Cavalier Corner

August 2014

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standout Christian Pellage, plus three-star Tennessee line- men Andrew Wood and Alex Givens. Pellage is rated as the No. 40 offensive tackle nationally by Rivals.com, while Wood of Lebanon (Tenn.) Friendship Christian School and Givens of Nashville (Tenn.) Christian School are listed as the No. 25 and No. 27 players, respectively, in the Volunteer State. DEFENSIVE LINE Need: 4-5 Commitments: 1 — James Trucilla, Erie (Pa.) Cathedral Prep School. A 6-1, 267-pound defensive tackle, Trucilla is a player that Friedman thinks will really compliment 2014 five-star signee Andrew Brown at the position. "Once he gets to UVa, he's going to bulk up and he's go- ing to take up two offensive lineman and really allow An- drew Brown to go to work and allow linebackers to make plays," Friedman said. "He's got great lower-body strength. I expect him to be a really good run stopper. When he's matched up man on man, he can make plays. He'll be able to help the team in a lot of different ways." Rivals.com rates Trucilla as a three-star recruit and the No. 29 player in Pennsylvania. Top Targets: At tackle, the top target on the board is clearly Manasas ( Va.) Stonewall Jackson four-star Tim Settle, whose recruitment is wide open at the moment. Settle, who is ranked as the No. 3 player in Virginia, the No. 9 defensive tackle in the land and the No. 62 overall player in the class of 2015 by Rivals.com, listed a top 15 of Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, LSU, North Carolina, NC State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Tennes- see, Texas, UCLA, Virginia, Virginia Tech and West Virginia in early May before taking a step back from his recruitment. The Cavaliers are also looking to get a visit from fellow four-star tackle Christian Wilkins out of Suffield (Conn.) Academy. Rivals.com lists Wilkins as the No. 7 tackle and No. 53 overall prospect nationally. Meanwhile, there are a number of targets at end that remain on the board, including Austrian Robinson of Pawl- ing (N.Y.) Trinity Pawling, G.G. Robinson of Lilburn (Ga.) Parkview (who was a Cavalier lean as of late July) and Channing Hames of Arlington (Va.) Bishop O'Connell, all of which are three-star prospects. Robinson, listed at No. 34 nationally, is the only one of the three rated among the country's best defensive ends by Rivals.com. In addition, the Wahoos are among the favorites to land Milburn (N.J.) High two-star athlete Jake Pickard, who is be- ing recruited at both defensive end and tight end by many schools including UVa, though defense is his preference. The highest-rated recruit that Virginia continues to target at that position is Hopewell (Va.) High standout Darrell Tay- lor. The end/outside linebacker hybrid is rated as a four-star recruit, the No. 13 player in Virginia and the No. 18 athlete in the land by Rivals.com. He saw his offer list balloon this past spring, and the Cavaliers are still trying to get into a top five that currently includes Florida, Ohio State, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia Tech. LINEBACKER Need: 2-3 Commitments: 1 — C.J. Stalker, West Chester (Ohio) Lakota West. Stalker excelled at the Rivals Camp Series in Columbus in April, vaulting into four-star status. The No. 11 player in Ohio and the nation's No. 11 inside line- backer according to Rivals.com made the six-hour drive to Charlottesville so he could commit to the UVa coaching staff in person on July 23. "Stalker has added height and mass over the last year and now checks in at 6-2 and 223 pounds," Rivals.com Mid- west recruiting analyst Josh Helmholdt noted. "He is also playing with more explosiveness and discipline." Punta Gorda (Fla.) Charlotte tackle Grant Polk, a three-star prospect according to Rivals.com, is one of three early pledges on the offensive line for the Cavaliers. PHOTO BY BRAD FRANKLIN

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