Cavalier Corner is the publication just for UVa sports fans!
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/90990
social media tools such as Twitter convincing other top players to follow his lead. "Being the No. 1 player in the state of Vir- ginia and one of the best defensive ends in the country, and he's in your back yard, having the opportunity to have him to commit early and basically become the cheerleader for the rest of the class, not just in-state but so many out-of- state guys, helped create bonds," London said. "Let's face it, players recruit other players. We like to think it's stadium size and bowl rings and stuff like that, but good players recruit other players. This particular class snowballed. "Today, I was nervous because we wanted to have those faxes in hand, but there are a lot of programs still waiting on guys to decide where they are going to school." London made singing high-caliber ath- letes at the defensive end and wide re- ceiver positions a high priority this year, and he did quite well in that regard. Rivals.com ranked Virginia's three-man de- fensive end group as the eighth best in the nation, tied with USC, and the four wide receiver signees were listed as the No. 29 unit in the country. "We wanted to move more toward athleti- cism and length," he said. "The philosophy on defensive linemen is recruit defensive ends and when they get bigger you can move 2012 UVA FOOTBALL SIGNEES Name Demeitre Brim Jamall Brown Maurice Canady Tyrell Chavis Wilfred Wahee Divante Walker Courtnye Wynn * Enrolled in January Kwontie Moore Michael Moore Kye Morgan Mario Nixon Kelvin Rainey Canaan Severin Max Valles erhouse high school program, he hopes that prospect will be able to help him land a teammate, maybe two. So when Virginia introduced its latest recruiting class and When a college football coach lands a recruit from a pow- it included not one, not two, not three, but four players from Norfolk Christian Academy, the question had to be asked of UVa head coach Mike London. Had he ever signed so many from one school before? "Short answer, no, Andre Miles-Redmond OG Michael Mooney C.J. Moore Greyson Lambert* Adrian Gamble Mark Hall Eli Harold Matt Johns Sean Karl WR CB OT CB LB DE RB ATH ATH CB DE WR Pos. ATH WR Anthony Cooper Kyle Dockins Ryan Doull ATH DT ATH WR OG WR LB DE QB OT QB 5-10 5-11 6-6 5-11 6-5 6-0 6-2 6-5 5-10 6-2 6-4 Ht. Wt. 6-3 6-0 6-1 6-4 6-0 6-3 6-5 6-1 6-3 6-4 6-5 6-6 6-5 6-4 6-5 200 180 180 285 185 205 310 180 220 215 200 295 215 260 265 160 243 260 165 215 175 210 230 170 175 240 THE NORFOLK CHRISTIAN CONNECTION Hometown (High School/Prep School) Dundee, Fla. (Victory Christian Academy) Hampton, Va. (Hampton) Richmond, Va. (Varina) Richmond, Va. (Varina) Norfolk, Va. (Norfolk Christian) Hyattsville, Md. (DeMatha Catholic) Somerset, N.J. (Franklin) Marlborough, Mass. (Worcester Academy) Sicklerville, N.J. (St. Joseph) Norfolk, Va. (Norfolk Christian) Virginia Beach, Va. (Salem) Norfolk, Va. (Norfolk Christian) Norfolk, Va. (Norfolk Christian) Houston (Stratford) Kanata, Ont. (Fork Union Military Academy) Charlotte, N.C. (Fork Union Military Academy) Virginia Beach, Va. (Green Run) Virginia Beach, Va. (Ocean Lakes) Chalfont, Pa. (Central Bucks South) Manorville, N.Y. (Eastport-South Manor) Jesup, Ga. (Wayne County) Glen Allen, Va. (Hermitage) Malvern, Pa. (Malvern Prep) Buford, Ga. (Buford) Virginia Beach, Va. (Bayside) Virginia Beach, Va. (Landstown) Day press conference after pausing to think about the question for a moment. Four-star linebacker Kwontie Moore, four-star defensive " London said at his National Signing lineman Courtnye Wynn, three-star wide receiver Mario Nixon and three-star cornerback Wil Wahee all officially became part of the UVa program Feb. 1. Not bad for an emerging private school that only had 30 players on the roster. Though the school and the football program aren't large, they've made a big impact across Virginia thanks in large part to athletes such as Moore, Wynn, Nixon and Wahee. "They won a state championship in football and bas- ketball," London said. "It's a growing school. Like a lot of schools that covet some of the best players in the area they were able to put together a program they were proud of. Norfolk Christian head coach Heath Gibbs saw the four- " some turn his school in to a consistent winner and thinks they could do the same at UVa. "It is pretty neat to see what they developed into, told The Daily Progress, "and it is pretty neat the bond that they have. " " Gibbs — Shane Mettlen Courtnye Wynn is rated by 247Sports as a four-star recruit, the No. 21 defen- sive tackle in the land and the No. 229 overall player in the class of 2012. PHOTO BY SGT. MARK FAYLOGA 247Sports lists Kwontie Moore as a four-star prospect, the No. 1 inside linebacker in the country and the No. 37 overall player nationally. PHOTO COURTESY U.S. ARMY ALL-AMERICAN BOWL APRIL 2012 ◆ 17