Clark plans 'jumbo' leap to Virginia
By Doug Doughty
doug.doughty@roanoke.com
981-3129
 

After playing football in Great Britain as a ninth-grader, Aaron Clark knew where he wanted to go and could see that he needed to return to the United States.

Clark's dream of playing college football was "the main reason" behind his return to Rockbridge County, and it will take him to the University of Virginia starting in 2005.

Clark, who had 24 tackles for loss last season as a junior, was offered a scholarship by the Cavaliers on April21 and publicly committed to Virginia on Tuesday.

"I was ready to commit on the spot," said Clark, who nonetheless attended Virginia Tech's spring game last Saturday but said he did not experience any second thoughts.

Clark said Tech assistant Tony Ball told him that he would make a stop at Rockbridge County in the spring and would watch him play in the fall.

"It's hard to tell how interested Tech was," Clark said. "There hadn't been much contact."

Clark, a 6-foot-6, 230-pounder, was recruited by Virginia as a "jumbo athlete" who could weigh as much as 270 before he plays in a college game.

UVa was the first school to offer Clark, "but I think he had a bunch of offers coming," Rockbridge County coach Billy Mills said. "That didn't matter. This was the one he was waiting for."

Clark's mother and stepfather remain in Great Britain, where they are stationed in the Air Force. His father, William, works for DuPont in Waynesboro and lives in Fairfield with Aaron and older son Adam, headed to Bridgewater this fall.

"I was away at camp [in the summer of 2002] when I heard a big kid had come by the school and was interested in playing football," Mills said. "It was some time before I met him, but any time you see a 6-4 or 6-5 kid walk through the door, you get pretty excited."

At Virginia, Clark will join former Rockbridge County football and basketball teammate Jon Kirchner, a senior who signed with the Cavaliers in February. Clark, who has a 2.86 grade-point average and scored 1,100 on the SAT, is the 10th junior to commit to UVa for 2005.

 

Virginia gets commitment from Clark
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
April 28, 2004

When Virginia offered a football scholarship to Aaron Clark last Wednesday, the Rockbridge County star could hardly contain his excitement. Advised to wait a few days and make sure that he wasn’t solely caught up in the emotions of the moment, Clark decided to sleep on his decision.

By Tuesday he had waited long enough.

Clark became the 10th Cavalier junior commitment for the recruiting class of 2005.

“I had been anticipating that day for a long time,” said Clark, a 6-foot-6, 230-pound, two-way performer from Lexington. “When I was talking to Coach [Al] Groh, my hands were shaking and I couldn’t stop smiling.”

His emotions overflowed when the Virginia coaches extended the offer.

“I wanted to tell them right then that I would accept but I knew I had to think about it a couple of days,” Clark said.

Rockbridge coach Billy Mills, who sent big lineman John Kirchner to Hooville last year, knew that Clark loved Virginia but wanted to make sure his prospect was certain before accepting.

“So, I went down to Virginia Tech for their spring game and for the [recruiting analyst] Tom Lemming photo shoot,” Clark said. “That trip helped me reaffirm my decision that I wanted to go to UVa.”

Virginia was the first to offer Clark, but would not have been the last had the junior prolonged his decision until the fall. Mills said that Maryland, North Carolina, West Virginia, Notre Dame, Michigan, Michigan State, Virginia Tech and Nebraska were closely checking out Clark.

“If he hadn’t committed, I think there would have been a lot of offers on the table,” Mills said. “But he got the one he wanted.”

At Rockbridge, Clark played tight end on offense and defensive tackle and rush end on defense, where he accumulated 69 tackles, seven sacks, nine quarterback hurries, forced three fumbles, recorded one interception and had 24 tackles for loss.

He is the Wildcats’ best pass rusher, but at Virginia his options are wide open, including outside linebacker, where the Cavalier coaching staff likes him most.

“I think the college recruiters who saw him collectively were excited about Aaron’s tenacity,” Mills said. “He’s just a playmaker. When things would get into a lull last season, I could count on him making a play, making a big sack.

“He’s an old-fashioned player who eats and sleeps football,” Mills said. “It doesn’t matter to him where he plays, quarterback, center or kicker, he just loves playing the game. Being 6-6, 230 and fast [4.7 in the 40-yard dash] doesn’t hurt. He’s the first guy down field on the kickoff team and some of the licks he has thrown on that have been amazing … he’s just tenacious.”

Recognized for his leadership skills and work ethic, Clark has been a regular in the Rockbridge weight room where he has amassed an additional 20 pounds of muscle since last November.

“Virginia has been recruiting me consistently since the end of my sophomore year, another thing that made me fall in love with the school,” Clark said. “But the No. 1 thing that swayed me there was what they’ve accomplished in football the past two years. They’ve come a long way and the coaching staff is excellent.”
 

Falcons cut QB Kittner, three others

By MATT WINKELJOHN
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 4/27/04

The Falcons released four players Tuesday, including quarterback Kurt Kittner and outside linebacker Keith Newman, both pushed off the roster by players drafted by the team last weekend.

