Former Hampton High, UVa star Hagans is eager for more playing time with Rams
Marques Hagans believes this could be his big opportunity.
By Melinda Waldrop | 247-4634
July 18, 2008

Since being chosen in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL draft by the St. Louis Rams, former Virginia quarterback and wide receiver Marques Hagans has caught eight passes for 101 yards.

Those weren't exactly the numbers Hagans envisioned putting up in his pro career.

"I was definitely surprised, but it's not my job to coach the team," said Hagans, who will be the keynote speaker at Sunday's fund-raiser for the Tri-City Hurricanes youth football team at Reservoir Middle School in Newport News. "It's just my job to perform every day, and I guess when the opportunity presents itself, I'll get my chance to play."

Hagans' chances might be helped by the return of Al Saunders to St. Louis. After a brief stint with the Washington Redskins, Saunders, the longtime Kansas City offensive coordinator who served as St. Louis' associate head coach in 1999, is back with the Rams, and Hagans thinks there's a place for him in Saunders' wide-open offense.

"There's a lot more receiver formations in it, and the ability to put more receivers on the field," Hagans said. "I think it'll be a good opportunity for me and the other guys that are in the system. With the new energy and the new coaches and the offensive system that we have, hopefully things will carry over into the season and we can get this thing going."

The Rams didn't go far in 2007, finishing 3-13 in Scott Linehan's second season as head coach. The poor results made Hagans' scarce playing time even harder to take.

"Being the competitor that I am, you want to be on the field playing and trying to help your team win," said Hagans, who played in four games in 2007. "Especially when you only win three games, you always feel like you could have maybe done something to help the team win."

As uncomfortable as his current position may be, it's not unfamiliar. At Hampton High, Hagans had to wait his starting turn at quarterback behind a kid named Ronald Curry. At Virginia, he took a back seat to Matt Schaub at QB, catching passes and returning kicks until Schaub graduated after the 2003 season.

In his first year as the Cavaliers' starting quarterback in 2004, Hagans passed for 2,024 yards. In 2005, he threw for 2,492.

"Every time I've been somewhere, I've had to fight for everything that I get, starting from rec league to going to high school, going to college and now in the NFL," Hagans said. "It's nothing new to me. I won't want it easy, anyway. I like it hard. But at the same time, when you work hard and you know you do everything that you can to try to get on the field, you like to see the dividends paid off."

Hagans' early NFL career saw him take some practice snaps as the Rams' emergency quarterback, but he's focusing now on receiving and returning kicks.

"It's definitely hard, especially coming from UVa and being a quarterback on a team where most of the offense went through me," Hagans said. "It's not that I'm a selfish player. I can adjust to a smaller role, moving from quarterback to receiver. Just sitting on the sideline, watching everybody play week in and week out, is just hard."

Hagans said he's talked with Linehan about his role.

"He always tells me that he's proud of the things that I do and the ability that I bring to the table," he said. "He's just got to find a way to try to get me on the field, I guess."

Hagans reports to training camp July 24 in Mequon, Wis., with the same one-year contract he had in his first two seasons with St. Louis.

"I feel like it's make or break every year," he said.

Hagan's father, Michael, was encouraged to watch his son catch five passes for 74 yards in Week 6 against Baltimore in his only start of 2007. But after catching two passes for 16 yards the next week at Seattle, Marques didn't play again until Week 14 at Cincinnati, when he was held without a catch but put up 110 of his 130 kick-return yards.

"Last year, toward the end of the season, I could see that he was a little down, because the team wasn't doing well, and he wanted to play and he felt like he should have been playing," Michael Hagans said. "... He's the kind, he wants to be on the field, and we want to see him on the field, too. It was kind of frustrating for him, but I told him, 'Don't let that get you down. You've come through all the time, so just overcome the adversity again.' "

That's the message Marques wants to deliver at Sunday night's event, which starts at 6:30 and features a spaghetti dinner and silent auction. Tickets for children age 5 and up are $6, and they're $10 for adults.

