cavs' 2007 class one of Groh's best
By Jerry Ratcliffe / jratcliffe@dailyprogress.com | 978-7251
February 8, 2007

When Virginia’s Letters of Intent began to roll into the offices at the McCue Center early Wednesday morning, there weren’t wild celebrations, party hats or confetti.

While there was little suspense for the Cavaliers on this National Signing Day, it just may have been the best football recruiting class assembled during the Al Groh era.

The thought won’t be reflected in the rankings produced by all those national recruiting services, but rather where it counts most: on UVa’s recruiting board.

For at least a month now, Virginia coaches have believed this was the best class, both athletically and academically, from top to bottom, that has signed on the dotted line in Groh’s seven recruiting classes.

Check the boxes

While there was little suspense for the Cavaliers on this National Signing Day, it just may have been the best football recruiting class assembled during the Al Groh era.

Academically sound? Check. Groh said he expected all 24 signees to be in camp come August. Certainly, that wasn’t the case a year ago when eight players either were forced to sign elsewhere or attend prep school because of academic shortcomings. Two of those, by the way, are among this new class (Ras-I Dowling and Billy Cuffee).

Athletically sound? Check. The coach believes this class will add greatly to the overall team speed, particularly at wide receiver. He likes the versatility that he prizes among prospects in that some can play on either side of the ball or potentially at multiple positions.

Respected? Check. This class was ranked 24th nationally by Rivals.com at last glance, having fluctuated between No. 20 and No. 25 the past two days.

There are seven players that earned four-star ratings by Rivals and four SuperPrep All-Americans (quarterback Peter Lalich, linebacker J’Courtney Williams, wide receiver Chase Minnifield and defensive tackle Nick Jenkins).

Virginia’s linebackers (Williams, Jared Detrick, Terence Fells-Danzer and Aaron Taliaferro) ranked No. 1 at that position in the ACC and 10th nationally in the Rivals.com ratings.

One of Groh’s best

Groh said he would have to go back and study all the classes brought in during his time at Virginia before he could rate this one first, second or third, but admitted it was in that echelon. He revealed that the coaching staff rated it the best.

“It’s got so many of the qualities that we like,” Groh said. “It’s got the athletic ability. It’s got the versatility. I would say that about a lot of these players. [The class has] a high level of competitive toughness about it. It’s very solid academically, but all of those things add up to it. It’s a lot of guys of a very achievement-oriented mindset … just kinda ‘Can Do’ people.”

The Cavaliers pretty much filled their biggest needs at wide receiver and at linebacker.

They also made strides on the offensive line, particularly with the late addition of D.C.’s Lamar Milstead, who decommitted from North Carolina after the coaching switch and followed his heart to Hooville.

“Last year we went through the linebackers position a little low in numbers,” Groh said. “While we do have some [redshirt freshmen], five or six of them we project as candidates for playing time this season, we needed to build our numbers in that area a little bit, similarly to the wide receivers positions.”

Perhaps of all the good things said about this class, the best thing is that it may not be needed for a while thanks to Groh’s decision to redshirt practically the entire freshman class last season. Only one of those players was used, giving the others a year to grow and mature, while slowly integrating itself into the Wahoo system.

Unless something unexpected occurs, that should be the case with the majority of this fresh class signed on Wednesday.

Groh said that Jenkins, the strong defensive tackle from Damascus, Md., is the one player from this class that Virginia will likely play as a true freshman. While he didn’t rule others out, he didn’t necessarily rule them in, either.

Certainly Wake Forest showed the rest of the world the benefits of redshirting this past season when the Deacons took a program that regularly redshirts class after class and won the ACC Championship with players that have never earned the respect of the national recruiting analysts.

Groh likes to take shots at those ratings and shrugs off their importance in the real world of football recruiting.

“The only ratings that count are the ones we put on our board,” the Virginia coach said. “In our eyes [UVa’s recruits] are all beautiful and have a high rating and a purpose for why we brought them here.”

Clearly this class doesn’t have the glitter of some previous efforts, particularly the one that hauled in several Parade All-Americans such as Ahmad Brooks, Kai Parham and Michael Johnson. However, should this class stick around for the long haul, it could have a greater impact.

Now that is reason to celebrate.

 

Cavs continue to plug holes
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7247
February 8, 2007

The madness known as football recruiting started 11 months ago for the University of Virginia with one phone call.

