Lyles happy to feel pain
UVa safety excited to be back on field after neck injury ended season
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
August 26, 2006

Marcus Hamilton felt helpless. His friend and teammate, safety Nate Lyles, was motionless.

Scott Stadium, which was filled to the brim with 60,000 people, had turned into a house of horrors thanks to one play.

It started as a basic carry for Georgia Tech tailback P.J. Daniels and after he jumped into the air his knee landed on Lyles’ chin.

“I couldn’t feel anything,” Lyles said. “That was the scary part.”

Lyles’ teammates expected the Chicago native to get up. Lyles always did, including once after a hard hit at UNC rung his bell and left him dizzy.

“Nate came up and tried to make a tackle and I believe the running back jumped and Nate got put in an awkward situation,” Hamilton said. “When he went down we knew it was kind of serious because Nate would normally try to bounce right back up no matter the injury, but this time he didn’t.

“We just got down and said a prayer for him.”

It was the first of many prayers from Hamilton, a devout Christian. It just didn’t seem fair that one of the most-loved players on the team would have it taken away with just two regular-season games remaining.

One of those games fell during Thanksgiving. Knowing that he was not going to play, coach Al Groh gave Lyles two choices: travel with the team or go home for the holiday.

It was a no-brainer.

“I had the option of going home to see my family for a day or two or go down to Miami and do what I do every Saturday,” Lyles said. “I just wanted to be around the guys.

“I couldn’t leave my family.”

Hamilton said that is just an example of what Lyles is like.

“Nate is one of those guys that anything he can do to help the guys out, help the team out, he will do it,” Hamilton said. “Whether that is giving you a ride somewhere or whatever he needs to do, Nate is one of those guys that’s willing to do that.

“That’s just his character and his nature.”

Hamilton’s prayers were answered when Virginia opened training camp and his teammate was back.

Lyles, heading into his third year at UVa, was flying around the practice field and popping teammates with his hard hits.

The morning after his first practice in pads, Lyles said his shoulders and neck ached. It was a pain that he longed for.

“I haven’t had that feeling in a long time,” Lyles said with a bright smile.

Given the severity of Lyles’ neck injury, the junior now looks at life in a new light.

“The injury got me to grasp the work that we do,” Lyles said. “Every play out there means something and it might be tough and you might want to rest, but you can’t do it. When I was out, I was just wishing that I could be out there and be tired.”

Virginia coach Al Groh has praised Lyles during training camp and rewarded him with an orange jersey in practice, an honor given to members of the starting lineup.

It was just another chapter in the success story that Lyles has become. Future installments are also on the way as Lyles makes his first start, racks up his first tackle and levels his first opponent.

Only one question looms: Does Lyles fear another injury?

“If it happens again,” Lyles said, “I hope every play from now until then is the best that I can give.”

 

Franklin ready to make more memories
By Whitelaw Reid / Daily Progress staff writer
August 26, 2006

The mark of a good defensive back isn’t just his sheer number of interceptions. It’s also in the timing of his picks.

Are they occurring on Hail Marys just before halftime? Or are they coming late in games when everything is on the line?

For Virginia senior Tony Franklin, the answer has usually been the latter.

It’s no surprise then that Franklin, when recalling his fondest moments from his days at UVa, zeroed in on two games when his interceptions proved huge.

The first occurred in 2003 against Virginia Tech. Franklin, just a redshirt freshman, intercepted a Bryan Randall pass as the Hokies were driving deep into Virginia territory. The pick propelled Virginia to a 35-21 win.

“It was a big play in a big game,” Franklin said smiling. “It was one of my better memories.”

Franklin ranked last year’s victory over Florida State a close second. In that game, the 5-foot-10, 184-pounder intercepted a Drew Weatherford pass with less than a minute to play, sealing Virginia’s 26-21 victory.

“Making the last big play of the game in that game – an interception – and then everyone coming out on the field is something I’ll always remember,” Franklin said.

Virginia’s 23-16 win over Pittsburgh at the Continental Tire Bowl in 2003 is another game that sticks out to the Cleveland native. In that contest, the UVa secondary did a great job on Panthers All-American Larry Fitzgerald. Virginia snapped the wide receiver’s 18-game touchdown streak.

