Pruett wraps up storied career
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: February 12, 2009

Bob Pruett’s football coaching career spans five decades, including winning one national championship, playing for another, several bowl trips, a couple of undefeated seasons, developing three Heisman trophy finalists, and working with a number of high profile coaches.
One of his sweetest memories, however, isn’t about trophies or glory. It’s about a team that won only five games and fought adversity from start to finish. This everlasting memory is about guts and determination.
It’s about Virginia’s 5-7 team in 2008, the final season of Pruett’s storied career.
“This past year was the most phenomenal coaching job I’ve been around in all my years of coaching,” said Pruett, who officially
announced his retirement from the game on Wednesday. “When I got here (last February), someone told me we were predicted to win one game.
“We lost so many starters for various reasons, including our two starting quarterbacks and had to play several freshmen and redshirt freshmen,” Pruett said. “Coming off a disaster at Connecticut and an embarrassment at Duke, to come back and beat four bowl teams and the I-AA national championship team, that’s something to be really proud of.”
For a coach of Pruett’s stature to list this past season, his last coaching job over an illustrious career, as the best, that’s really saying something.
Consider that he was a successful high school coach in the state of Virginia, particularly at Gar-Field High School. He went on to work for successful coaches such as Steve Spurrier at Florida, Billy Brewer at Ole Miss and Bill Dooley at Wake Forest, before taking his alma mater, Marshall University, to unprecedented heights.
In nine seasons at Marshall, Pruett posted a 94-23 record (.803), claimed the then-Division I-AA national championship, played for another, took the Thundering Herd to seven bowl games, coached two undefeated seasons, coached three Heisman Trophy finalists, and sent dozens of players to the NFL while overseeing the program’s transition from I-AA to I-A status.
What a ride, one that left Pruett somewhat exhausted and ready — he thought — for retirement. During a three-year hiatus from the gridiron, Virginia’s Al Groh attempted to lure his old friend back into the game and finally got his wish about this time last year when he hired Pruett as the Cavaliers’ defensive coordinator.
Now, a year later, perhaps the toughest year of his life, family matters dictate that the coach will walk into the sunset. This time, he swears, he won’t be coming back to the game he loves.
During the past year, two of his former players at Marshall died. He lost a brother, the second in five years. His best friend that worked for him at Marshall is battling terminal cancer. His wife has had two major surgeries, and even he has gone under the knife to repair a rotator cuff.
“It really started weighing on me when my brother passed away,” Pruett said. “One day he went into the hospital with a gallbladder problem and never came out. That bothered me. My dad died at an early age and that started me thinking about retiring.”
When he signed on as UVa’s defensive coordinator he had no intentions of leaving. He and his wife of 47, Elsie, years bought a condo here and were happy until all the tragedies struck home.
“You have to set your priorities to do what you think is best for your family, your loved ones, and your health,” Pruett said. “You start assessing all those things and I think this is a direction I need to turn.”
It’s very tough for a man who has lived and breathed football for as long as he can remember to give up the addictive profession of coaching.
“I think telling Al was the toughest part,” Pruett said of the man he has called a friend for their entire careers.
Certainly, Groh didn’t want to lose someone of Pruett’s expertise, both as a coach and a recruiter. In fact, Groh had promoted him from defensive coordinator to assistant head coach/defense in the offseason.
“Bob is a treasured colleague and a treasured friend,” Groh said. “He loves football and loves being around football players. It’s fair to put this in the category of a gutsy decision.
“It’s not easy to walk away from a lifestyle and a group of people that have been part of his adult life and know that this is the last time, that he’s not coming back,” Groh added. “To make this decision and be true to his priorities and say, ‘Look, I’d like to be here, but it’s the right thing to do, I belong someplace else,’ says everything about Bob Pruett.”
The Cavaliers’ head coach praised Pruett’s year of contribution to the program, as a recruiter who reopened valuable avenues with high school programs in the Tidewater area, and as an experienced voice in the locker room, meeting rooms, practice fields and games.
“We both understood each other very well as a result of our longstanding relationship,” Groh said. “He knew what was going on behind this desk, having been the head coach at Marshall. He knew when to offer something and what to offer. He also could tell some of the other assistants, ‘Hey, I’ve been over there before ... you may not understand why [the head coach] is reacting the way he is, or what he’s dealing with, but I do.’”
Pruett, a very goal-oriented man with a quick wit and even quicker smile, had three lifelong coaching dreams: to coach his alma mater, Marshall; to coach at the University of Florida; and to coach at UVa.
“I had to come out of retirement to get to the Virginia part of the goal,” he said. “I’m truly thankful and really proud of the opportunity afforded me and the job we did here last year.
“That’s basically a credit to Al Groh,” Pruett said. “He held it together when things could have fallen apart. When we were standing on the tarmac after the Connecticut game, this team was so fragile that it could have fallen to pieces. Because of his system and the values he instills into young people, he was able to keep it together.”
Pruett said the only regret he has is that he won’t be a part of next year’s team.
Groh disagreed.
“Once you’ve been part of Virginia’s football program, you’re always a part of this family, forever,” Groh said.
He remembered back to his days at Gar-Field in the ‘70s when he first met Groh, an assistant at UVa. He used to come down to Charlottesville and talk football into the wee hours of the morning, then slept on the floor of Al and Anne Groh’s small apartment.
The relationship continued through the years as he worked for Groh at Wake Forest, then climbed the ladder to head coach at Marshall and lived that dream, while his friend navigated a career in the NFL before returning to his own alma mater, UVa, where the two finally had a last hurrah together.
Asked how he would like to be remembered as a football coach, Pruett didn’t blink.
“Maybe the best compliment I ever had was that someone told me I have never changed from those days at Gar-Field, to all the success in college, until now,” Pruett said. “I still wanted to be the same guy, to know that Bob is Bob.”
 