Jared Detrick, a linebacker from Newport News, kicked off the Cavaliers’ recruiting class for 2007 with a verbal commitment.

Two days later, defensive back Dom Joseph joined the party that officially came to fruition on Wednesday when 24 players, one shy of the Division I-A scholarship limit, inked National Letters of Intent with UVa.

“It has been a long time coming,” Joseph joked. “It’s funny because when I gave my verbal last March I felt like I had signed already.

“Now it is finally here. It is relieving and exciting and a whole lot of pressure has been lifted off my back.”

Rivals.com ranked the Cavaliers’ class - one that includes 12 in-state products - as the nation’s 24th-best. ESPN was not far behind, slotting the Cavaliers’ crop at No. 27.

“I see endless potential in this class,” Joseph added. “I go onto Rivals.com all the time and watch their highlight videos, and the guys in this class are good.

“As long as we play like a team, combined with our coaching staff, I think we can be a great team for years.”

The class includes seven four-star commitments, the most for UVa since 2002. There are also 11 three-star players among the contingent.

Most experts consider the headliners to be highly touted linebackers J’Courtney Williams and Terence Fells-Danzer and quarterback Peter Lalich.

Interestingly, Lalich’s NLI was the first to arrive via fax Wednesday morning.

Virginia coach Al Groh admitted that he puts very little stock in the various rankings of the ever-growing amount of recruiting services, but said the class is among the best entering his seventh year at his alma mater.

“I would have to take a real studied approach to say whether it is first, second or third, but it’s up there,” Groh said. “The only ratings that count are the ones that we put on our board.

“Obviously, every player that we take we see a real purpose for them. I guess the way to say it is, ‘In our eyes, they are all beautiful.’”

The class addressed a number of needs for the Cavaliers’ coaching staff, from wide receiver to long snapper to the offensive line.

While Groh said long-term positions would not be settled on a number of two-way stars at the high school level until after practice starts next fall, the door is open for some, including defensive lineman Nick Jenkins (Westminster, Md.), to see immediate playing time. That was not the case in 2006, when every player in the smaller-than-normal recruiting class except nose tackle Nate Collins redshirted.

“At whatever rate each particular player develops will determine when we are going to use them,” Groh said. “And we are certainly open to that as we have been in the past.”

Regardless of when the respective players make their impacts at UVa, Groh said it was personally beneficial “to get reminded of what a big day it is for so many of these kids to officially say that they are a Virginia Cavalier.

“It was a lot of fun to take part in that with them. That’s probably the overriding feeling about the day amongst the staff.”

Thanks to the expectation of an uneventful signing day at the McCue Center, at least drama-wise, the focus had shifted weeks ago to the Class of 2008 for the Cavaliers’ staff, including new recruiting coordinator Bob Price (Groh announced that Price had replaced offensive coordinator Mike Groh, his son, in that role months ago).

“You know when the chase ends?” Groh asked.

“When Denny’s closes.”

Staying put

All indications from Virginia’s head coach on Wednesday were that defensive coordinator Mike London would be remaining on Virginia’s staff.

London had been linked to the coaching vacancy at Old Dominion, a school planning to revive its program in 2009 after a 69-year hiatus.

“I’ll leave it for Mike to make the final comment, but I feel very positive about the stability of our staff situation,” Groh said.

Sources with knowledge of the situation said London is in the process of reworking his contract at UVa and that a press release is expected by early next week.

Groh said the search for a strength coach is still ongoing. Evan Marcus left that position last month to become the strength coach for the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons.

 

Soroye the unlikely hero
By Whitelaw Reid / wreid@dailyprogress.com
February 8, 2007

Can you say “Tunji Time?”

It’s a phrase Wahoo Nation was thinking it might never hear - not after a bout with malaria, a sports hernia injury and even more dropped passes than Terrell Owens had this season.

But on Tuesday night at the Comcast Center, Tunji Soroye - a player not known for having great hands - didn’t fumble.

The 6-foot-11 center notched a career-high 11 rebounds, blocked four shots and hit three clutch free throws that propelled Virginia to a 69-65 win over Maryland.

“I’m proud of him because he’s gone through a lot and has had to persevere through so many different things to get to this point,” said Virginia coach Dave Leitao, whose first-place team plays at Virginia Tech on Saturday. “I’m happy that he could get some kind of reward like he got.”

Soroye said his performance wasn’t the best of his career. However, it’s hard to fathom him having had a greater impact in a college game than he did on Tuesday.