“He was one of the best college receivers I’ve ever seen,” Franklin said. “That was a big accomplishment for our secondary.”

Franklin, whose five career interceptions are the second most on the team (Marcus Hamilton has 10), has shown his versatility during his days in Charlottesville. After playing his first two seasons at cornerback, Franklin switched to safety last season.

During the preseason, Franklin has liked what he’s seen out of the unit.

“This is pretty much the most experience that we’ve had in the secondary. I don’t think it will be me leading guys as much as helping everyone come together and gel as a unit,” he said.

Of course, not all of Franklin’s moments are Kodak ones.

The sociology major was booted off the team for violating team rules prior to the Music City Bowl last season. Franklin, who was reinstated before this year’s training camp, said he’s learned a lot from the experience.

“It makes you really appreciate the game more after having been away,” he said. “I know the feeling of being away, so I appreciate being here now.

“It was frustrating not knowing and being uncertain about the future, but I’m grateful to be back now.”

As the team prepares for its season opener at Pittsburgh a week from today, Franklin has made room in his mental Rolodex for more good memories. In fact, he already has one date circled: Virginia Tech on Nov. 25. That will be the final regular-season game of his career.

“It’s definitely in our minds,” said Franklin, alluding to the Hokies’ 52-14 shellacking of the Cavaliers last season. “I guarantee you it won’t be anything like [that].”

 

Hamilton ready to go on lockdown
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
August 26, 2006

Opponents beware: this is Marcus Hamilton’s last go-round and he’s taking it very seriously.

The fifth-year Virginia cornerback is a preseason All-American and has made the watch list of several national postseason player awards. However, honors aren’t what drive the Centreville native.

Known as UVa’s “Minister of Defense,” Hamilton is a man of strong faith and character who has rubbed off on the younger players around him in the Cavaliers secondary. And why not? After all, he’s third in the nation among active players in the interceptions category with 10, including an ACC-leading six last season alone.

Sophomore slump

Hamilton’s story hasn’t always been so rosy. He was benched eight games into his sophomore season and replaced by Philip Brown, but returned to the starting lineup by the end of the season.

During that difficult period, Hamilton leaned on his faith and hard work to deal with his predicament and battled back to start against Virginia Tech and in the MPC Computers Bowl game. Ever since then, he has been a fixture in UVa’s lineup.

“It was tough because a competitor isn’t going to like having to come out of a game,” Hamilton said. “I had to use it as motivation and I had to question myself. Maybe I’m doing something wrong ... I had to work harder in practice and the weight room. Whatever it was going to take for me to get back on the field, that’s what I was going to do.”

An extra effort

Hamilton did just that. He worked extra in the weight room, the practice field and in film study. The extra work and extra knowledge prepared him mightily for the challenge of winning his job back.

“I had to prepare every game as if I was the starter, and so when my opportunity came, I was able to step up and make a lot of plays,” said the cover corner.

In one of those games that he didn’t start, Hamilton was assigned one of the most difficult tasks a cornerback could face: covering Georgia Tech’s Calvin Johnson. At 6-foot-5, 235 pounds and with amazing 4.4 speed, Johnson was and remains one of the best, if not the best, wide receivers in the nation.

Hamilton held Johnson to five catches for 108 yards and kept him out of the end zone. What’s just as important was that Hamilton intercepted two passes in the end zone and was named national defensive player of the week for his job against Johnson.

That game may have made all the difference in the world to the UVa sophomore.

“Marcus’ confidence was a very shaky thing early in his career,” said UVa head coach Al Groh. “He didn’t trust his abilities because his confidence wouldn’t allow him to do so. Now that he has performance to bank on, that has allowed him to play with confidence.”

Hamilton would be the first to second Groh’s opinions.

“I feel like I have grown as a player and my confidence level has matured,” the corner said. “That has been one of the things that has given me an edge, my level of confidence in myself that, at any time, I can step up and make a play.

“No matter what happens out there, I still believe in myself, and my teammates believe in me, so that added confidence has helped me become the player that I am.”

His success late in the sophomore season led to even more success as a junior when Hamilton was named second-team All-ACC. He became the first Cavalier to record back-to-back seasons with at least four interceptions since Anthony Poindexter in 1996-97.

