Cavalier Corner is the publication just for UVa sports fans!
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BY BRAD FRANKLIN V irginia's football program did some- thing in February that only one other school in modern history has done: Sign a pair of five-star recruits coming off a 2-10 season (Illinois achieved the feat in 2007). If fans are looking for a reason to think the Cavaliers will improve in 2014, that's an excellent place to start. In signing both Quin Blanding, the nation's top safety, and Andrew Brown, the nation's top defensive tackle, head coach Mike London and the Wahoos were able to inject a great deal of program-changing talent into the mix. And this year's signing class includes several other players of note. But the focus begins with Blanding, a Virginia Beach native, and Brown, who enrolled at UVa in January. "It's very rare," Rivals.com national recruit- ing analyst Mike Farrell said. "Usually you see the five-star guys go to the perennial powers and the schools that are constantly winning national championships or have the biggest and best fa- cilities. UVa, to get two in-state kids to stay home regardless of the off-field success, is really, really rare. I've never seen it to this level since I've been covering recruiting." "I'm a big proponent of establishing relation- ships, and we had been recruiting these guys since I got here," London said. "It's important that people know how much you care about them away from the field. With both Quin and Andrew and their families, we felt like we had a chance to really know who they are and to build those relationships and trust." There has to be more than just the athletic side of attending a school, the coach noted, that players of their caliber connect with, and perhaps more importantly that their families connect with, when it comes to choosing a college. "Something that lasts much longer than their football careers," he added. "We've had guys who have come highly regarded, players who have played early in their careers like Tra Nicholson and Eli Harold and Taquan Mizzell. When they see those guys have those opportunities, other good players want to come, too." Five-Star Prospects Quin Blanding And Andrew Brown Headline UVa's 2014 Recruiting Class STELLAR EFFORT i24-27.UVa Recruiting.indd 2 4/2/14 9:34 AM