The fun-loving Nigerian was a monster on the defensive end. Using his long arms, he was able to alter numerous Maryland shots in the closing minutes.

In addition, he secured key rebounds and nailed 3 of 4 free throws in the final 2:02 of the contest.

“This [game] will really help me because everyone could tell that I was mentally down,” Soroye said, “and thinking about what was going on.”

It was following a visit to Nigeria after his freshman season that Soroye contracted malaria. He was healthy by the beginning of last season, but the time he missed in the team’s offseason conditioning program set him back. Soroye wound up averaging just 1.8 points and 3.5 rebounds.

This past summer, the junior had the most successful offseason of any Virginia player. He packed nearly 30 pounds of muscle onto his frame and came into the season with an air of confidence. However, before UVa even played a game, he suffered a sports hernia injury.

“I worked so hard over the summer,” Soroye said, “and I couldn’t believe what was happening - having to sit out [four games] after surgery.”

Heading into the Maryland game, Soroye was averaging just 1.3 points and 2.1 rebounds. He nearly had as many turnovers (14) as points (20).

Leitao said a recent chat with Virginia assistant coach Steve Seymour helped Soroye turn the corner.

“He had a pretty good conversation with him about at least coming with some more energy,” Leitao said. “He did that in practice, and obviously [Tuesday night] it showed.”

Added Soroye: “He told me to just keep my head up and keep working hard.”

Against Maryland, Soroye played a season-high 25 minutes - and was on the floor when the game was on the line. As Virginia players retreated to the locker room, they chanted “Tunji! Tunji! Tunji!”

Leitao said his big fella is a prime example of the kind of role player all successful teams have. In addition to Soroye’s heroics on Tuesday, Adrian Joseph, Lars Mikalauskas and Jason Cain all made key contributions.

“Top to bottom, we have good leadership,” Leitao said. “Our role guys have bought in. There’s no squabbling if a guy doesn’t play as much - there’s none of that.

“As a result, we have a clear locker room and a clear practice, which, from a coaching standpoint, is all you can ask for.”

 

Groh suggests London may pull out of consideration at ODU
By JIM DUCIBELLA, The Virginian-Pilot
© February 7, 2007 | Last updated 11:30 PM Feb. 7

University of Virginia football coach Al Groh hinted strongly Wednesday that his defensive coordinator, Mike London, is seriously considering withdrawing as a candidate for the head-coaching opening at Old Dominion University.

Asked about London during a news conference to talk about 2007 football signings, Groh replied: "I'll leave it for Mike to make the final comment, but I feel very positive about the stability of our staff situation."

When reached Wednesday night at a recruiting celebration in Charlottesville, London declined to comment. One university official, who asked not to be named, said he expected London to address the situation publicly in the near future.

This week, Virginia athletic director Craig Littlepage said he had met with London and was doing everything he could to retain him.

ODU officials, who have maintained that they would not talk about specific candidates during the search process, could not be reached by phone and did not respond to e-mails asking about London's status.

London is 1 of 3 candidates who have interviewed for the job of resurrecting the ODU football program, which last played in 1940.

The other known candidates are William and Mary associate head coach Bob Solderitch and Maine assistant head coach Bobby Wilder.

The university's search committee is expected to interview at least one more candidate.

University officials have stated that they intend to announce a hiring decision by mid-February.

London, 46, is a Hampton native who returned to Virginia for a second time last season after one year as defensive line coach of the NFL's Houston Texans. Under London, Virginia finished 17th in the nation in defense, allowing 289 yards per game, 86 yards fewer than the previous season. The Cavaliers also ranked 14th in pass defense and 24th in points allowed, at just 18 per game.

Recruiting coordinator was also a job he held at Virginia, producing three consecutive nationally ranked classes before leaving for the NFL.

Prior to joining Groh's staff for the first time in 2001, London served as defensive line coach at Boston College under former Virginia top assistant Tom O'Brien.
 

London better served at U.Va. than ODU
Dave Fairbank
February 6 2007

As college football recruiters lock up the Class of 2007, one of the area's bigger sales jobs plays out at a place without the first helmet or tackling dummy.

Old Dominion seeks a head coach for its start-up program. There are dozens of interested parties, but the Monarchs' short list appears to include Virginia assistant and Hampton native Mike London.

London is an attractive candidate for several reasons: local ties; experience at the highest level of college football and the NFL; the fact that he would give ODU its only African-American head coach.