Jonathan Kilgo, a former Georgia punter signed a couple of months ago, and wide receiver John Lewis, who spent most of last season on the practice squad as an undrafted rookie, also were let go.

Kittner, a fifth-round draft choice out of Illinois in 2002, started four games last season and played in seven. He was 1-3 as a starter, completing just 38.6 percent of his 114 passes for 391 yards -- a paltry 3.43 yards per pass -- two touchdowns and six interceptions. His passer rating was 32.5.

Newman, who signed a three-year contract last offseason as an unrestricted free agent, was suspended for the first four games last season for violating the NFL's banned substance policy.

Although he's generally a strongside linebacker, he became the weakside starter for the final 12 games because of season-ending injuries to weakside linebackers Sam Rogers (since cut) and Will Overstreet (who's been moved to defensive end).

The 6-foot-2, 248-pound Newman registered 52 combined tackles and assists, two sacks, an interception and a forced fumble.

Although he's strong at the point of attack, 6-foot-2, 248-pound Newman doesn't have the range to fit into the scheme of new defensive coordinator Ed Donatell, who's switching Atlanta from a 3-4 defense to a 4-3 (four down linemen and three linebackers) and looking for speedy 'backers.

Chris Draft and fourth-round draft choice Demorrio Williams are the top two weakside linebackers on the current depth chart. Matt Stewart and Artie Ulmer are the top two strongside linebackers.

Kittner's release leaves Michael Vick, Ty Detmer and third-round draft choice Matt Schaub as the quarterbacks. A fourth quarterback likely will be signed.
 

Cavs build for 2005 with Clark's signing
Richmond Times-Dispatch Apr 28, 2004

The University of Virginia football team keeps adding commitments for 2005.

During assistant head coach Danny Rocco's visit to Rockbridge County High in Lexington yesterday morning, defensive end Aaron Clark became the 10th player to commit to the Cavaliers for 2005. Clark is a 6-6, 230-pound junior whose teammates last season included senior lineman Jon Kirchner, who signed with U.Va. in February.

Clark, who attended Virginia Tech's spring game Saturday, has only one scholarship offer so far, but it's the one he wanted most. He's been a regular at Cavaliers coach Al Groh's summer camp.

"U.Va.'s my No. 1 choice, and always has been," said Clark, who made the all-Group AA second team last season. "So when they offered me, it was kind of a done deal."

Clark, who also plays tight end, scored 1,100 on the SAT, and his grade-point average is around 3.0. He said he hopes to weigh about 260 pounds by the time he enrolls at Virginia in 2005.

In 2003, Clark had 24 tackles for loss, including six sacks, Rockbridge coach Billy Mills said. Clark runs the 40-yard dash in 4.7 seconds. - Jeff White
 

Mapp leaves U.Va. for one last season
Majestic Mapp's long and winding career will include a final stop at West Georgia.
BY DAVE JOHNSON
Published April 28, 2004

Not ready to call it a career, former Virginia point guard Majestic Mapp plans to enroll next fall at the State University of West Georgia and play his final season of eligibility in a Division II basketball conference.

Mapp spent five years in the Cavaliers' program, but a severe knee injury that required five surgeries limited him to 73 games. The NCAA allows athletes five years to complete four seasons, but Mapp was granted a waiver because of his medical hardship.

"His whole story is sad, but he wants a good ending to his basketball career," West Georgia coach Ed Murphy said. "Or maybe a good beginning to what his future may bring."

Mapp had hoped to play next season for Virginia, but Cavaliers coach Pete Gillen, with one young point guard in the program and another on the way, was not receptive to the idea. So if Mapp wanted to play another year in college, his only option was transferring down a level in order to be eligible immediately.

Mapp will be reunited with high school teammate Darnell Miller, a rising senior for the Braves. They played together at St. Raymond's High in the Bronx, N.Y.

West Georgia is in Carrollton, about an hour west of Atlanta. The Braves were 21-9 last season and finished second in the Gulf South Conference.

Mapp, who could not be reached for comment Tuesday, was one of the nation's top recruits when he signed with the Cavaliers in November 1998. But after injuring his knee in August 2000, he missed the next 21/2 seasons before returning for the final 18 games of 2002-03.

Mapp began this past season as a key reserve, but his playing time faded dramatically in February and March. Mapp played 21 minutes in the Cavs' final 11 games.

FAMILIAR FACE?

Gillen has met with former Clemson coach Larry Shyatt regarding the vacancy on the Cavaliers' staff. Shyatt was fired by the Tigers after the 2002-03 season and spent the past year working as a television analyst.

SOROYE OFFICIAL

Tunji Soroye, a 6-foot-11 center from Montrose Christian in Rockville, Md., signed his letter-of-intent with the Cavaliers last week. Soroye had committed to Virginia last fall but held off signing, in part because of the uncertainty regarding Gillen's job status.