Hagans takes great pride in his football roots — "We're all one big family, coming from the 757" — and he wants area kids to know their dreams are achievable.

"If I can make it, anybody can make it," Hagans said. "The world's always gonna turn its back against you and say you can't make it and make it hard for you, but you've got to keep believing it."

 

Bethel High point guard Jontel Evans picks Virginia.
By JASON JORDAN | Daily Press
8:45 PM EDT, July 18, 2008

HAMPTON - Bethel High point guard Jontel Evans ended his recruitment Friday and gave Virginia's basketball program its first verbal commitment from the class of 2009.

He chose the Cavaliers over offers from Marquette, Old Dominion and Virginia Commonwealth and heavy interest from Virginia Tech. Though Evans will play basketball in college, passing on football offers from North Carolina State and Akron, he still plans to suit up on the gridiron for the Bruins this season.

Evans, who doubles as a running back and stands 5-foot-11, initially picked up his offer from Virginia after attending its Elite Camp on June 15-16. It helped that Evans had a strong start to the AAU season with the Boo Williams Summer League team. He played backup to Kendall Marshall, who has committed to North Carolina and is rated the No. 19 player in the class of 2010, but often Evans, an unranked three-star recruit according to Scout.com, stole the show.

"He's a tough kid who runs your team," Scout.com national recruiting director Dave Telep said. "He's got a bulldog mentality and he's an excellent creator."

Last season, Evans was the quickest guard in the Peninsula District. His speed, ability to change direction and strength were what made him so effective offensively. He was also the best on-ball defender in the district, and possibly in the Eastern Region.

Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Justin Young described Evans as "one of the few true elite high-major defensive stoppers in the nation."

Evans averaged 12 points, five assists and three steals and helped the Bruins (30-2) achieve their most victories in the school's history and a runner-up finish in the Group AAA state tournament.

 

Evans makes pledge to UVa
By Whitey Reid
Published: July 18, 2008

Members of the Virginia men’s basketball coaching staff have been careful not to make too many comparisons between high school point guard Jontel Evans and former Wahoo star Sean Singletary.

After all, no teenage player needs that kind of pressure before they even set foot on a college campus.

However, there are at least two similarities between the pair that are hard to ignore — strength and toughness.

They’re qualities that Singletary showed in spades, and ones that Virginia is looking forward to seeing Evans bring with him to Charlottesville.

On Friday, the Hampton native gave his verbal commitment to play for UVa beginning in 2009.

The 5-foot-11 Bethel High star, who is heading into his senior year, picked Virginia over a host of schools, including Marquette, N.C. State and Virginia Tech.

“Jontel was most impressed with the academic support that UVa offers,” said Bethel High coach Craig Brehon. “He was also tremendously impressed with coach [Dave] Leitao’s vision for Virginia basketball and Jontel being a part of the program.”

Like Singletary, Evans was also a big-time football player in high school — he ran for over 1,500 yards and scored 27 touchdowns as a running back this past season.

Evans, who plays on Boo Williams’ AAU team, had several scholarship offers to play football before recently making the decision to focus on basketball in college.

“Jontel is tremendously strong for a young kid,” Brehon said. “Being a football player, he’s used to contact.

“I think the similarities between [Singletary and Evans] is that they can change direction and go from A to B and can break defenses down and create offense for themselves and their teammates.

“Jontel can really lock down on you and just create havoc on the defensive end of the floor, which in some cases can translate into offense for you. He’s just a game-changer on both ends of the floor.”

After the addition of Evans, Virginia has one remaining scholarship for its Class of 2009. UVa’s top target remains 5-star big man Ryan Kelly, who hails from Raleigh, N.C. The Cavaliers are also in hot pursuit of forward Tristan Spurlock, a Maryland native.

Virginia, which already has redshirt freshman Sammy Zeglinski, junior Calvin Baker and incoming freshman Sylven Landesberg in the fold, would appear to be set at point guard for the immediate future.

Brehon, who said Evans has completely ruled out trying to be a two-sport athlete, believes UVa is getting a special player.