Not to mention that he is a surpassingly decent and principled fellow.

London, the Cavaliers' defensive coordinator, doesn't need career advice from a keyboard jockey who can barely coordinate his socks, but here goes:

Withdraw. Stay put. Thank ODU officials for their interest. Tell them you're flattered and honored. Wish them luck.

Then go back to Virginia and continue what you began last season and during your previous stint in Charlottesville.

Several factors in play are money, timing, ambition and uncertainty.

The man hiring ODU's first coach might not be around to see him coach his first game, which, by the way, is still more than two years away.

Longtime athletic director Jim Jarrett is 69. While there's no reason to assume that his successor will be antagonistic toward the football coach he or she inherits, the college athletic highway is littered with the remains of mismatched coaches and administrators.

The ODU football job requires at least a five-year commitment. The first two years will be spent not coaching a single game.

As much promise as everyone seems to think ODU football holds because of the local talent pool, the first couple years of actual competition figure to include some difficulties as the program gets up to speed.

Even at full speed, the fact that the Monarchs are climbing aboard the best Division I-AA (sorry, Football Championship Subdivision) conference in the country, top to bottom, likely means more than a few long afternoons.

London is 46. He aims to be a college head coach, or perhaps return to the NFL. Obviously, ODU could provide him with a head coaching opportunity, but how open does the window remain for him as he passes 50?

He is likely to have more, and more attractive, options if he remains at U.Va. than if he bolts for Old Dominion.

Ron Prince parlayed three seasons as Virginia's offensive coordinator into the Kansas State job. London's predecessor, Al Golden, got the Temple job. Punchlines aside, Golden, a native of central New Jersey and a Penn State grad, wanted the job.

Last season, London's first as coordinator following a one-year hiatus with the NFL's Houston Texans, his unit ranked fourth in total defense in the ACC, sixth in scoring defense and third in pass defense with less talent than the Cavaliers have had in recent years.

Should London put together a few more standout seasons, the combination of his track record, the fact that he is African-American, and head coach Al Groh's connections figure to open a door or two. If London were still on staff when Chairman Al eventually departs, he figures to be a viable candidate for the Big Office.

And then there is the small matter of money. ODU cannot come close to London's 240 large take-home pay this year at Virginia without skewing its own athletic department salary structure, as well as that of its competitive brethren.

London and his family enjoy a comfortable existence, while Groh - he of the one-presence, one-voice school of program communication - publicly absorbs the heat.

All that said, coming home is a powerful tug, as is the chance to build something from scratch in your image.

ODU officials hope to introduce a coach within the next week to 10 days.

London still might be the guy at the lectern, wearing the suit and the ODU hat. If the Monarchs land him, good for them.

If, however, London hears about the ODU press conference in his office three hours away, better for him.
 

UVa. lands local LBs, a top QB
While quarterback Peter Lalich highlights their recruiting class, the Cavaliers also landed two local linebackers.
By DARRYL SLATER
Daily Press
February 7, 2007, 9:17 PM EST

Aaron Taliaferro already had committed to play for Virginia's football team when he went to Charlottesville last summer for the Cavaliers' camp. So instead of hearing a sales pitch during his time there, he heard a technique primer.

Virginia coach Al Groh told Taliaferro and his Gloucester High coach, Tommy Reamon, what the Cavaliers' coaches value in their outside linebackers: a quick first step and the ability to control a blocker.

Taliaferro and Reamon worked on that when they returned to Gloucester, as Taliaferro moved last season from defensive end to linebacker, the position he will play for the Cavaliers.

Taliaferro was one of 24 recruits who signed national letters of intent with Virginia on Wednesday. Virginia battled depth problems at linebacker last year.

While the star of the class is quarterback Peter Lalich, the stars in the 3-4 defense are linebackers.

In addition to Taliaferro, Virginia signed two other linebackers: Woodside High's Jared Detrick and Culpeper's Terence Fells-Danzer, one the highest-rated players in Virginia's class. Groh hasn't decided whether they will play inside or outside, though Taliaferro expects to play outside.

"All three of these players are versatile players, and versatility is a trait that we prize in the players we recruit," Groh said.
 

NATIONAL SIGNING DAY
QBs going to Tech, Virginia fit Vick and Schaub molds
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Feb 8, 2007

In 1999 and 2000, Virginia Tech enjoyed football success with Michael Vick at quarterback. Not long afterward, the University of Virginia had a good stretch with Matt Schaub calling the signals.

