Cavalier Corner is the publication just for UVa sports fans!
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THE 757 PIPELINE One of head coach Mike London's greatest strengths is his ability to recruit, and in recent years, that means going into the vaunted "757" area code and signing the best players in and around Virginia Beach. Now, those players are starting to carry the load for the Cavaliers on the field. In the class of 2011, Virginia got the best player from the Virginia Beach area when four-star Bayside cornerback Demetrious Nich- olson committed to the Cavaliers. UVa followed that recruiting coup with similar victories in 2012 (signing four-star Ocean Lakes defensive end and eventual San Francisco 49er Eli Harold), 2013 (signing five-star Bayside running back Taquan Mizzell) and 2014 (inking both five-star Bayside safety Quin Blanding and five-star Oscar Smith High defensive tackle Andrew Brown). Now firmly established in Charlottesville, those high-profile recruits are really hitting their strides at UVa. Nicholson, who as a fourth-year in 2014 received a medical hard- ship following a foot injury, returned this fall after missing all of last season and most of the previous year. He started two of the first four games, adding to his already impressive 30 starts entering the season, and ranked ninth on the team in tackles (13) while tying for the team lead in passes broken up (three). Brown, meanwhile, struggled with injuries as a first-year in 2014, but changed his body in the offseason thanks in large part to a boxing regimen that allowed him to shed bad weight. He entered his second-year campaign at a chiseled 6-4, 280 pounds. Though he hasn't put up big numbers (three tackles, one for loss) through the first four games of 2015, he's been easily Virginia's most explosive defensive lineman. Then there's Blanding, a 6-2, 205-pound safety who was chosen as the ACC's Defensive Rookie of the Year last season after setting the Virginia record for most tackles by a true first-year (123), previously held by former Cavalier great Ahmad Brooks. Through UVa's first four contests this season, Blanding's 29 tackles were second on team and tied for 12th in the ACC. The player from the 757 having perhaps the best season thus far is Mizzell, a 5-10, 195-pound third-year. After backing up Kevin Parks in 2014, the starting tailback job is all his now, and he's making the most of it. Against William & Mary, he set a new career long with an 80-yard touchdown reception while matching his career high with a 36-yard run. He has caught a pass in 25 straight games, the third-longest streak in the ACC. Among running backs, it is the third-longest streak in the nation. And that's not surprising given that he led all ACC running backs with 39 receptions a season ago. He is UVa's current active leader in career receptions with 90. Through four games, he led the team in rushing yards (157), rushing attempts (46) and receiving touchdowns (three), and was second in both receiving yards (292) and receptions (22). — Brad Franklin Third-year tailback Taquan Mizell, who came to Charlottesville from Virginia Beach (Va.) Bayside, got off to a strong start in 2015, compiling 449 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns through four games. PHOTO BY PETE EMERSON/COURTESY UVA