But he was more than just a pass defender. Hamilton also racked up 63 tackles, the second-most in a single season by a UVa cornerback in school history.

He also shut down Georgia Tech’s Johnson for a second straight time, helping the Cavaliers win again against the Yellow Jackets. This time he held Johnson to only four catches for 41 yards, and again, kept the Tech receiver out of the end zone.

For a second straight year, Hamilton was named national defensive player of the week for his play against Georgia Tech.

“I have to credit my defense for that because they’ve put the pressure on Reggie Ball [Tech’s quarterback],” Hamilton said. “And the schemes we’ve run against Tech have been helpful in deterring them from throwing the ball my way.

“I have been blessed to go against one of the top receivers in the country and having some success. He’s a phenomenal receiver. I’m thankful that I’ve been able to contain him and slow him down a little bit.”

Not many corners or defenses have been able to make that claim, but it has all been part of Hamilton’s growth. He came to UVa with the reputation as a lockdown corner, but that came to a screeching halt in the first game of his freshman campaign when he suffered a broken bone in his leg, late in the game at Florida State.

Fast-forward to the verge of his last season at Virginia and Hamilton is poised for greatness.

“I think he really is a classic fifth-year player,” said Groh. “His personal confidence, as much as his skills, have built up during his career. If his confidence hadn’t grown to this point, he might not be as aggressive.”

Aggression is what everyone sees in Hamilton. New Wahoo secondary coach Steve Bernstein, who has seen it all in his 37 years in the business, liked what he sees in his fifth-year corner.

“Right now, I think he’s becoming an all-around type player,” Bernstein said. “I think he’s playing the run a lot better as well as the pass. He’s what we call a playmaker.”

Bernstein likes the fact that Hamilton has great anticipation, is a solid athlete and that his really long arms allow him to get his hands on the ball and also helps him keep receivers off him.

“He’s a big-time player,” Bernstein said. “He was named captain and has taken on that role. He’s always helping the younger players, not only verbally, but shows them. When he plays, he plays hard and that sets a good example. He’s a good model for our young kids. It’s nice to come to a school and get a defensive back like him to coach.”

Bernstein can make a point to Hamilton and the player gets it right away and applies it to his play. Because of that clear understanding, Bernstein can spend less time instructing Hamilton and devote more time to the four younger corners, enhancing their development.

Hamilton has already noticed a difference in several of those younger players.

“I believe we have five or six corners on our team that can go into the game at any time without there being a letdown,” said the captain. “If one of us gets tired, we can come out for a play or two and not have to worry about a letdown. Florida State does that a lot, rotate personnel, and that’s one of the reasons they’re so successful, that they have a lot of depth. I think that we have that now in our secondary.”

Defensive coordinator Mike London has noticed that Hamilton has become a more physical player. That’s no mistake. Hamilton came into this training camp determined to bring a more physical presence to the field.

“I got strong in the weight room and I wanted to come out and be more than just a cover corner,” said Hamilton. “I want to be able to come up on the run and make a lot of tackles, hard hits, get up in guys’ faces and get the defense riled up, be the motor of the defense.”

Certainly that is something that Groh, London and Bernstein must rejoice in. Talk about sticking your face in the fan.

“I do feel like it is a different Marcus Hamilton than the previous years,” said the Minister of Defense.

And to UVa’s opponents beware: you’ve been warned.

 

UVa's Secondary
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
August 26, 2006

Safeties
Nate Lyles
Junior l 6-0 l 203 pounds
Chicago
The Numbers: Lyles has played in 21 games, including nine as a sophomore last season. A neck injury ended his season early, but the hard-hitting safety still finished with 39 tackles, broke up two passes and had two interceptions
The Skinny: Lyles is one of the hardest hitters in the ACC and can make game-changing plays. … Lyles has returned from his neck injury without skipping a beat and should be counted on to be one of the defense’s best players. … Lyles has great hands and a knack for breaking up would-be completions.
The Factoid: Lyles is a huge Chicago White Sox fan.