They've moved on, teammates now with the Atlanta Falcons.

Their alma maters snared similar quarterbacks yesterday.

Tyrod Taylor of Hampton High and Peter Lalich of West Springfield are the consensus top two recruits in the state. Taylor, Vick-like in size at 6-1, 200 pounds, signed with Tech. Lalich, a tall player like Schaub at 6-5, 235, signed with Virginia.

"Tyrod Taylor," said longtime Hampton coach Mike Smith, "can make his mark right among the best of them. He's in the top echelon."
West Springfield coach Bill Renner said he never has had a quarterback as good as Lalich in 26 years of coaching.

"Not with the physical and mental talent," Renner said. "I think the combination is what makes him capable of playing right away."

Rivals.com ranks Taylor as the nation's 27th best prospect overall and the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the country. Lalich is not ranked in Rivals' top 100 nationally. He is the fifth-ranked pro-style quarterback.

As a senior, Taylor was named the Gatorade player of the year in the state. He threw for 1,538 yards and 15 touch downs. He ran for 788 yards and 21 touchdowns. Lalich's senior year included 3,134 yards and a 67.8 percent completion rate. He threw for 33 touchdowns.

Both players are well ahead of where they need to be to qualify for freshman eligibility, their coaches said.

Smith said it is wrong to think of Taylor as just an athlete playing quarterback, a sentiment with which Rivals recruiting analyst J.C. Shurburtt agrees.

"Tyrod is very disciplined and team-oriented," Smith said. "The little things that happen don't tend to distract him and bother him. When times get tough, he gets tougher. Let me tell you something, Tyrod can throw the ball, too. Our offense didn't dictate that we throw the ball every play. He has that ability."

Said Shurburtt, "He's a good quarterback. He can throw, he can read defenses, he has a great feel for the game. He's not a guy who is going to get out there and just rely on his athleticism."

Lalich is more known for his arm than his legs, though he did play receiver as a sophomore. Shurburtt attended an all-star camp in Orlando, Fla., and said Lalich "was the most impressive quarterback there. He can see the defense because of his height and he can zip the ball in there. He doesn't have a huge gun right now, but he's definitely an accurate passer most of the time. He's also very confident, a guy who can go out and lead the team. He has those intangibles."

Renner called Lalich's arm strength "exceptional," but added, "I don't think his arm strength is as big an attribute as his accuracy. He puts every throw on the money. I kind of got spoiled watching that. He's just so accurate. He doesn't throw many balls that aren't catchable."

How quickly will Taylor and Lalich play? Taylor would seem to have a quicker route. Sophomore Sean Glennon started all of Tech's games in 2006 and had a solid season, though it finished with a clunk with a loss to Georgia in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. Redshirt freshman Jameel Sewell took over as Virginia's starter early in the season and has three years' eligibility left.

Vick and Schaub each took a redshirt season, sitting out their first years. Quarterback is perhaps the toughest position for a true freshman to play. Both are capable, if needed, their prep coaches say.

"Tyrod is smart enough. He's certainly disciplined enough," Smith said. "He could actually do it. I'm sure he'll do whatever they ask him to do. For most quarterbacks, it's probably best that they get a year to get in there and get acclimated. I think the kid at Tech is good. I know he struggled some [in the bowl]. Tyrod has the athletic ability to get out of trouble if something collapses on him, and nowadays that's pretty important for a college quarterback. He can stretch a defense."

Said Renner, "There's no doubt in my mind that Peter could go in and run a college offense as a freshman. I understand the game goes faster, but that wouldn't be one of my concerns with Peter, mentally or physically. I think the only adjustment he's going to have to make is playing at the college-level speed day to day, and that's only a product of being there every day."

 

Grades not expected to throw Cavs for loss
Groh sees promising talent, solid academics in group led by Lalich
Richmond Times-Dispatch Feb 8, 2007

CHARLOTTESVILLE - For the second straight year, 24 football players faxed letters of intent to the University of Virginia on national signing day. This class, however, differs from its immediate predecessor in at least one significant way.

Academic issues kept eight of U.Va.'s 2006 recruits from enrolling for the current school year. Coach Al Groh is optimistic that all 24 players who signed yesterday will be admitted at U.Va. for the 2007-08 academic year.

"That would be every expectation, yes," Groh said yesterday at Scott Stadium.