Cavs’ Pruett makes final call: retirement
By Jeff White
Published: February 12, 2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Bob Pruett's first season on the University of Virginia football staff turned out to be his last.

U.Va.'s defensive coordinator in 2008, Pruett announced yesterday he's retiring from coaching.

"As we all have to do in our lives, sometimes you have to stop and reset your priorities," Pruett, 65, said in a statement. "I think this is the best thing for our family and best for the University of Virginia's family, which I love dearly. When I first started out in coaching in 1965 as a high school coach, a goal of mine was to coach at the University of Virginia. It is an experience I really cherish."

Nonetheless, Pruett said, it was "maybe the toughest year of my life. I had two former [Marshall] players killed, my best friend back in West Virginia is struggling with cancer and my brother passed away this year. My wife had two major surgeries and I've had a shoulder surgery. When we came here, we planned on doing this for some time.

"When you get to my stage in life, where there are many more years behind you than there are in front of you, you have to reassess your priorities from time to time."

Pruett's departure means that Al Groh's 2009 staff will include four new assistants. In early December, Groh announced that three of his assistants - his son Mike, Levern Belin and Steve Bernstein - would not return in 2009. At the same time, Groh gave Pruett a new title - assistant head coach for defense - and promoted Bob Diaco to defensive coordinator.

Al Groh and Pruett are longtime friends who worked together at Wake Forest in the 1980s.

"Bob has had remarkable success at every point of his coaching career and has had a huge impact on the lives of many people. He did a terrific job for us this past football season and in recruiting," Groh said in a statement.

"We tell our players that as passionate as we are about football, that there are more important things in life, and family is one of those things. Bob is a model of that belief by his choosing to end his coaching career in order to serve his top priority - his family. We applaud Bob for his career and courageous decision."

In its first four games last season, U.Va. allowed 128 points. Pruett's charges steadily improved, however, and by season's end, Virginia ranked 38th nationally in scoring defense (21.7).

Before moving into the college ranks, Pruett coached at four high schools in Virginia - Falls Church, Hayfield, Groveton and Gar-Field.

"In terms of coaches of Bob's generation, which is the same generation as mine, he probably is one of the more well-known names in the state of Virginia," Groh, 64, said on signing day. "It was very helpful that he had a legacy, if not a relationship, with so many people in the area that he went into."

From 1996 to 2004, Pruett compiled a 94-23 record as coach at Marshall, his alma mater. The Thundering Herd captured the Division I-AA national title in 1996. After moving up to Division I-A, Marshall won five consecutive bowl games under Pruett during one stretch.

Pruett resigned at Marshall in March 2005. He was in private business in his native West Virginia before joining Groh's staff last year.

 

Groh on Pruett
Jeff White
Feb 11, 2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE – The official announcement about Bob Pruett’s retirement from coaching moved at 3 o’clock this afternoon. I wasn’t shocked, because I’d heard rumblings over the past 10 days that Pruett might step down for family reasons.