“I’ve had quite a few All-Americans and all-state players come through Bethel…he’s a tremendously hard worker. I never once had to get on him about being ready to compete in practice or games. He shows up ready to play every time he steps on the floor. Dave Leitao got a great one in this kid.”

Hampton guard opts for UVa
By Doug Doughty | The Roanoke Times

Virginia’s first men’s basketball commitment for 2009-10 has come from a point guard who came to prominence this past fall as a football player.

Jontel Evans, a 5-foot-11 junior from Bethel High School in Hampton, informed UVa coach Dave Leitao on Friday that he will sign a basketball letter-of-intent with the Cavaliers.

Evans scored 15 points per game for Bethel during a 30-2 season that culminated in a trip to the Group AAA championship game.

N.C. State was among the programs that had offered football scholarships to Evans after he rushed for 1,551 yards and scored 27 TDs as a tailback for Bethel’s football team.

Evans plays for the Boo Williams AAU basketball program and received favorable reviews for his play this past weekend at the Peach Jam in Atlanta.
Marquette also had made an offer to Evans, whose defensive ability was a major consideration for UVa.
 

2008 Virginia Cavaliers Preview
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Athlon Sports

Attrition is a part of college football. That’s the company line at Virginia, and the Cavaliers have been sticking to it as they’ve prepared for the 2008 season. “We’re who we’ve got, and we’re ready to put the team together with what we’ve got,” coach Al Groh says.

Two Minute Drill
A Quick Look at the Cavaliers
Virginia showed admirable mental toughness last year, winning an NCAA-record five games by two points or less. The Cavaliers will need more of it this year, with a team that’s been rocked by unexpected offseason departures. As a result, a program that looked to be on solid footing after surprising success in 2007 now appears to be facing another rebuilding job. The big questions are at quarterback, and on the offensive and defensive lines. Virginia’s offense didn’t scare anyone last year, but quarterback Jameel Sewell had a knack for engineering game-winning drives. With Sewell unexpectedly gone, sophomore Peter Lalich will be rushed into the job. He lacks Sewell’s elusiveness, and will count on a rebuilt offensive line to keep him upright. If the line holds up, Virginia has weapons at running back and receiver. The defense, which kept Virginia in so many games last year, is unproven up front, which is precisely where it was so strong a year ago. The kicking game is a concern. The schedule is tough. Virginia will learn immediately just where it stands, with USC coming to Scott Stadium for the season-opener. Even with another overachieving effort, it’s hard to envision the Cavaliers approaching last year’s success. Virginia will drop. The key is to prevent that drop from becoming a plunge.

The problem is, Virginia has a lot less than it expected to have, after a rash of offseason departures that had fans worried all spring over who’d be the next to leave.

The Cavaliers already knew they’d have to replace All-America defensive end Chris Long and five other defensive starters. That was a challenging prospect, to be sure, but at least everyone knew it was coming. What Virginia didn’t count on was losing quarterback Jameel Sewell, defensive end Jeffrey Fitzgerald, guard Branden Albert and cornerback Chris Cook, all major contributors with eligibility remaining.

Sewell, Fitzgerald and Cook were academic casualties. Albert entered the NFL Draft. Also gone is linebacker J’Courtney Williams, the team’s highest-rated recruit in 2007. He was kicked off the team after an offseason arrest.

Defensive coordinator Mike London also left, to become head coach at Richmond. London was considered the program’s top recruiter.

The Cavaliers will move on, but any momentum gained from a better-than-expected 2007 season seems to be lost. Virginia was one of the feel-good stories of the year, winning five games by two points or less and reaching the Gator Bowl. It didn’t take long for the good feelings to fade.

