Virginia Football Recruiting Notes: Hoos Hosting Top Targets On Official Visits

Football Bowl Subdivision programs are currently in a recruiting “Quiet Period” until June 25. Rising high school seniors can make official visits during this time, and this is exactly what two standout prospects are currently doing at the University of Virginia.

Indian River (Chesapeake, VA) defensive lineman Ben Smiley and St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, FL) cornerback Semar Melvin arrived in Charlottesville on Thursday (June 7) and plan to stay through Saturday. The 6’4”, 265-pound Smiley has provided an update on how his experience has gone so far.

Smiley made news on May 31 when he announced a commitment to UVA. Sixteen minutes later, he deleted the tweet and announced that he would make his decision after taking all five official visits. Virginia is the first school to land an official.

Melvin is a 4-star cornerback prospect out of traditional prep power St. Thomas Aquinas. Any FBS program would love to establish a pipeline at this Fort Lauderdale (FL) school. Should Virginia ultimately land Melvin, the Hoos would have signed a Raider in consecutive classes. The speedy Tavares Kelly signed with UVA in 2018.

Melvin, a 6’1”, 160-pound rising senior, made further news Thursday when he announced he would make a college commitment later this month. After Virginia this weekend, Melvin is scheduled to head to Wisconsin next weekend for an official visit.

Franks Visits, Too

Gilman (Baltimore, MD) offensive tackle Zachary Franks is on Grounds on an unofficial visit Thursday.

Franks, a 6’6”, 295-pound prospect, has an extensive offer list that includes Boston College, California, Duke, Northwestern, Pittsburgh and Virginia, among others. He took an unofficial visit to Duke on June 6. Per Rivals, he has scheduled official visits to Northwestern (June 21-23) and California in late September.

UVA’s past recruiting successes at Gilman include Darius Jennings and Micah Kiser.

More News

– Virginia football class of 2019 commitments Major Williams (June 14) and Antonio Clary (June 22) tweeted their plans to travel to Charlottesville this month. Both visits will be unofficial. Clary made an official visit to UVA in April this year and committed at the conclusion of the trip.

Williams, a defensive back out of Dunbar (Fort Myers, FL), maintains his commitment to Virginia is solid, although his recruitment is certainly worth watching as he was offered by Iowa State on May 31 and South Carolina on June 5. He also was at the University of Georgia on June 3.

– Sharpsville (PA) class of 2019 offensive line prospect JaQuay Hubbard revealed he will be making an official visit to Virginia from June 21 through June 23. The 6’6”, 310-pound rising senior has taken an official visit to Mississippi State. Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and Syracuse are among the other schools that have offered thus far.

– Camp season continues Friday (June 8) as Virginia football hosts another “Friday Night Lights” camp that includes a “Hoos Tough” offensive/defensive lineman camp.