Cavalier Corner

April 2018

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APRIL 2018 19 Vic So'oto), Mariteragi is the cousin of current New Orleans Saints linebacker Manti Te'o. Lastly, and the surprise of National Signing Day as far as Virginia was concerned, was flip- ping defensive tackle Aaron Faumui from his commitment to Hawai'i. A 6-1, 270-pounder out of Kapolei High, he had 14 sacks and 20 tackles for loss along with 22 pancake blocks while playing both ways as a senior. Aside from finding potential early contribu- tors on the defensive line, the Wahoos also needed to continue addressing depth issues on the offensive line. Joining Haskins and Marit- eragi in the trenches are three other recruits: Joe Bissinger, Derek Devine and Martin Weisz. A 6-4, 300 pounder from Memorial High in Houston, Bissinger committed to UVA last April over early offers from Kansas and Texas State as well as interest from Arkan- sas, Purdue and Vanderbilt. He joins the 6-6, 285-pound Devine from North Allegheny High in Pittsburgh as well as the three-star, 6-6, 305-pound Weisz out of The Benjamin School in West Palm Beach, Fla. The Wahoos signed four game-changing wide receivers, led by the duo of Tavares Kelly and Ugo Obasi. Kelly, a 5-9, 165-pounder from St. Thomas Aquinas High in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., headlined a group of Sunshine State additions for UVA. The three-star receiver, who chose the Cavaliers over offers from Rutgers and Wisconsin, brings a dynamic skill set that is desperately needed. As a senior he finished with 1,294 all- purpose yards, including 425 on kick returns and 386 on punt returns. He added 440 yards on 26 receptions with five touchdowns as well and played on a pair of state title teams. Obasi, a 6-1, 180-pound three-star wide receiver who was ranked as the No. 19 player in Maryland, did a little bit of every- thing at Milford Mill Academy. A Washington Post All-Met selection in both 2016 and 2017, he led Milford to the 3A state title game with 35 receptions for 717 yards and 11 touchdowns as a senior, after hauling in 49 passes for 939 yards and 13 scores in 2016. He committed to the Cavaliers last June over offers from Boston College, Duke, Wisconsin and Yale, among others. The signings of Wooby Theork-Youmans and Billy Kemp also helped bring more ath- leticism to the offense. Theork-Youmans, a three-star athlete from Naples (Fla.) High, picked Virginia in June over offers from Ari- zona, Purdue, Rutgers and Central Florida, among others. He finished his high school career with 78 receptions for 1,294 yards and 17 touchdowns, while also racking up 2,598 career all-purpose yards. The 5-10, 170-pound dynamo helped Naples to the district title last fall and earned an invite to the Blue-Grey All-American Game. A 5-9, 170-pound wide receiver/running back from Highland Springs High in Hen- rico, Va., Kemp helped the Springers win the 5A state title as both a junior and a senior, capped by a 14-1 season last fall. He finished his final year of prep ball with 49 catches for 981 yards and 16 scores while also picking off three passes on defense. Joining Kemp as part of UVA's haul from inside the Commonwealth may be the group's most underrated player. Ranked by Rivals.com as a three-star wide receiver, Landstown High standout Joseph White is headed for the defensive backfield once he arrives in Charlottesville. A 6-2, 175 pounder, the Virginia Beach native played for head coach Tommy Reamon, who also coached up former UVA quarterback great Aaron Brooks (1994-98). White had a stellar senior year, earning first-team All-Beach District honors at both receiver and defensive back after leading the Eagles to a 12-1 record and an appearance in the Class 6 Regional A final. The other three pieces of UVA's 2018 class — kicker Hunter Pearson, cornerback Jaylon Baker and defensive tackle Jordan Redmond — address specific needs. In a year where UVA desperately needed a kicker, Pearson, a 6-3, 200-pounder from Seneca, S.C., certainly fits the bill. He chose Virginia over offers from Indiana and West Virginia, and was rated by Kohl's Kicking as the nation's No. 10 player at that position. Baker, meanwhile, was a bit late to the scene for UVA, taking a strategically planned official visit to Charlottesville just before the early signing period. The 6-2, 170-pound Chattanooga (Tenn.) Baylor School standout finished with 33 tackles in 2017 and picked off four passes, while add- ing seven touchdowns on offense and aver- aging 23.1 yards per catch on 20 receptions. Redmond was the final Floridian to commit to the Cavaliers, with the 6-1, 290-pound Osceola (Fla.) High standout picking UVA over Duke, Georgia Tech, In- diana, Louisville, Mississippi State, North Carolina State and Virginia Tech, among others. He had 41 tackles and nine sacks this past season. Tavares Kelly, a three-star wide receiver from Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas, picked the Cavaliers over Rutgers and Wisconsin. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM 2018 UVA FOOTBALL SIGNEES Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School/Previous School) Marcus Applefield OL 6-5 308 Weeki Wachee, Fla. (Weeki Wachee/Rutgers) Brennan Armstrong* QB 6-2 210 Shelby, Ohio (Shelby) Jaylon Baker DB 6-2 170 Chattanooga, Tenn. (Baylor School) Joe Bissinger OL 6-4 300 Houston (Memorial) Derek Devine OL 6-6 285 Pittsburgh (North Allegheny) Aaron Faumui DL 6-1 270 Kapolei, Hawai'i (Kapolei) T.C. Harrison LB 6-3 205 Lawrenceville, Ga. (Collins Hill) Bobby Haskins* OL 6-7 260 Fairfield, Conn. (The Hun School [N.J.]) Javar Garrett LB 6-2 205 Newark, Del. (The Peddie School [N.J.]) Tavares Kelly WR 5-9 165 Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (St. Thomas Aquinas) Billy Kemp HB 5-9 170 Highland Springs, Va. (Highland Springs) Micah Mariteragi OL 6-2 265 Hauula, Hawai'i (Kahuku) Grant Misch LB 6-4 230 Sterling, Va. (Potomac Falls) Ugo Obasi WR 6-1 180 Baltimore (Milford Mill Academy) Hunter Pearson PK 6-3 200 Seneca, S.C. (Seneca) Bryce Perkins* QB 6-3 215 Queen Creek, Ariz. (Chandler/Arizona Western) Jordan Redmond DL 6-1 290 Kissimmee, Fla. (Osceola) Samson Reed DL 6-2 265 Laie, Hawai'i (Kahuku) Noah Taylor* LB 6-5 200 Silver Spring, Md. (Avalon School) Wooby Theork-Youmans WR 5-10 170 Naples, Fla. (Naples) Martin Weisz OL 6-6 305 West Palm Beach, Fla. (The Benjamin School) Joseph White DB 6-2 175 Virginia Beach, Va. (Landstown) * Enrolled in January 2018

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