Quarterbacks

Virginia lived with Sewell’s inconsistency for two seasons because he so often came through in the clutch. He presumably would have been more consistent as a junior, but we’ll never know. With Sewell gone, the job belongs to sophomore Peter Lalich, who is more of a pocket passer than the mobile Sewell. Groh used Lalich to light a fire under Sewell last year, and he appeared in eight games. Many people criticized the decision not to redshirt Lalich, but now that game experience looks valuable. “He feels so much farther ahead than he would have ever felt had he not been involved in game preparation and game participation,” Groh says. Lalich was rated as one of the nation’s top high school quarterbacks in 2006. At 6'5", he’s got a big arm and doesn’t lack confidence. Virginia needs to keep him healthy. Neither backup — fifth-year senior Scott Deke and sophomore Marc Verica — has ever attempted a pass.

Running backs

Here’s a position of strength, loaded with proven veterans. Cedric Peerman was leading the ACC in rushing when he was lost for the season with a foot injury. The hard-running senior is expected to be back at full strength. Peerman’s replacement, Mikell Simpson, rocketed from third on the depth chart and rushed for 559 yards over the final six games. Simpson, who had begun to look like a recruiting bust, also caught 43 passes and gave the Cavaliers the breakaway threat they’ve lacked in recent years. His 96-yard TD run against Texas Tech in the Gator Bowl was the longest in school history. Also back is sophomore Keith Payne, a change-of-pace tailback at 236 pounds. Fullback Rashawn Jackson, a converted linebacker, is coming off a strong performance in the Gator Bowl.

Receivers

Virginia welcomes back junior Kevin Ogletree, who caught 52 passes in 2006 but missed all of last season with a knee injury. Without Ogletree, the Cavaliers lacked a deep threat on the outside, relying on speedy tight end Tom Santi to stretch defenses. At 6'4" and 225 pounds, Maurice Covington is a big target who led all receivers with 21 catches last year. Sophomores Staton Jobe and Dontrelle Inman showed promise. For once, the receiver position appears to be well-stocked. The Cavaliers are always loaded at tight end, and this year is no exception. Despite the loss of Santi and Jonathan Stupar, the Cavaliers are well-equipped at one of Groh’s favorite positions. John Phillips, a senior, caught 17 passes in limited action last year and is in line to be the next big producer at this key spot in the offense. Sophomore Joe Torchia will also play a lot.

Offensive linemen

The loss of Albert was not totally unexpected. He considered entering the draft after the 2006 season as well. Still, it leaves Virginia with some major holes in the middle of the line, where center Jordy Lipsey and guard Ian-Yates Cunningham also must be replaced. The strength of the unit will be on the edges. Senior Eugene Monroe was rated as the nation’s top high school lineman four years ago, and he didn’t allow a sack last year at left tackle. Right tackle Will Barker has 25 career starts. Jack Shields, a converted tight end, will take over at center. Zak Stair, a former tackle with seven career starts, should hold down one guard spot. The other spot is up in the air, with redshirt freshman Billy Cuffee and sophomore B.J. Cabbell in the mix. To take advantage of the talent at the skill positions, Virginia needs this group to grow up quickly.

Defensive linemen

There is no replacing Long, one of the top players in the country last year and one of the best in school history. Fitzgerald, though, was just a notch behind his more-celebrated teammate. After earning freshman All-America honors in 2006, he followed up with 73 tackles and seven sacks last year. He and Long were arguably the best pair of ends in the nation, and rarely came off the field. For that reason, none of this year’s candidates to start at end have much experience. Alex Field saw limited duty in all 13 games, and Sean Gottschalk appeared in nine. They are the frontrunners to start, but redshirt freshmen Matt Conrath and Zane Parr could be in the mix. “We really like the young players we have there, but obviously that’s what they are, young players,” Groh says. The situation is more settled at nosetackle, where Nate Collins has been in the rotation for two years, backing up graduated senior Allen Billyk.

Linebackers

Virginia returns three starters, making this unit the backbone of Groh’s 3-4 defense. Jon Copper, a former walk-on, has led the team in tackles the last two seasons from one inside position. Antonio Appleby is also entering his third year as a starter. On the outside, Clint Sintim is one of those players who seems to have been around forever. A fifth-year senior, Sintim is big enough (6'3", 254 pounds) to play defensive end in most schemes. He was second to Long with nine sacks last year and should be the team’s best pass rusher this year, helping make up for the losses at defensive end. The other outside position is up for grabs. Whoever wins it will have the benefit of playing with three seniors who’ve seen it all.