Tony Franklin
Senior l 5-10 l 184
Cleveland
The Numbers: Franklin played in 10 games last year, missing two due to two separate suspensions. The converted cornerback was on the field for 650 plays and made 55 tackles, fourth most on the team.
The Skinny: Franklin’s return gives Virginia’s secondary added depth and experience. … The senior was a team captain last year and has the respect of his teammates. … Franklin will also be a major player on special teams.
The Factoid: Franklin rushed for 393 yards in the Ohio state title game and scored four touchdowns.

Conerbacks
Marcus Hamilton
Senior l 5-11 l 198
Centreville
The Numbers: Hamilton finished third on the team with 63 tackles and was on the field for 785 plays. … Hamilton made six interceptions last year and ranks third in the country among returning players with 10 interceptions. … Hamilton returned two punts in ’02 before he was later injured and redshirted.
The Skinny: Hamilton is a preseason All-American and has played like that since the start of his junior season. … Hamilton’s knowledge of Virginia’s defense allows him to serve as an extra coach on the field, something that should benefit the younger cornerbacks fighting for playing time. … Expect Hamilton to draw opposing teams’ top wideout.
The Factoid: Hamilton’s dad, Gregory, played football at Boston University in the ’70s.

Chris Gorham
Junior l 6-0 l 193
Pottstown, Pa.
The Numbers: After playing in only four games as a rookie, Gorham played in every game last year and finished with 42 tackles. … Gorham also intercepted two passes and broke up three others. His interceptions came against Florida State and Virginia Tech.
The Skinny: Gorham has been pushed in practice by several younger players but appears to be in line to start the season opener. … Gorham came on strong late last season as he started the final four games.
The Factoid: Gorham plays the trombone.

The Best of the Rest
Chris Cook
Sophomore l 6-2 l 204
Lynchburg
The Skinny: Former Virginia coach Al Golden said the one player he would miss coaching the most was Cook. The sophomore is one of the most athletic defensive backs on the team. … A broken leg suffered against Boston College last year slowed his progression but he has shown no ill effects in training camp.

Vic Hall
Redshirt freshman l 5-9 l 184
Gretna
The Skinny: Few players get the message boards stirring like Hall, a prized recruit out of high school. … Hall may eventually be moved to quarterback, his high school position, but gives Virginia added depth at cornerback this season. … Hall may also be featured with Virginia’s return game on special teams.

Byron Glaspy
Sophomore l 5-11 l 203
Basking Ridge, N.J.
The Skinny: Glaspy, a former walk-on, made amazing progress in learning Virginia’s defense last year. Glaspy was on the field for 281 plays, a number that should go up this year.

Ryan Best
Junior l 5-11 l 210
Williamstown, N.J.
The Skinny: Best, a former goalie on Virginia’s soccer team, is a great success story. He overcame cancer last year and played 200 plays, mainly on the nickel defensive package and with special teams.

Mike Brown
Sophomore l 5-9 l 180
Newark, N.J.
The Skinny: Brown was one of two true freshmen to play last year, and that experience should help the New Jersey native this season. … Brown has great quickness and good lateral movement, a must for a cornerback.

Jamaal Jackson
Junior l 6-3 l 212
Chesapeake
The Skinny: Jackson has impressed the coaching staff in training camp and should see tons of playing time at safety. … Jackson made 43 tackles last year, including eight stops against Virginia Tech.

 

Article published Aug 25, 2006
The Unknowns

Virginia football fans should be glad rosters are available at games, so they can identify all the new faces in the Cavaliers' lineup this fall.

The program underwent wholesale changes since the team last played in the Music City Bowl. The makeover started in the coaching staff with three new coordinators and trickled to the field, where graduation took such starters as All-American D'Brickashaw Ferguson, quarterback Marques Hagans and Wali Lundy, who ended his stellar career as the ACC's all-time touchdown leader.

All told, the Cavaliers lost three starters on the offensive line who combined for 124 career starts, two-thirds of the offensive backfield, two defensive line starters, all-ACC linebacker Kai Parham and the kicking tandem of Connor Hughes and Kurt Smith.

And if those holes aren't gaping enough, leading receiver Deyon Williams is sidelined indefinitely with a stress fracture in his right foot.

Al Groh's sixth season as head coach begins with a lot of questions, probably the most since he took the job.

The biggest of those questions is under center, where Christian Olsen, a fifth-year player, finally gets his chance to lead a football team. Olsen has made only eight appearances in his career, which began at Notre Dame. He's completed 17 of 23 passes.