There’s no question, though, that this is a significant loss for Virginia. Not only does Pruett, 65, have a tremendous rapport with players and recruits, he’s a coach whose judgment Al Groh trusts and respects.

After the news broke today, I called the McCue Center to see if Groh had time for a phone interview. The head man was in a meeting, and by the time he called me back this evening, I’d filed my story on Pruett’s retirement. But Groh had plenty to say about the coach of whom he spoke with obvious affection on national signing day.

*On his personal feelings about seeing such a close friend leave the staff:

“Because we’re good friends, we’ve been able to talk about a number of things over the years, and I knew what was on his mind and what he was kind of torn with,” Groh said.

“In one respect, it’s not difficult, because as we’ve talked through it, it’s the right thing and it’s the best thing for him and his family. As Bob had expressed it to me: He loves football, he loves football players and he loves coaching here. But he loves his family more, and they just require some things … It’s just a build-up of things. But as he said, ‘Coaching here saved me. It was the one good thing that was going on [during the past year].’ “

*On the benefits of having Pruett, who won a Division I-AA national championship as Marshall’s head coach, on the U.Va. staff:

“He’s sat on this side of the desk,” Groh said. “Usually it goes the other way around. Guys have left here to become head coaches, and invariably, they’ll say, ‘Hey, I get it now. Sometimes I wondered what you were doing in there. Wow, I understand now.‘ But it was the reverse way with Bob. He already knew.”

*On his timetable for filling the vacancy created by the departure of Pruett, who in early December had been named assistant head coach for defense:

“I would say expeditiously, whatever that means,” Groh said, laughing. He added that the coach he hires would not necessarily have the same responsibilities and title that Pruett had before stepping down. “We have some options here and some people who I’ve called and said, ‘Hey, if you were just right for us to have around here, would you be interested?’ So we can try to fit it together in a number of ways.”

*On losing an assistant who, by all accounts, has been one of the great characters in college football:

“There’s a lot of things about him that will be difficult to replace,” Groh said. “Whether it’s knowledge, or this and that, but nobody will come in with as many jokes. Of course, around here most of us know ‘em all by heart any way.”

 

UVa aide Pruett retires because of family reasons
The ex-Marshall coach spent the 2008 season as defensive coordinator.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

When he ended a three-year retirement to join Virginia's football staff, Bob Pruett had more than a one-year stint in mind.

"I'm sitting here trying to sell a condominium," said Pruett in a telephone interview. "If I'd been coming here for one year, I certainly would have rented. We bought into this thing with the idea that I was going to be here for three or four years."

Virginia announced Wednesday that Pruett, the Cavaliers' assistant head coach for defense, is retiring and will not coach again.

Pruett cited family reasons for his decision.

Pruett was in Charlottesville when his wife, who had returned to West Virginia for the Christmas holidays, suffered an attack of appendicitis.

"If I was there with her, I feel we would have gotten it taken care of quicker," he said.

Later, Elsie Pruett had surgery to remove a cancerous spot on her lip.

"I'll be 66 in June," Pruett said. "I've still got energy and all that, but I just felt like I owed it to my wife [to be available]. My brother dying this year was huge. It's my second brother to die, both before the age of 70.

"You're being selfish. I'm chasing ballplayers and staying young and the people around me are sacrificing. If you don't have them, you don't have much."

Pruett originally joined Virginia's staff as defensive coordinator and remained in that capacity until January. That's when linebackers coach Bob Diaco was promoted to defensive coordinator and Pruett was named assistant head coach.

A desire to accelerate Diaco's development was one purpose for the move, Pruett said. Another was to lighten Pruett's load during a time of family need.

Pruett wasn't altogether comfortable with that.

"All these outside things were happening and I didn't want that to take away from our charge here at Virginia," he said.

In a statement released by UVa, Pruett described his year at Virginia as "the most remarkable" in his 44 years of coaching.

He elaborated over the phone.

"We were on the tarmac after the Connecticut game, just Al and I standing under the wing and talking, and we were a fractured football team," said Pruett of a 45-10 loss to the Huskies. "Everybody in the world was taking shots at us, and the tough part of the schedule was to come.

"The first article I read when I got up here, we were picked to win one ballgame. We ended up beating the I-AA national champion and four bowl teams. And the four games we lost there at the end were all pretty much even."

