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FEBRUARY 2023 13 "We are better, and we will do better, because of Devin, Lavel and D'Sean," UVA athletics director Carla Williams told the thousands who gathered at John Paul Jones Arena for a memorial service Nov. 19. "To the families, we love your sons, and we will make sure their legacy never fades at the University of Virginia." Elliott closed the service with this prom- ise: "To everyone here I say, we will turn today's tragedy into tomorrow's triumph. Devin, D'Sean and Lavel have displayed the highest form of love by giving their lives. We have a mission going forward, and that mission requires a tremendous amount of responsibility. Amidst the pain and suffering, there is hope. … Weeping is going to last for the night, but great joy is coming in the morning." At the team's end-of-season banquet, which was pushed back to late January, Elliott announced that players' jerseys this year would include legacy patches bearing the numbers of Davis, Chandler and Perry: 1, 15 and 41. After the shooting, the UVA Strong Fund was established to honor the memories of Chandler, Davis and Perry and to help vic- tims, survivors and their families, as well as students, deal with the tragedy. Williams said the university, the athletics department and the football program have received tremendous support from inside and outside the Charlottesville community. "It's been wonderful for all of us, as we try to heal, to have all this support," Williams said. "We've heard from everybody, really, in college athletics, and a lot of people in pro sports, which I know is really comforting for the families. They know that their sons are leaving a legacy and that they'll be remem- bered, which is important to them." As they mourned last fall, the Cavaliers' coaches had to focus on football, too, with the December signing period approaching. The 2023 team will include Elliott's first full recruiting class, and he was thrilled that so many players stuck with the Hoos, he said, "considering the season and how it ended." Most of the recruits committed to UVA before the Nov. 13 shooting. The class stayed mostly intact, and "we were able to add some transfers amidst a bunch of the adversity we were going through as a pro- gram," Elliott said. "And that was my mes- sage to the staff: [The recruits] could have decided to go anywhere in the country, but they decided to hitch their saddle up to this staff, this program, and so I'm excited about the future." Nineteen high school seniors signed with UVA in December, two of whom enrolled in January: quarterback Anthony Colandrea and wide receiver Jaden Gibson. The Cava- liers' other mid-year enrollees are trans- fers: fourth-year quarterback Tony Muskett (Monmouth), fourth-year tailback Kobe Pace (Clemson), fifth-year wide receiver Malik Washington (Northwestern), fifth-year defensive backs Cam'Ron Kelly (North Caro- lina) and Tayvonn Kyle (Iowa State), and fourth-year offensive tackle Ugonna Nnanna (Houston). Spring practice starts in March for the Wahoos, and the team that takes the field will look much different from the one that posted a 3-7 record in 2022. Wideouts Dontayvion Wicks and Keytaon Thompson and cornerback Anthony Johnson are pur- suing NFL careers, and other UVA players chose to enter the transfer portal, including quarterback Brennan Armstrong, offensive linemen Logan Taylor and John Paul Flores, wide receiver Billy Kemp IV, linebacker Nick " To everyone here I say, we will turn today's tragedy into tomorrow's triumph. Devin, D'Sean and Lavel have displayed the highest form of love by giving their lives. We have a mission going forward, and that mission requires a tremendous amount of responsibility. Amidst the pain and suffering, there is hope. … Weeping is going to last for the night, but great joy is coming in the morning." UVA HEAD COACH TONY ELLIOTT