Defensive backs

Virginia has recruited well here in recent years, and the depth should offset the loss of Cook and two senior safeties. Cook missed the Gator Bowl for academic reasons, and sophomore Ras-I Dowling filled in ably. Dowling was an honorable mention freshman All-American who has good size and ball skills, as evidenced by his nine pass break-ups and two interceptions. Junior Vic Hall, a returning starter, holds down the other spot. Trey Womack, a special teams standout, provides depth. The status of Mike Brown, who missed last season with a knee injury, was up in the air after an offseason arrest. Byron Glaspy is the only returnee at safety. He’s got 26 career starts. Competition for the other spot will be lively. Mike Parker, a former cornerback, is vying with sophomore Matt Leemhuis and redshirt freshman Corey Mosley.

Specialists

Gone are Ryan Weigand, who was fourth in the nation in punting average, and Chris Gould, who blossomed into a reliable placekicker. Redshirt freshman Chris Hinkebein takes over for Gould, while sophomore John Thornton is the top punting candidate.
 

Uncommitted prospect list nothing to take lightly
Wilson commitment is 32nd to a I-A school
By Doug Doughty

Talk about lists!

While I wouldn’t dare to resume last week’s debate over rock music, sitcoms and funny movies, I have, at arm’s length, five different ratings of the state’s top 2009 football recruits, including the one that I have prepared for SuperPrep magazine.

The other lists are from Virginia Preps, the UVa rivals.com site, the Virginia Tech and UVa fans’ boards (same list) and the Commonwealth Board.

I know that Jamie Oakes compiles the list that was published Friday on virginia.rivals.com. Chris Horne’s list on techsideline.com and thesabre.com is billed as a presummer list and is a little more dated (June 4). Zirkle Blakey is in charge of the Virginia Preps site and oversees preparation of that list.

I spoke for the first time Friday with one of the Commonwealth Board administrators who said that probably 90 percent of its subscribers have Virginia Tech as their primary school of interest but the site is constantly looking to improve its UVa sources. The most recent rankings have Virginia recruits Jake Snyder and Luke Bowanko at No. 11 and 21, which is higher than they are ranked almost anywhere.

I take a look at most of those lists but I also confer with college and high-school coaches (I know this is a big surprise) for the lists I compile for The Roanoke Times and SuperPrep. There generally has been a late-summer list of the state’s top seniors that appears on roanoke.com and, most of the time, in the print edition.

While surveying the different lists today and contemplating the 32 in-state players who already have made commitments to Division I-A programs for 2009, it occurred to me that the most pertinent list at the point would detail the state’s top uncommitted players.

That number was trimmed Friday when Virginia Tech took an oral commitment from David Wilson, a 5-foot-11, 190-pound George Washington (Danville) running back who also is a dynamic track performer.

In any case, it is likely that more players will have made oral commitments by the end of the month than will make oral commitments between Aug. 1 and the first Wednesday in February, the traditional letter-of-intent day. It would take an unprecedented 65 Division I-A signees for that not to be the case, but at the current pace, who knows?

THIS IS CLOSE to a consensus of the top 11 uncommitted players in the state:

1. LOGAN THOMAS, 6-6, 225, ATH, BROOKVILLE (LYNCHBURG). Thomas has taken multiple trips to Tech and UVa and has a final seven that includes Clemson, North Carolina, Tennessee, Wake Forest and West Virginia. He was a receiver as a sophomore, when he had 60 receptions, but moved to quarterback last year and had nearly 2,000 yards in total offense. He’s also a better student (3.4) than most of the top uncommitted players.

2. MORGAN MOSES, 6-7, 332, OL, MEADOWBROOK (RICHMOND). Two of the lists have Moses rated as the No. 1 prospect in the state, committed players included, but I’m always going to go with a skill-position player. I’m also hesitant to rate a tight end too highly. That may be the position Thomas plays in college, but his background at wide receiver and quarterback certainly qualifies him as a skilled player. Virginia and Virginia Tech are competing for Moses, but he also has offers from such big-time programs as Florida, Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama. I don’t know if you put West Virginia in the same category as those schools, but the Mountaineers have offered Moses, too.