A rebuilt Virginia defense kept the Cavaliers in contention in each of their final eight games, then Pruett hit the road and signed seven players out of the Tidewater area, which traditionally had not been a UVa stronghold.

"And the one recruit who might help us the most right away is the kicker [Drew Jarrett] and we got him as a walk-on," Pruett said.

Groh did not say how he would fill Pruett's position on the staff, although the average age of the defensive staff certainly will go down with the retirements of Pruett and 64-year-old secondary coach Steve Bernstein.

Pruett "did a terrific job for us this past football season and in recruiting," Groh said in a statement released by UVa's sports information office.

"We tell our players that, as passionate as we are about football, there are more important things in life and family is one of those things. Bob is a model of that belief by his choosing to end his coaching career in order to serve his top priority -- his family. We applaud Bob for his career and courageous decision."
 

‘Tunji time’ returns
By Whitey Reid
Published: February 12, 2009

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Just when it seemed like “Tunji Time” had run its course, Virginia fifth-year senior Tunji Soroye — kind of like Jason from those “Friday the 13th” movies — resurfaced out of nowhere.
Soroye, who had contributed virtually nothing this season due to an assortment of injuries, had his best game in a long time.
Soroye had four points, three rebounds and a steal in 13 minutes during Virginia’s 68-57 loss to No. 25 Florida State on Tuesday night.
Soroye’s impact belied his statistics. The Nigerian seemed to provide a physical defensive presence — something Virginia has sorely needed.
“Tunji, when he was out there, he gave us some positive minutes — he did good things out there,” said Virginia freshman Sylven Landesberg. “That could definitely help us.”
UVa coach Dave Leitao said Soroye is still not
100-percent healthy.
“I don’t think he’s where he needs to be, health-wise,” Leitao said, “but he and I kind of made a decision to put his best foot forward and try and get through it and see what happens.
“It means that I’m going to try and go to him a little bit more and he’s going to try and stay with the process a little more.”
Soroye said that back and knee problems have once again been the issue for him this season.
“Sometimes I can go for two days, but then can’t go for two days after that,” Soroye said, “but it’s been way better now than before.”
Soroye played in just two games last season. After being granted a medical redshirt, the 6-foot-11 center’s plan was to finish his Virginia career on a much better note — something that hasn’t exactly come to fruition.
“It’s been very, very tough, but I’ve been through a lot of things in my career,” said Soroye, who contracted malaria the summer after his freshman season, “so I haven’t let it get me down or anything. It’s been one of those things that you just deal with in life.
“I’m feeling good now. The guys played really well. We need to build on it against Clemson [on Sunday].”
Early in the first half, Soroye scored on a shot in the lane as he was being fouled by FSU’s Xavier Gibson. In the second half, Soroye made a layup off a nice feed from Jeff Jones.
An encouraging sign for Soroye came a few minutes later when he swatted the shot of Seminole 7-footer Solomon Alabi. Soroye was called for goaltending on the play, but the mere sight of Soroye having some spring in his legs was good to see.
Of course, no Soroye story, just like those “Friday the 13th” movies, can end well.
Late in the second half, Soroye, just like Jason, took some physical punishment when he was poked in his left eye and had to leave the game.
“I couldn’t see for a while,” Soroye said.
Don’t be surprised to see Soroye in a hockey mask come Sunday.

 

Danny Glading Named Preseason Player of the Year
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 02/11/2009

Danny Glading has been named the Preseason Player of the Year by Lacrosse magazine.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – Virginia men’s lacrosse player Danny Glading has been named the preseason Player of the Year by Lacrosse magazine.

A preseason first-team All-American by Face-Off Yearbook, Glading was one of only six players nationwide to score at least 30 goals and add at least 30 assists last year. He was the Cavaliers’ leading scorer with 65 total points and ranked seventh nationally. His 35 assists tied for second most in the country; he added 30 goals, including 15 in the last 11 games.

The senior from Bethesda, Md., enters the season sharing the team lead with Garrett Billings with 87 career goals. Glading is also tied for 14th in Virginia history in career points, 16th in career assists and tied for 17th in career goals. In addition, he has ranked in the top 10 in the ACC in scoring, goals and assists in each of his first three seasons.

He was a second-team All-American last season after leading the team in goals four times and assists on 10 occasions.

