Due to a knee injury that sidelined him for the season, Jeffrey Fitzgerald didn’t get a chance to show his ability on the gridiron in 2004. He will soon get a chance to prove it on the next level. The 6-4, 250-pound Hermitage High School (Richmond, Virginia) star is recovering nicely from the injury and expects to be able to compete for playing time as a true freshman.

“Everything’s going good,” Fitzgerald said. “I’d say I’m around 80-85 percent healthy. I should be released from therapy real soon, so it’s really just weight training and conditioning then.”

UVa is hoping Fitzgerald will become a serious playmaker on the defensive line.

“Hopefully,” Fitzgerald replied when asked if he felt he would bring some playmaking ability to the defense. “They said they needed a pass rusher. That’s really what they’re looking for out of me. They said they really missed that without having [Chris] Canty there this season.”

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