Under Armour All-American OL Noah Josey Commits To Virginia Football

By: Chris Horne |

The “Big Announcement” Noah Josey teased has turned out to be great news for the University of Virginia football program. The Brentwood Academy (Brentwood, TN) senior offensive line prospect and 2021 Under Armour All-American Bowl selection has verbally committed to the Hoos.

“It’s crazy to be in this position,” Josey wrote in the above tweet. “First off I want to thank God for his immense blessings in my life. Without him none of this would be possible. Secondly I want to thank my family for all of their support throughout this journey. I couldn’t have asked for a better support system. I want to thank my Dad for always being there to talk to or go anywhere in the country. I also want to thank my mom for always being there to support me emotionally. Lastly I want to thank all of my coaches for all of the time and effort they put in me to prepare me to keep continuing this journey. I want to thank [Brentwood Academy head coach Cody] White for believing in me since I was a freshman. I also want to thank Coach Matthews for being like a second father for me throughout this whole journey. Lastly I want to thank Daryl Graham for the countless hours of helping me with my training and in my recruiting process. With all of that being said, I’m truly blessed to commit to the University of Virginia!”

Josey, whose father, Bryan, played football at Vanderbilt in the 1990s, claimed scholarship offers from many Power 5 conference programs, including Alabama, Auburn, Baylor, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, LSU, Michigan, Michigan State, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Ohio State, Penn State, Vanderbilt, Virginia, and Virginia Tech. On February 21, 2019, Josey tweeted the news that Virginia had extended a scholarship offer.

For Virginia, its 2021 Class commitment total grows to 21. There are four offensive line prospects in the bunch, including two – Josey and offensive tackle recruit Logan Taylor – who have at least one 4-star ranking by Rivals or 247Sports. Rivals.com ranks Josey as a 4-star recruit and the no. 10 offensive guard prospect in 2021, while 247Sports ranks him as a 3-star and the no. 23 offensive guard in his class.

Fourteen-time Tennessee state champion Brentwood Academy, a program known for producing college recruits, is off to a 5-0 start in 2020. The newest Hoo posted highlights from four of those games on Hudl.

Virginia Football’s Class of 2021

Josey and Taylor join Georgia natives Ty Furnish and Charlie Patterson as Virginia football’s four offensive line commitments in the class of 2021. Taylor is rated a 4-star prospect, the no. 28 offensive tackle, and the no. 242 overall senior in the nation by 247Sports. Furnish and Patterson are consensus 3-star recruits, with Furnish projected as an interior lineman and Patterson a tackle.

UVA also holds a pledge from Athens Academy (Athens, GA) standout Hugh Laughlin. The 6’6”, 285-pound Laughlin was recruited by some schools to play offensive line. While UVA has mentioned the possibility of playing offense, the Hoos recruited Laughlin as a defensive lineman. Conversely, Furnish showed nice potential on the defensive line last season as a junior but was offered by UVA to play offense.

The coronavirus’ impact on eligibility complicates the ability to project scholarship needs within the program. The initial projection was for UVA to take four, maybe five offensive linemen in this class. The current haul is a very promising one so Coach Mendenhall and company could be finished recruiting the position; however, I would not rule out the Hoos taking another O-line prospect in 2021.

Here is UVA’s full 2021 Class …

– Javin Burke, Athlete, Bradley Central (Cleveland, TN)
– Jesiah Davis, Wide Receiver, Providence Day (Charlotte, N.C.)
– Malachi Fields, Athlete, Monticello (Charlottesville, VA)
– Amaad Foston, Running Back, John Milledge Academy (Milledgeville, GA)
– Ty Furnish, Offensive Lineman, Blessed Trinity Catholic (Roswell, GA)
– Micah Gaffney, Cornerback, Spanish Fort (AL)
– Michael Green, Linebacker, Lafayette (Williamsburg, VA)
– Hugh Laughlin, Defensive Lineman, Athens Academy (Athens, GA)
– James Jackson, Outside Linebacker, North Cross (Roanoke, VA)
– Noah Josey, Offensive Lineman, Brentwood Academy (Brentwood, TN)
– Langston Long, Safety/Linebacker, Christ School (Arden, N.C.)
– Josh McCarron, Outside Linebacker, Archbishop Murphy (Everett, WA)
– Charlie Patterson, Offensive Lineman, Fellowship Christian School (Roswell, GA)
– Jacob Rodriguez, Dual-Threat Quarterback, Rider (Wichita Falls, TX)
– Aidan Ryan, Defensive Back, James Monroe (Fredericksburg, VA)
– Jonas Sanker, Athlete, Covenant (Charlottesville, VA)
– William Simpkins III, Cornerback, Quince Orchard (Gaithersburg, MD)
– Logan Taylor, Offensive Tackle, Episcopal (Alexandria, VA)
– West Weeks, Linebacker, Oconee County (Watkinsville, GA)
– Jack Witmer, Tight End, Cy-Fair (Cypress, TX)
– Jay Woolfolk, Dual-Threat Quarterback, Benedictine (Richmond, VA)