Glading and the Cavaliers open their season this Saturday (Feb. 14) against Drexel at Klöckner Stadium. Faceoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.

 

Bratton brothers, midfielders hope to shoulder scoring load
After disappointing loss to Orangemen in last year’s NCAA semifinals, Cavs seek to create multifaceted offensive threat with more production from midfield
Aaron Perryman, Cavalier Daily Senior Writer
Published: Thursday, February 12 2009

Sophomore midfielder Shamel Bratton scored 14 goals as a starter last year, tied for fifth among freshman midfielders in Virginia’s history. “We’re on a mission a little bit more than last year.”

While Virginia sophomore Rhamel Bratton meant for the statement to apply to the entire Cavalier men’s lacrosse team, it is perhaps most relevant to the squad’s midfielders.

Although the main offensive threat on a lacrosse team typically lies with a team’s attack, Virginia’s returning midfielders still feel as if they were not up to par in 2008.

“Defenses would slide down and favor the attack more, so it would make games tougher when the midfielders didn’t pick up the slack,” Bratton said.

This year, the Cavaliers’ midfield is looking to create more opportunities on offense, and much of that production could come from Rhamel’s twin brother, Shamel, who netted 14 goals last season, including overtime winners against Johns Hopkins and Syracuse during the regular season.

“Shamel has been a revelation since the beginning of fall lacrosse,” Virginia coach Dom Starsia said. “One, he’s coming to terms with what we’re trying to get done. Two, he is having some consistency in his game.”

Both brothers — not just Shamel — will be expected to step up and lead the midfielders this year after making an early impact last year as highly-touted freshmen.

“With [Shamel] and Rhamel both, they’ve been much more consistent with what they’re doing on the field — making fundamental plays [and] shooting the ball more consistently,” Starsia said. “I think they are both going to play a key role for us, and they’ll likely improve considerably because the learning curve between your freshman and sophomore year is probably as great as any period of time. Both those kids have given every indication of taking that next step up.”

Though the Brattons are expected to step up and shoulder a heavier load this year, the most productive returner to the midfield is junior Brian Carroll, who totaled 28 goals and nine assists last season without even starting a game. Indeed, this year’s edition of the Cavalier midfield should come together as a more competitive unit.

“We’ve got four or five guys that we feel like are playing very well in the midfield,” Starsia said. “We have had [junior] Mike Thompson out for most of the preseason so far in terms of our short-stick midfielders. I feel like we’re pretty athletic overall in the midfield. I feel like what’s been a strength for us in these first two scrimmages has been leaving our midfielders on the field a little bit to play both offense and defense.”

A deeper midfield this year also gives Starsia some flexibility with his lineup.

“One of the questions going into the season is whether or not we can get increased production from the midfield, which I think is going to be a requirement to be the offensive team we want to be,” Starsia said. “I’m confident that’s going to happen, but at the same time, we’re not absolutely set with all the different lineups. I’m probably going to mix and match the pieces a little bit, especially early in the season.”

Starsia will need to figure out his perfect combinations as quickly as possible, though, given the obstacles the attack is trying to overcome, including having to start freshman Steele Stanwick on his offhand side and losing the experience of graduate Ben Rubeor.
Even the attack, however, already has noticed the apparent improvement of the midfield.

“I think the midfielders are playing smartly, confidently, and they are playing fast right now,” senior attack Danny Glading said. “When you have a combination of those things, it’s going to translate into a lot of goals and a lot of production coming from them. They’re all playing really well, and I think that you can tell there’s more experience at the midfield and that’s going to help a lot this season.”

Overall, the midfielders are adjusting to the college game after a year’s experience and expect to give a significant boost to the team.

“You have to pay attention to the small things — hustling, getting back on defense, things like that — you kind of took for granted in high school and kind of came easy,” Shamel Bratton said. “Now you have to go 100 percent in every aspect of the game, Looking back on [last] season, what could’ve happened and you already see things going well for you in practice now, so it’s kind of nice.”

 

Cavs aim for NCAA crown
Squad seeks redemption after first round tournament upset last year
Ben Gomez, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor
Published: Thursday, February 12 2009

Junior midfielder Brittany Kalkstein, an All-American and ACC All-Tournament Team selection last season, will lead the Cavaliers this year as they attempt to claim their fourth national championship in program history. Three national championships, five ACC titles, 54 All-Americans. The Virginia women’s lacrosse team boasts a decorated history, and if a No. 4 preseason rank and three returning first-team All-Americans are any indication, this season should be a continuation of the program’s tradition of excellence.

