Cavalier Corner is the publication just for UVa sports fans!
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Star Watch Player Taquan Mizzell Tim Harris Micah Kiser Corwin Cutler George Adeosun Kirk Garner Stars Rankings 5Rivals No. 1 all-purpose RB and No. 29 player nationally 4MaxPreps No. 4 RB and No. 51 in country 4 247Sports No. 2 RB and No. 62 prospect in land 4ESPN No. 9 RB and No. 75 recruit in country 4 247Sports No. 16 CB and No. 141 player nationally 4Rivals No. 14 CB and No. 179 player nationally 4Scout No. 27 CB in country 4ESPN No. 20 LB in land 4 247Sports No. 25 LB in nation 4ESPN No. 21 QB nationally 4 247Sports No. 26 OT in country 4Rivals No. 29 CB in land Star Junior Quin Blanding Selects Virginia Virginia landed one its highest ranked players ever when Virginia Beach (Va.) Bayside junior defensive back Quin Blanding picked the Cavaliers Feb. 27. Rivals.com ranks Blanding as a five-star prospect and the No. 4 player in the class of 2014. The 6-2, 196-pounder with 4.55-second speed in the 40-yard dash had narrowed his list down to 10 colleges last November. Blanding picked Virginia over Ohio State, Florida State, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Notre Dame, West Virginia, Clemson, Miami and Michigan. Another 20 schools had also offered him. Blanding is the second junior to pick Virginia, joining Lakeland (Fla.) Victory Christian Academy defensive tackle Chris Nelson, who selected the Cavaliers Aug. 25, 2012. Blanding said the decision was an easy one. "I felt like for me and my family this was the right time," he told Rivals.com. "At the end of the day, just sitting down and talking to [Virginia] Coach [Mike] London, and the new defensive coordinator [Jon Tenuta] and [defensive backs] Coach [Anthony] Poindexter and all of them, I was like, 'Dang, this is where I really fit in at. This is family to me.' "They were my first offer, they've shown me love from day one, and that has stuck with me. It feels great to now be one of them." Blanding is the sixth five-star prospect to pick Virginia since Rivals.com started its rankings in 2002. Assistant coach Chip West was the point man on Blanding's recruitment. "He has incredible range and great instincts, and he hits like a linebacker and covers like a safety," Rivals.com recruiting analyst Mike Farrell told CavsCorner.com. "He is also a natural born leader — he will be a team captain at UVa sooner than later — and he's the kind of player that raises his game when needed, never quits and always works hard.