"I'm sure there are a lot of questions about him, but there were questions about Matt Leinart and Jay Cutler," Groh said. "You can only answer those questions in competition. He has a good arm and understands the offense, but until he takes the test and passes the test, that is the reality."

Olsen said he's trying not to think about his first collegiate start Sept. 2 at Pittsburgh.

"I plan on staying calm and letting the game come to me," he said.

Senior Jason Snelling moves to Lundy's tailback spot after his 325 yards led ACC fullbacks for the second straight year.

With Williams sidelined, the burden at wide receiver falls on juniors Fontel Mines (21 catches, 219 yards) and Theirrien Davis (two catches). Sophomores Kevin Olgetree and Andrew Pearman are being pressed into the mix.

Junior end Chris Long is the lone returning starter on the defensive line, while junior Jermaine Dias and sophomore Clint Sintim do have experience at linebacker.

Preseason all-American Marcus Hamilton spearheads a secondary that has three starters back, including Chris Gorham and Byron Glaspy.

"We have a lot of young guys battling for starting spots," Groh said. "It has been challenging for them, and at times for us. I wouldn't say it has been seamless. But it has been fun to put it all together on time for the opener."
 

U.VA. NOTES
Richmond Times-Dispatch Aug 26, 2006

BY A NOSE: The competition between Kevin McCabe and Jameel Sewell for the second-team spot at quarterback couldn't be much closer.

"It's really basically a coin flip," Cavaliers coach Al Groh said yesterday.

Nonetheless, Sewell's chances of playing in U.Va.'s opener at Pittsburgh next Saturday night -- should Groh decide to replace starter Christian Olsen -- don't look great.

"It depends on the situation," Groh said, "but just in the regular game sequence, we'd probably put McCabe in first."

Sewell, a 6-2, 219-pound left-hander, is a redshirt freshman from Hermitage High. The right-handed McCabe is a 6-2, 217-pound redshirt junior from Wexford, Pa., outside Pittsburgh.

As a Cavalier, McCabe is 7 for 14 passing for 54 yards. He hasn't thrown an interception or a touchdown pass.

"This has been Kevin's best preseason," Groh said. "Kevin's a real football guy. It's real important to him. He's heavily immersed into developing himself. This year, the biggest thing with Kevin is, he's been a lot calmer and a lot more comfortable, and it's improved his performance."

DEPTH-CHART UPDATES: Junior Jordy Lipsey (6-3, 280) has won the starting job at center, Groh said. At right guard, juniors Marshal Ausberry (6-5, 314) and Ian-Yates Cunningham (6-3, 290) are alternating. Cunningham has continued to work at center, too.

The other first-teamers on the offensive line are sophomore Eugene Monroe (6-6, 315) at left tackle, redshirt freshman Will Barker (6-7, 306) at right tackle and sophomore Branden Albert (6-7, 315) at left guard.

The Cavaliers' new offensive-line coach, Dave Borbely, would like to have more experience with which to work, of course, but he believes other attributes are more important.

"You're either a good player or you're not," Borbely said, "and what we're trying to do right now is make 'em great."

DOWN TO THE WIRE: Chris Gould will kick off for U.Va., and the junior from Lock Haven, Pa., hopes to handle extra points and field goals, too. But Noah Greenbaum, a senior from Richmond, is battling Gould for the job, and Groh has yet to announce a winner.

"It's just such a close deal," said Groh, who indicated he'll decide closer to the Pitt game.

Greenbaum, a Collegiate graduate who came to U.Va. as a walk-on, was awarded a scholarship this year, and he's "certainly acquitted himself very strongly" in training camp, Groh said.

Against Temple last season, Greenbaum booted a 41-yard field goal.

HIGH ON HALL: Groh said he's been pleased with the progress of outside linebacker Olu Hall during training camp. Hall, a 6-3, 230-pound sophomore, was ineffective as a true freshman last season, when he was used primarily as a pass-rusher.

Virginia's coaching staff has focused this month on teaching Hall the other duties of outside linebackers in the 3-4 defense, and "I'm real impressed with what he can turn into at that position," Groh said.

CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM: Junior nose tackle Keenan Carter's play in training camp has "been mostly up," Groh said, "but what we've learned is just to make sure that we're there to properly inspire Keenan to stay up the next day, too."

For a man who stands 6-2 and weighs 308 pounds, Carter has quick feet, and physically he's the prototypical nose tackle for a 3-4 defense. But he has yet to live up to his enormous potential, partly because of injuries and partly because of inconsistency and poor work habits, his coaches say.

By contrast, U.Va.'s starter at nose tackle, junior Allen Billyk, is "one of those players who really brings dependability to the operation," Groh said. "He seldom makes a mental error, seldom makes a technique error."

GARDEN STATE CONNECTION: Redshirt freshman Rashawn Jackson, a 6-1, 254-pound inside linebacker, is from Jersey City, N.J. True freshman Darnell Carter, a 6-3, 244-pound inside linebacker, is from nearby Englewood.

He didn't know Carter when they were in high school, Jackson said, but "you can tell on the field, as we're tackling, that we got something in common."

Each has distinguished himself in tackling drills this month.

"If those two ever end up in there together, they'll both be big and fast," Groh said. Carter "looks like linebackers here are supposed to look. He's big, and he can run."

ON-THE-JOB TRAINING: Of the 33 players who make up U.Va.'s first-, second- and third-team defenses, only two are seniors: cornerback Marcus Hamilton and safety Tony Franklin. Among the youngsters who'll be expected to contribute this season are redshirt freshmen Jeffrey Fitzgerald (end), Rashawn Jackson (inside linebacker) and Vic Hall (cornerback) and sophomores Alex Field (end) and Aaron Clark (outside linebacker). Neither Field nor Clark earned much experience as true freshmen last year.

"You're going to make mistakes," said Fitzgerald, a graduate of Hermitage High. "It's going to happen, but just try to bounce back from it the best possible way. And if you're going to make a mistake, make it at full speed, where you can recover from it." -- Jeff White
 

Hargrave quarterback looks like big-timer
Haircut big adjustment for Cuffee
Doug Doughty

The lunchtime spread wasn’t up to its normal standards, but a trip to Chatham for Hargrave Military Academy’s preseason media day Monday was no less beneficial.

You could have called it the Jamie Childers coming out party.

Childers is a 6-foot-5, 225-pound quarterback from Mt. Pleasant, S.C., and what he’s doing at Hargrave, nobody knows.

When Hargrave offensive coordinator Ryan Sulkowski got his first look at Childers, here’s what he thought:

“NFL,” Sulkowski said.

(That’s the same Sulkowski who saved the day Monday by heading to Subway and bringing back food for the masses; i.e., his boss and assorted media gadflies.)

As usual, there was an obscene amount of talent on hand, much of it placed at Hargrave by Division I-A programs, but Childers is at Hargrave with no strings attached.

Childers signed a letter-of-intent with Newberry, a Division II program, but elected not to enroll – to re-enter the draft, so to speak – and try to improve his stock at Hargrave. Grades aren’t an issue. According to Hargrave coach Robert Prunty, Childers has 1,400 on the SAT.

Prunty thinks that Childers is going to be the best quarterback to play for him, but who would that include?

“That’s what I’m saying,” Prunty said. “We’ve only had Cory Holt.”

Holt is battling for the No. 2 quarterback spot at Virginia Tech. He may not be chicken wings, cold cuts and potato salad, but, hey, Subway’s not bad.

It turns out, Childers was born in Roanoke, living in the Star City only briefly before Westvaco transferred his father to the Charleston, S.C., area.

“You just talked to [Childers],” Prunty said. “He comes off as the All-American kid. Nice-looking. Tall. Well-proportioned. Real respectful. Can play.

“This guy is going to get a big-time scholarship out of here. I don’t know who’s going to sign him, but it will be a huge program when they come in and see this guy.”

So, why wasn’t Childers more heavily recruited? For one thing, he was a baseball player. For another, he only went to one camp, at South Carolina, where he got good reviews, but Gamecocks’ coach and passing guru Steve Spurrier can pick and choose his QBs.

Childers played in a run-oriented offense, although he did pass for 1,800 yards as a senior. He can run 40 yards in close to 4.5 seconds and can do a 360-degree dunk in basketball.