The Cavaliers are coming off a disappointing season during which they lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to a North Carolina team they had already beaten twice — once in the regular season and again in the ACC Tournament. The squad enters this season excited for a chance to redeem itself and make a run at the national championship in May.

“We have that date — May 24 — in our heads, so we are looking forward to that,” senior midfielder Blair Weymouth said. “Hopefully all of the hard work will pay off in May.”

It will be no easy task for Virginia, though, as the Cavaliers’ schedule boasts a slew of talented teams, including preseason No. 1 Northwestern, winner of four consecutive national championships and Virginia’s opponent in this regular season’s finale. The Cavaliers are also up for an early season test Feb. 27 when they travel to No. 2 Syracuse, one of the six teams Virginia will face in the regular season that participated in last year’s NCAA Tournament.

“It is something we do every year,” Virginia coach Julie Myers said. “I don’t think we look at our schedule and feel overwhelmed by it; if anything, we feel excited by it.”

The ACC is arguably the best conference in the country, boasting four teams ranked in the top 10 nationally.

“We know we are going to be taking our lumps and giving our lumps,” Myers said. “We just have to make the most of it. To have a tough schedule and to be in a tough conference makes it easy to work hard every day of the year to make sure you are preparing for something awesome.”

Last season, Virginia managed to escape the difficult conference schedule with an impressive 4-1 record — the only loss coming at the hands of then-No. 5 Maryland in College Park. The Cavaliers have proved themselves to be the gold standard in the ACC in recent years, winning the last three conference crowns, but they will have to remain focused throughout the season if they wish to achieve their ambitious goal of claiming the program’s fourth national championship. Myers works hard to instill in her players the importance of daily dedication in practice and an overall appreciation for the game of lacrosse that she hopes will continue to yield success.

“She has been a part of the program so long,” junior midfielder Brittany Kalkstein said. “It is just a constant we have had throughout [the years]. We can always count on her and her abilities to coach us.”

Last year, Myers was named the ACC Coach of the Year for the fourth time during her tenure at Virginia. She has helped the Cavaliers reach the NCAA Tournament in all 13 seasons of her time as head coach, an accomplishment no other current coach in Division I has managed to duplicate. With Myers, the Cavaliers have made it to the NCAA Championship game seven times, winning the title most recently in 2004.

While Myers’ team is loaded with talent at every position, the players still need to take the season one game at a time. If they wish to make good their lofty goals, the Cavaliers will have to overcome an intense schedule and go unscathed in the NCAA Tournament.
“I think that coming ready to play will be a big focus — knowing that we are a good team and not being afraid to kick some butt,” Weymouth said.

 

Wiley’s wild recruiting recap
Paul Wiley
Published: Thursday, February 12 2009

That thumping you heard last week? Right around 1 in the afternoon? That was the collective jumping for joy of Wahoo football fans across the globe.

One week ago was national signing day, and we have plenty of reason to celebrate.

Various recruiting rankings put our class between fourth and sixth in the ACC and in the low 30s nationally. Compare that to the 2008 class, which was rated the conference’s 11th best — ahead of only Duke.

As I’ve said in this space before, this class has the potential to be one of our best in years. No, it doesn’t vie with Alabama or Florida or USC for the best in the country, but it got us what we needed. And say what you will about game-planning or play-calling — Groh et al. have proven their ability to take middling talent and build it into pro-level performers.

So just what are these goodies? What man-beasts will grace Grounds in the coming years? Well, come with me on what I’ll call Wiley’s Wild Recruiting Recap:

MORGAN MOSES (Offensive Tackle; Meadowbrook High School; Richmond)

The crown jewel, the coup de grace, the whipped cream and the cherry on Virginia’s recruiting sundae.

Some numbers: No. 2 recruit in Virginia; No. 5 offensive tackle in the country; 6 feet 7 inches tall; 347 pounds; benches 380; squats 460.
Moses turned down offers from Alabama, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Tennessee and that other ACC “school” in Blacksburg. On signing day, his commitment was an 11th-hour decision to come to Charlottesville instead of Knoxville or Chapel Hill.