The Cavaliers' latest class includes two players who originally signed last February: Ras-I Dowling and Billy Cuffee, former standouts at Chesapeake's Deep Creek High who are now in the postgraduate program at Hargrave Military Academy. It also includes two Central Region standouts: Matoaca High wide receiver Kris Burd and Henrico High's Corey Mosley, who's likely to end up at defensive back or tailback.

Groh is heading into his seventh season as coach at his alma mater. The class that signed with U.Va. in February 2002 included four Parade All-Americans. This class isn't as highly decorated, but many recruiting analysts believe it could turn out to be Groh's best.

"I'd have to take a real studied approach to say whether it's first, second or third, but it's certainly up there," Groh said. "It's got so many of the qualities we like. It's got the athletic ability, it's got the versatility. . . . It's got a high level of competitive toughness about it. It's very solid academically."

The jewel of the class is probably West Springfield High quarterback Peter Lalich, who also had scholarship offers from Michigan, Miami (Fla.), Arizona State, UCLA and Mississippi.

Of the 16 scholarship freshmen who enrolled at U.Va. last summer, only four were Virginians. More than half of this class - 13 players in all - is from the state.

Groh praised the work of assistant coach Bob Price, who took over as U.Va.'s recruiting coordinator last summer.

"It was a great overall team effort by the staff, but somebody's got to give it some direction," Groh said, "and Bob really had things well-organized in both the evalution phase and the determination of 'here's who should go where this particular week,' so we were covering all our bases all the time." - Jeff White
 

Soroye shines for Cavs
Post player Tunji Soroye plays tough defense and makes three critical free throws in Tuesday's win.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Almost everybody agreed that junior Tunji Soroye played the best game of his Virginia basketball career Tuesday night.

Everybody but Soroye.

"I don't think I've had my best game yet," said Soroye, who had a career-high 11 rebounds and a season-high four blocked shots as Virginia held off Maryland 69-65 at Comcast Center.

Soroye did not score from the field but made three of four free throws in the final 2:02, as the Terrapins were in the process of trimming a 15-point deficit to 66-65.

Soroye has never been a scorer during his career, but he periodically has provided a defensive presence at 6-foot-11 and 245 pounds.

That was clearly the case against Maryland's 6-9 Ekene Ibekwe, coming off a 6-for-6 shooting performance Saturday in the Terps' 79-72 victory at Wake Forest.

Ibewke was 2-for-8 against Virginia, with two of the misses resulting from Soroye blocks. The Cavaliers, who had not blocked more than six shots in a game this season, had nine against the Terps.

Maryland, which boasted the ACC's No. 1 and 3 shot-blockers in Ebekwe and James Gist, finished with four. The Cavaliers had more offensive rebounds (18) than Maryland had defensive rebounds (17) and enjoyed a 45-32 rebounding differential overall.

Remarkably, Virginia (16-6 overall, 8-2 ACC) won for the seventh time in a row and captured its third straight road victory on a night when season scoring leader Sean Singletary had 10 points -- nine under his average -- to go with two assists and four turnovers.

"Sean Singletary didn't have an `A' game today, but you need team wins sometimes if you're going to keep winning games," UVa head coach Dave Leitao said.

Senior guard J.R. Reynolds, averaging 26 points over the previous five games, was no less special Tuesday night. The Cavaliers had two field goals in the final 12:15 and Reynolds had both of them, but his biggest contribution came when he converted both ends of a one-and-one with 12.6 seconds left.

"I bank on those guys," said Leitao, referring to Reynolds and Singletary. "J.R. missed one against Stanford, but I feel as secure as any coach in America when the ball is in J.R.'s or Sean's hands."

Virginia generally has been able to come up with at least three double-figure scorers during its winning streak. Tuesday night the third was Adrian Joseph, who had 13 points in 16 minutes off the bench.

Joseph, who had gone scoreless in two of the previous four games, went 3-for-5 on 3-pointers on a night when the rest of the team was 3-for-19.

"I was kidding him [Monday] at practice and told him he owed us," Leitao said.

Nobody knew what to expect from Soroye, who had played five minutes and seven minutes, respectively, in home victories over Duke and Miami last week. He had a combined two points, one rebound and one block in those games.

He had become an afterthought after undergoing preseason abdominal surgery for a "sports" hernia.

"I worked all summer," said Soroye, whose weight-room dedication has given him an NBA body. "I was so happy this summer, then I got hurt. Everybody was telling me to keep my head up, but mentally I was down. I didn't know what was going on. This game is going to help me."

