Cavalier Corner is the publication just for UVa sports fans!
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/114138
"His athletic skills — speed, ball skills, coverage instincts, run support — make him a top player, and his attitude and leadership make him a top-five player." Running back Terry Kirby is considered to be the top recruiting prize in school history. He was named the 1988 USA Today Offensive Player of the Year coming out of Tabb (Va.) High. The Cavs have landed five top-30 players since 2002. Virginia signed Kai Parham (No. 11 overall player in the country), Michael Johnson (No. 14) and Ahmad Brooks (No. 27) in the class of 2002. Offensive lineman Eugene Monroe was ranked No. 3 in the country in the class of 2005. The fifth signee played a key role in helping UVa earn a verbal commitment from Blanding. Rivals. com ranked prep teammate Taquan "Smoke" Mizzell as a five-star prospect and the No. 29 overall player in the class of 2013. The athletic running back is a good friend of Blanding, and it had been rumored for months that the two would likely end up as teammates in Charlottesville. Blanding posted 15 interceptions, to go along with Blanding, a 6-2, 196-pound safety for Virginia 97 receptions for 1,715 yards and 15 touchdowns, Beach (Va.) Bayside, is a five-star recruit and the over the last two seasons. He was named the Beach No. 4 overall player in the class of 2014 according to Rivals.com. District Defensive Player of the Year last fall after Photo courtesy Rivals.com compiling 111 tackles, five interceptions (one of which he returned 95 yards for a score), three blocked punts and two fumble recoveries. Blanding also added 1,035 receiving yards and six touchdowns on offense his junior year. His all-around abilities have already led to a spot in the Under Armour All-American Game following his senior season. Blanding will add to a five-year run of Bayside High producing a player for Virginia. Mizzell, linebacker Henry Coley, and defensive backs Demetrious Nicholson and Anthony Cooper also attended Bayside. Blanding doesn't expect to waiver on his commitment at all leading up to signing day in February 2014. He wants to be the "lead dog" in helping other players pick the Cavaliers. "This has left me shocked and overwhelmed, but now that it's over with I feel relieved," Blanding said. "I'm strictly Virginia, and I'm going there to make a name for myself. "I want to make a name for Virginia and put us back on the map. I want to just represent the 757, the state of Virginia and my family and me. This is it for me. I'm going to UVa, and I'm going to stick with UVa." — Jacey Zembal