3. JEROD ASKEW, 6-0, 215, LB, OSCAR SMITH (CHESAPEAKE). There hasn’t been a big buzz about Askew in these parts, but, in addition to Virginia Tech, he reportedly has offers from Oklahoma, Tennessee, West Virginia, Clemson, Maryland and N.C. State. I’ve seen stats that show Askew and teammate Perry Jones, a UVa commit, with 24 tackles for loss apiece. And, Askew had 14 sacks and Jones had 13. Did anybody else make a stop?

4. LANFORD COLLINS, 6-4, 240, DE, BROOK POINTE (STAFFORD). Could be rated ahead of Askew but comes from a much lower starting point. This could be another Tech-UVa showdown, although some impressive offers have come from Penn State, Tennessee, North Carolina, West Virginia and Boston College.

5. DE’ANTWAN WILLIAMS, 5-7, 202, RB, WOODBRIDGE. Height could be an issue but Oakes this morning also raises the specter of academics. Williams is remarkably productive and has rushed for 1,000 yards or more in three consecutive seasons. That includes a 2,249-yard, 26-touchdown season in 2007. Williams has offers from Virginia, West Virginia, Alabama, Boston College, Maryland and Pittsburgh.

6. DE’ANTRE RHODES, 6-2, 279, OL-DL, VARINA (RICHMOND). Hasn’t exploded on the national scene, as yet, but you can bet the Hokies would be glad to have him to add to their Varina collection. Didn’t give up a sack all of last season but a lot of people think he could be an even bigger factor on defense. Offers from Tech, UVa, Maryland, Clemson and East Carolina.

7. ANTONE EXUM, 6-0, 200, ATH, DEEP RUN (GLEN ALLEN). As contrasted with Deep Run teammates Jake Snyder, who has committed to Virginia, and Jordan Love, who is headed to Georgia, Exum appears to be taking his time. He plays quarterback at Deep Run, where he had more than 1,500 yards in total offense, but look for him to play receiver or DB in college. He has offers from Tech, UVa, West Virginia, Penn State, Maryland, Wake and Purdue.

8. TIM SMITH, 6-1, 190, WR, OSCAR SMITH (CHESAPEAKE). Smith is a good student and a major target for Virginia, which has had difficulty in attracting marquee in-state players. Virginian Pilot prep coordinator Bryan Black thinks that Smith could have a 1,000-yard season with the departure of I-A receiver signees Todd Harrelson (North Carolina) and Kerry Boykins (Maryland). Smith said this week that he is focusing most of his interest on UVa, Louisville, South Carolina, Boston College and West Virginia.

9. THERON NORMAN, 6-3, 185, WR, HERMITAGE (RICHMOND). Norman is like Logan Thomas and Exum in that he plays quarterback for his high-school team but is more likely to be a wide receiver or DB in college. Tech and UVa would both like him, with the Hokies generally viewed as the leader. He also has an offer from Syracuse and could go in a package with one of his prime targets, Duan Perez-Means.

10. WILL HILL, 6-4, 260, DE, WILLIAMSBURG LAFAYETTE. Another player who has gotten lost in a flurry of recent commitments elsewhere. Hill has family in Michigan and has an offer from the Wolverines, according to the rivals.com database. Other than that, Hill has offers from schools that routinely recruit in Virginia (UVa, North Carolina, Maryland, South Carolina and Connecticut).

11. JAMES GAYLE, 6-4, 220, DE, BETHEL (HAMPTON). Virginia and Virginia Tech both have offers out to Gayle, so how could you call him a sleeper? (That was my first impulse) His father and his uncle played at Ohio State, his uncle than had an 11-year NFL career, so how long before the Buckeyes jump in? N.C. State and Syracuse are among the seven I-A schools that have offered him.