The victory gave Virginia sole possession of first place in the ACC for at least a night and allowed the Cavaliers to sweep the season series with the Terps (17-7, 3-6). Maryland, a 5 12-point favorite, has lost five of its past eight games.
 

Cavaliers net QB
Virginia signs 24 recruits and likely will retain defensive coordinator Mike London.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- A list of 24 football signees released Wednesday by the University of Virginia fell one short of the Division I-A scholarship limit.

The Cavaliers can count defensive coordinator Mike London as No. 25.

Comments by head coach Al Groh indicated that London has decided to remain at Virginia and remove himself from consideration by Old Dominion, which begins play in 2009.

"I'll leave it for Mike to make the final comment on it," said Groh at a Scott Stadium news conference, "but I feel very positive about the stability of our staff and our operation."

London met with ODU officials last week and there was no discounting his attractiveness as a candidate. Opposing recruiters often seize on rumors of that nature, but there was no indication of recruits having changed their mind.

"Rumors get out there frequently without [people] speaking to the principal parties," Groh said. "People who read those rumors don't know that. They take them as being accurate. That type of thing is always a little bit of a concern."

Virginia entered the day with 25 oral commitments but knew that Romale Tucker, a linebacker from Ballou High School in Washington, D.C., was iffy.

Tucker is spending the spring semester at Milford Academy in New Berlin, N.Y., and signed with Syracuse.

The Cavaliers class is ranked 25th in the country by rivals.com, which is lower than the 2002 class that included players such as D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Ahmad Brooks and Wali Lundy.

Several services had that class among the nation's top 10, but this class has one feature that the 2002 class lacked -- a marquee quarterback.

Peter Lalich (6 foot 5, 235 pounds) from West Springfield High School is rated the No. 5 passing quarterback in the country by rivals.com and is the most highly touted quarterback Virginia has signed under Groh.

"Let's say a team chooses not to recruit a quarterback one particular year," Groh said. "Maybe their roster is stocked with quarterbacks. They might have a really strong class, but, without that marquee quarterback, they might not have the rating that so many people get off on.

"The more players that have numbers -- running backs, wide receivers, quarterbacks -- they tend to have lots of high ratings and the class goes up more than a class with more linemen, for what that's worth."

The Cavaliers signed six players listed as offensive linemen or combination offensive-defensive linemen.

Nose tackle Nate Collins was the only 2006 Virginia signee to play for the Cavaliers this past season and Groh said the availability of so many redshirt freshman next year would keep many of Wednesday's signees off the field.

He said that SuperPrep All-America Nick Jenkins, a 6-foot-3, 315-pound nose tackle from Good Counsel in Rockville, Md., might be an exception because of his uncommon strength for a player coming out of high school.

Groh said he wouldn't speculate on the possibility of Lalich (pronounced Lah-lick) playing in 2007. Groh has not used a true freshman at quarterback in his first six seasons.

"He throws every day; he thinks quarterback every day," Groh said. "We've got a quarterback [Jameel Sewell] who had a pretty good season last year."

Virginia also signed 24 players last year, but eight of them either did not meet NCAA eligibility guidelines or were not admitted by UVa.

Two of those 2006 academic casualties, offensive lineman Billy Cuffee and defensive back Ras-I Dowling, signed for a second time with Virginia after enrolling at Hargrave Military Academy.

Groh said it "would be every expectation" thatthis class will meet NCAA standards.

The 2006 recruiting year in Virginia was marked by the high number of top in-state prospects who left the state. This year, Virginia and Virginia Tech each corralled 13 in-state prospects and shared the top seven prospects in Virginia, as rated by The Roanoke Times.

"We felt it was possibly a one-time aberration, but we were intrigued by the answer to it," Groh said. "So we went and looked at the circumstances of a lot of high-profile players who leave their states.

"The answer was, to a pretty large degree, it goes with the wide-receiver position."

Groh credited tight ends' coach Bob Price with a successful first season as recruiting coordinator and said that the absence of signees from New Jersey was another one-shot deal.

He has been to New Jersey in recent weeks to inspect junior tape "and it could be the other way around next year," Groh said.
 

Mistaken identity gives Cavaliers fans false hope

One of the most humorous stories to come out of national signing day Wednesday involved Marvin Austin, a 6-foot-2, 290-pound defensive tackle from Washington, D.C., who signed with North Carolina.