“I want to go big-time – SEC, ACC, Big 10, someplace like that,” Childers said. “My dad heard about [Hargrave] through word of mouth. Once I found out I could come here and was free to sign again, I was all for it.”

NINETEEN HARGRAVE players either signed with Division I-A programs in February or have committed to I-A programs, including three with Virginia and one, College Park, Ga., Ladi Ajiboye with Virginia Tech.

Ajiboye, listed at 6-4 and 290 pounds, had a doctor’s appointment and missed media day.

“Let me tell you, this kid can play,” Prunty said. “When I first saw him, he looked a little round, [like] a bowling ball.”

Ajiboye isn’t 6-4. Prunty said he got the heights and weights off a website “and you know those rivals guys,” he said. He’d estimate Ajiboye’s size at closer to 6-2 ½ and 320.

“He comes off the ball like a strike of lightning now,” Prunty said. “Believe me, this guy can play. Tech got them a run-stopper in this guy. He’s one of those Sam Adams-looking guys. Big butt. Huge thighs.”

Prunty said Ajiboye is 30 pounds overweight after lying around his house all summer, [but] he’s been great though,” he said.

ONE PLAYER WHO didn’t surface at Hargrave was Lesean McCoy, a running back from Harrisburg, Pa.

McCoy signed with Miami last year but did not qualify for Division I-A eligibility. He went to Milford (Conn.) Prep for the second semester in 2005-2006 but told WHP-TV in Harrisburg earlier this month that he was transferring to Hargrave.

“You guys have seen instances when kids have tried to change commitments and then all the media starts,” Prunty said. “I didn’t want to go through that type of issue.”

Prunty said it’s different with a player like Ryan Tillman, a 6-5, 260-pound offensive and defensive tackle from Centreville High School who originally signed with Division I-AA Norfolk State.

“Before he got here, he wasn’t going to Norfolk State,” Prunty said. “That was done before he got here. Now, if a kid comes here and he makes the statement, ‘this is not where I’m going,’ I can’t make a kid [stick to his commitment].

“On the first day, I need to know what the plans are. As long as I know what the plans are, then I can make a decision whether to take you or not. When Tillman came in with his mother and father, he said, ‘I’m not going back to Norfolk State.’ “

Tillman wants to go I-A, “and I think he can,” Prunty said. “He’s good looking. He speaks well. He’s articulate. The guy got 900 on the SAT. He needs 20 more points. I think he’ll be fine.”

DESPITE THE COMMITMENTS, Prunty thinks he has more good players who are unspoken-for than in previous years. One of them is Ben Finney, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound wide receiver from Norcom High School in Portsmouth.

Finney set a VHSL record last year with 372 receiving yards in a game but originally was headed to Hargrave for basketball.

“Yeah, but he’s great in football,” Prunty said. “He’s playing both.”

It is Prunty’s impression that Virginia Tech either has offered or will offer a scholarship to Finney “and now everybody is starting to offer him,” Prunty said.

Prunty said it is his understanding that Virginia Tech men’s basketball coach Seth Greenberg has talked to Hargrave basketball coach Kevin Keatts “and, from what I’ve heard, they’re [the Hokies] talking to him for basketball, too, but this kid’s a big-time football player.”

The problem for the Hokies is, they’re almost out of scholarships. If Finney were to play football and basketball for Tech, he would count against the football quota.

ONE OF THE three 2006 Virginia signees at Hargrave, 6-5, 330-pound offensive lineman Billy Cuffee, said he hadn’t cut his hair for five years before coming to Hargrave.

“That’s one of the biggest things I had to do,” he said. “I felt like Sampson, but once I got it cut and felt the cool breeze I hadn’t felt in a while, it was fine.”

Cuffee is at Hargrave with one of his Deep Creek High School teammates and fellow UVa signees, safety Ras-I Dowling, as well as Cavalier-bound Trenton, N.J., linebacker Almondo Sewell.

Cuffee would like to meet NCAA eligibility standards this fall and enroll at Virginia at mid-year, “but, UVa right now is telling Almondo, Ras-I and I that they want us to stay the whole year, but maybe, if we qualify early, we might be able to work something out.

