UVA Legacy Joey Blount Commits To The Hoos

On football alumni weekend, it’s fitting that the son of a former Cavalier player would give his verbal commitment to head coach Bronco Mendenhall. Landmark Christian (Fairburn, GA) class of 2017 safety prospect Joey Blount, son of former Virginia safety Tony Blount, did just that while on Grounds today.

Prior to his tweet, Blount confirmed his decision to TheSabre.com through Twitter direct messaging, writing: “I committed to UVA!!!”

“It feels amazing and relieved,” Blount added. “I have been thinking about this decision for a long time and I can’t wait to be apart of the family.”

Joey’s outstanding experience at a Virginia Junior Day event in February impressed the Peach State standout. It was Blount’s first experience really getting to know the new Virginia staff.

“It was my first Junior Day ever,” the 6’2”, 175-pound junior said in this EDGE article. “I really liked how when I got there the graduate assistants, the coaches, the alumni who were there, were meeting me at the door. They knew my name before I introduced myself. The locker room was beautiful. They let me put on a jersey and take a picture with the jersey, but probably one of the highlights was talking to Daquan Romero. He’s just a great guy. He totally understood where I was coming from as a recruit. He and my dad got along well. My dad said Daquan reminded him of himself in college. For me, talking to him I felt like I was in high school still but on a college level. It was a more casual type of deal. It’s reassuring to always have someone to talk to.”

Mendenhall “asked me what I had learned [at the Junior Day]. I told him I learned how much of a family he and his staff are,” Blount recalled.

In 2013, Quin Blanding became the first true freshman since 1976 to open the regular season as a starter at one of the two safety positions. Tony Blount was the true freshman starter in 1976, and his son is being recruited as a safety as well.

“Coach Mendenhall likes how I play on the ball and how I tackle in the open field,” Joey Blount said in an earlier interview with TheSabre. “I can hit but I can also play in zone coverage. My size helps me a lot. Coach Mendenhall feels like I can work hard. He is working kids hard. I’m willing to put in the time. He said he likes my effort, attitude and skillset.”

The younger Blount joins Dominion (Sterling, VA) defensive lineman Tommy Christ as commitments in Virginia’s class of 2017.