Austin and his Ballou High School teammate, offensive lineman Lamar Milstead, had scheduled a signing ceremony for 12:50 p.m.

Milstead had committed to Virginia in January after backing out of an oral commitment he had made to North Carolina earlier in the fall. The real suspense was with Austin, who had remained uncommitted after taking visits to Florida State, Southern Cal, Tennessee, Illinois and North Carolina.

Shortly after noon, however, Washington, D.C., television station WTOP reported on its website that Austin, rated the No. 7 prospect in the country by rivals.com, would sign with Virginia.

There had been just enough interaction between Virginia and Austin to think that the Cavaliers might have pulled off a coup, especially after Milstead's late change of heart and a commitment UVa had taken from a third Ballou player, Romale Tucker.

A television reporter went with the story after seeing Austin hug a group of people dressed in Virginia gear.

Turns out, it wasn't Austin. It was Milstead.

Later, when WTOP updated its website to reveal Austin's signing with North Carolina, it conceded in the last paragraph that there "may have been an error" in the earlier report.

The snafu resulted in some indignation on a Virginia fans' website, but one poster couldn't escape the levity of the situation and showed a picture of former U.S. President Harry Truman holding up the famous newspaper headline that read, "Dewey defeats Truman."

In this case, the original headline was blacked out and replaced by "Austin to Virginia."

Another ex-Cav to Liberty

Robbie Catterton, a member of Virginia's 2003 football recruiting class, intends to join three other former UVa players at Liberty University.

Catterton played as a true freshman for the Cavaliers before transferring to James Madison, where he was a member of the Dukes' 2004 Division I-AA championship team but played in only three games before suffering a knee injury.

James Madison announced at the start of the 2005 season that Catterton had dropped off the team but remain at JMU as a student. Bob Catterton said his son would enroll at JMU this summer.

Catterton's future Liberty teammates include 2003 UVa signees Eddie Pinigis, Vince Redd and Marshal Ausberry. The Flames' head coach, Danny Rocco, was a Cavaliers' assistant when all four were at Virginia.

 

Groh announces Cavs' new recruiting class
Virginia welcomes twenty-four player class of 2011, including one of nation's top prep quarter-backs, Peter Lalich
Sharon Crews, Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

Yesterday the Virginia football program announced the names of athletes who signed national letters of intent to enroll and officially join the Cavaliers' roster for fall 2007.

"This is a fun day for us, to take part in the enthusiasm and life of these 24 young men and their families," Virginia coach Al Groh said.

Thirteen of the new recruits are Virginia natives, including one of the nation's top four-star quarterbacks, Peter Lalich, four-star wide-receivers Terence Fells-Danzer and Ras-I Dowling and four-star defensive back J'Courtney Williams, according to Rivals.com.

"We talk in two different areas: The players' tools by position are the first thing that gets our attention but second to that is the player's make-up, Groh said."

Groh said Lalich has all the physical tools that exhibit proficiency to perform in the Virginia system.

"In the terms of make-up, he really stands out, as far as his focus, his ambition to be great and his commitment and work effort toward those objectives, Groh said."

Though the list shows an addition of three linebackers, Jared Detrick, Aaron Taliaferro and running back-linebacker combo Fells-Danzer, the coaching staff will determine final placement once each athlete has gained experience on the collegiate playing field.

"All three are versatile players, and versatility is a trait that we prize in the players that we recruit, whether it's to go from offense to defense, or vice versa, or to play multiple positions on one side of the ball," Groh said.

Though the class holds a high recruit seed, Lalich carries much of the rank weight. Groh hesitated to speculate on the athletic superiority of the incoming freshmen until a studied approach can be taken.

Groh also commented on the versatility of 6-foot-4, 245-pound Anthony Mihota, who played both offensive lineman and defensive end at Massaponax High School in Fredericksburg, Va., as well as at Virginia's training camp. Like the linebackers, he will be re-evaluated before being specifically slotted.

With the incoming class, the Cavaliers should also experience an increase in speed, as many of the recruits have held starting positions in multiple sports. Groh commented on a few of the stand-out players who possess both integral lateral quickness and vertical speed.

Groh also discussed the football apt and talent of both Chanse Mannifield and Nick Jenkins. Groh said Mannifield can not only run the ball, throw the ball, catch, kick and return, but he carries refreshing academic performance hovering around a 4.0.