“I’m pretty solid on UVa. If I was going to leave, I would have left [Hargrave] by now. The hardest part is over. The first week is the hardest part of anything. If the time comes and they want me to stay the year, we’ll see, but I’ll probably just stay the year.”
 

U.Va. quarterback preparing for any role in homecoming
By DOUG DOUGHTY, The Roanoke Times
© August 26, 2006

CHARLOTTESVILLE - At the time 15 months ago that Virginia formalized a two-year football series with Pittsburgh, Kevin McCabe might have envisioned himself as a starter against his hometown school.

It appeared that Marques Hagans was going to be U.Va.'s starting quarterback in 2005, but Hagans was in his final year, with McCabe among the leading candidates to succeed him.

As expected, McCabe will be making a homecoming Sept. 2 when the Cavaliers visit Pitt. How much of a homecoming remains to be seen.

"Every night I go to bed thinking about that first game and I'd like to be starting," said McCabe, a SuperPrep All-American in high school. "Even if I'm not, though, it's another game on the schedule that we've got to win. I just want to be on top of my game, whatever happens."

U.Va. coach Al Groh let it be known last winter that fifth-year senior Christian Olsen was the Cavaliers' No. 1 quarterback and that the job was his to lose. McCabe, a fourth-year junior, is competing with redshirt freshman Jameel Sewell for the No. 2 job.

"The pecking order [at most positions] is kind of set right now," Groh said, "but that's one spot where we're going to last it out a little longer."

Sewell missed practice time early this week after he caught his foot in a bicycle chain and 18 stitches were required to close the wound. That meant extra practice work for reserves McCabe and sophomore Scott Deke.

"At the staff grading of the tape last night, comment was made that it was perhaps Kevin's best practice at Virginia," Groh said Tuesday. "Kevin's progression, at many times, has been erratic - kind of stop, start, go, slow down. It will be very interesting to see what follows."

As a senior at Pine-Richland High School in 2002, McCabe took his team to the Western Pennsylvania Intercollegiate Athletic League title game, where it lost to Hopewell High of Aliquippa 20-15.

Hopewell was led by linebacker Paul Posluszny, rated the No. 7 prospect in Pennsylvania by SuperPrep magazine. McCabe was the No. 8-rated player on that list.

Posluszny went to Penn State, where he was the winner of the Bednarik Trophy last year as college football's top defensive linebacker. McCabe is still waiting to establish himself, having played in one game last year and four overall.

"It's crunch time for me now," McCabe said. "I don't really have much time left to make a move, either now or for my career. The window of opportunity keeps on getting smaller and smaller."

When McCabe was a redshirt freshman in 2004, there was a time when he was ahead of Olsen, a transfer from Notre Dame. No one knew that Olsen had moved up to No. 2 until Hagans was injured at Florida State in the sixth week of the season and Olsen went in.

Physically, there is little to separate Olsen (6-foot-3, 222 pounds) and McCabe (6-2, 217). Their arm strength is comparable.

They also share an absence of game action. Olsen has attempted 22 passes in his U.Va. career; McCabe has thrown 14.

Quarterbacks with lesser credentials than McCabe's have fallen behind and chosen to play elsewhere.

"I think about it every night," McCabe said. "There have been situations in the past where things have worked out for players like me. You've got to know that. I want to be that guy. You've got to be persistent.

"The general consensus would be to transfer, but I'm going to stick it out. Maybe something will happen. If it doesn't, you have to remember this is the University of Virginia. But, I love football.... Love it with a passion."

McCabe said he wouldn't wish an injury on anybody, but he realizes he's one play from being in a game. At Heinz Field, also the site of the 2002 WPIAL title game, he figures he'll know at least 200 people in the crowd.

Of the nine scholarship Pennsylvanians on the U.Va. roster, McCabe is the only one from the greater Pittsburgh area, though starting nose tackle Allen Billyk made Pittsburgh all-area teams. Billyk is from New Castle, which is 46 miles from Pittsburgh.

"He let out a 'yunz ' every once in a while," McCabe said. "That's Pittsburgh slang for you 'guys.' If a guy wants to consider himself a Pittsburgh guy, I'll let it slide. I think it's a culture that grows. People always want to attach themselves to Pittsburgh. We'll give Allen this one."