To watch his highlight films is to watch near perfection. His pass blocking is airtight, and he’s de-cleated more than his fair share of defenders on running plays. His knee and backbend — crucial to a lineman’s ability to get low and win the leverage game — could improve, but that will come with coaching.

Picking up Moses is almost certainly attributable to the hiring of Latrell Scott. Scott was the lead recruiter at Tennessee before coming to Charlottesville, and it’s hard to imagine Scott’s change of scenery not influencing Moses to follow him along for the ride. If this is what he’s done in two months, get excited for the next few years.

Moses is the latest installment to O-Line U. Seeing as how we’ve produced Elton Brown, D’Brickashaw Ferguson, Branden Albert and Eugene Monroe — all in the last five years — hopefully the nation’s elite linemen are taking notice. We stand on the verge of becoming what Penn State is to linebackers or what USC of the 1970s and 1980s was to running backs.

ODAY ABOUSHI (Offensive Tackle; Xaverian High School; Brooklyn, N.Y.)Another wicked impressive commitment to the line. While not as overwhelming as Moses is on film, Aboushi has more than enough clips to drool over. Standing 6-foot-6 and tipping the scales at 300 pounds, he and Moses could make for a devastating bookend combo. Aboushi turned down offers from Boston College, Iowa, Rutgers and Maryland, committing to the Cavaliers in early January. He also boasted a 3.4 grade point average in high school.

The No. 3 recruit in New York and the No. 23 tackle nationally, Aboushi will augment a line that saw several departures, and he could push players in front of him for playing time as the season gets underway. Like Moses, he needs some work on getting lower in his stance, but given what he’s done even with subpar technique, Orange Nation should get used to seeing wide-open running lanes behind Aboushi’s wide frame.

QUINTIN HUNTER (Quarterback, though his position next year is still undecided; Orange High School; Orange, Va.)

Like Aboushi, Hunter committed early to Virginia — all the way back in March 2008. Ranked No. 12 in the state and the No. 22 best athlete in the class of 2009, Hunter is a 6-foot-2 scrambling quarterback. Other schools that vied for his arm were West Virginia, Maryland, Stanford and Tech.

Hunter is the only player in the incoming recruiting class I’ve seen with my own two eyes, and trust me: He’s worth every one of the four stars in his Rivals rating. Playing for coach John Kayajanian, he’s well-versed in the particulars of the spread offense and is an extremely capable runner with what would be fairly assessed as below average throwing ability. As much as I wish he hadn’t, when he played Charlottesville, my alma mater, Hunter made opposing defenses look like they had forgotten to come in off the sidelines.

Hunter’s predecessor at Orange, Bradley Starks, is now a wide receiver and quarterback at West Virginia and could vie for the spot the electric Pat White currently occupies. Hunter fits well in that style of game and should enjoy quite a bit of playing time in Gregg Brandon’s offensive scheme. Whether as a quarterback or more a Percy Harvin-style playmaker, this is a kid that needs to be on the field.
TIM SMITH (Wide Receiver, Oscar Smith High School; Chesapeake, Va.)

Smith is another example of Groh’s coaching staff conducting a well-targeted recruitment drive. Losing Kevin Ogletree, Maurice Covington and Cary Koch put a sizeable dent in the Cavaliers’ receiving corps, and Smith should help fill that void. The No. 10 recruit in Virginia and No. 38 national receiver, the 6-foot, 180-pound Smith turned down a number of pass-first offenses, including Steve Spurrier’s South Carolina squad, to come to Virginia. Like Aboushi, Smith sported a respectable 3.5 GPA in high school.

DOMINIQUE WALLACE (Running Back, Fullback; Chancellor High School; Fredericksburg, Va.) Wallace is a freak. No two ways about it — just a freak of nature in football pads. Despite a frame more than 6-feet tall and 230-pounds heavy, Wallace runs a 4.48 forty, the fourth fastest of any 2009 Virginia commitment. Oh, and he squats 500 pounds. His highlight reel was clip after clip after clip of hapless defenders catching a knee or arm to the face mask and slipping harmlessly to the turf. Wallace is rated the No. 1 fullback in the country and the No. 8 recruit in the Commonwealth.

Beyond the five studs profiled here, the class includes a 6-foot-6 wide receiver, a running back with 4.4 forty speed and even a Canadian defensive end.

Time will be the ultimate test of the Class of 2009, but for now at least — in this, our winter of athletic discontent — the future looks bright.