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"He continues to drop weight and get back to the level of athleticism we're used to seeing him at. "He's really tight with a number of the UVa guys. They worked hard to recruit him, and I expect him to recruit others, like 2016 five-star cornerback Levonta Taylor in Virginia Beach and four-star 2016 cornerback Robbie Robinson from Hampton." Simmons chose UVa over offers from Alabama, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Kentucky, Mi- ami, North Carolina, NC State, Ohio State, Or- egon, Pitt, Tennessee and Virginia Tech, among others. "Jahvoni is a real force in the run game," Fried- man added, "and does really well when he's com- ing forward. Last season, we saw he can be an asset in stopping the passing game, showing he could be good at reading the QB. That's an area where I fully expect him to take some steps for- ward as a senior for one of the top programs in the state of Virginia." From one four-star prospect to another, UVa then picked up a commitment from defensive end Rasool Clemons, a 6-5, 202-pound lineman from Aiken (S.C.) South Aiken who chose the Cavaliers over Clemson, Florida State, Kentucky, LSU, Ten- nessee and West Virginia. "He's thin as a rail, so a lot of his success will depend on how he develops," Friedman said of Clemons, who is ranked as the No. 11 weakside defensive end nationally by Rivals.com. "I saw him at the Under Armour Combine in January and I thought he was explosive as an outside rusher. "He can see when he's supposed to counter with an inside move and those instincts will do him well in the future. The framework is there as he develops, and he has the potential to be a dominat- ing outside rusher." To close out the month, the Cavaliers added two under-the-radar recruits in Eli Hanback, a two- way lineman from Ashland (Va.) Patrick Henry, and Paul, an end from Philadelphia Northeast. Hanback, at 6-4 and 275 pounds, can play on either the offensive or defensive line. He grew up a Virginia fan and actually got a look from the coaching staff thanks in large part to classmate and UVa baseball commit Chesdin Harrington. Hanback, a two-star recruit and the No. 49 player in Virginia according to Rivals.com, chose UVa over offers from James Madison, Old Dominion and William & Mary, as well as interest from Boston College, East Carolina and Virginia Tech. Paul, meanwhile, is a 6-3, 210-pound defensive end who picked the Cavaliers over offers from Connecticut, Delaware and Temple, among oth- Virginia Beach (Va.) Ocean Lakes standout Jah- voni Simmons, the No. 6 inside linebacker and No. 123 overall player in the land according to Rivals.com, picked UVa over, among others, Ala- bama, Clemson, Miami, Ohio State and Oregon. PHOTO BY BRAD FRANKLIN