Virginia Football Recruiting Notes: Hoos Looking To Add To 2020 Haul

By: Chris Horne |

Ahead of a recruiting Dead Period that begins June 24 and lasts through July 24, the Virginia football program has been busy hosting class of 2020 prospects on official visits the past few weeks. At least four rising seniors will be on Grounds on officials this weekend.

Adams (South Bend, IN) dual-threat quarterback Ira Armstead, Cedartown High School (GA) dual-threat quarterback Taji Hudson and Stranahan (Fort Lauderdale, FL) wide receiver/defensive back Dave Herard began their visits on Thursday and will finish up on Saturday. Meanwhile, Rye Country Day (Rye, N.Y.) linebacker/running back Cullen Coleman is expected to arrive on Friday and conclude his visit on Sunday.

Armstead, a 6’3”, 198-pound rising senior out of Adams High School in South Bend, Indiana, didn’t waste anytime in scheduling an official visit to Virginia after receiving a scholarship offer from the Hoos on June 1. He explained why to TheSabre.com in an interview earlier this month.

“I scheduled an official visit because I want to see what Virginia is about and what the culture is about to see if it can be my home,” Armstead wrote.

“I want to find out what makes Virginia Virginia, and I want to know what the culture and success is like.”

Armstead, who also lists Western Michigan (offer) and Toledo (offer) as well as Iowa (no offer) as schools of interest, has called Virginia his “favorite,” so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him make a commitment to the Cavaliers if the visit goes well. It’s certainly a situation worth monitoring.

Taji Hudson, a rising senior who stands 6’3” and weighs in at 185 pounds, plays quarterback and free safety in high school. In addition to Virginia, he claims offers from Air Force, Army, East Carolina and Virginia Tech.

Herard, a 6’1”, 185-pound prospect, has potential on both sides of the ball on the next level. Boston College, Kansas, Minnesota, South Florida, Syracuse, Utah and West Virginia join UVA in having offered the standout wide receiver/defensive back, who traveled to Syracuse for an unofficial prior to his official in Charlottesville.

Per his Twitter account, Coleman has taken official visits to Purdue (June 17-19) and Northwestern (June 19-21) prior to this weekend’s trip to Virginia. Alabama, California and Stanford are among the other schools that have offered the talented two-way player, who measures in at 6’3″, 220 pounds.

Camp Season Coming To An End

In addition to hosting official visitors, head coach Bronco Mendenhall and company are scheduled to host their final camp of 2019 on Friday (June 21). This will be the third camp of the week, as the staff hosted a camp on Monday (June 17) as well as a Specialist Camp on Wednesday (June 19).

UVA’s newest commitment, athlete Sam Brady, received a scholarship offer from Coach Mendenhall following his performance on June 17. The North Carolina native announced his pledge the following morning.

More Decisions Coming Soon?

With Brady’s pledge earlier this week and Louisiana safety Donovan Johnson’s commitment last Sunday, Virginia football now boasts seven recruits in the class of 2020. Might more pledges be in store? In addition to Armstead, who I mentioned above, these other recruits could be ones to watch …

Louisiana class of 2020 athlete Caleb Anderson took an official visit to Virginia last weekend. The official appears to have gone very well, and Anderson tweeted that “big news” may be coming soon.

6’6”, 235-pound tight end prospect Joshua Rawlings was also on Grounds on an official visit last weekend. 247Sports’ Crystal Ball feature now has Virginia as the significant favorite for the Woodland Hills (Pittsburgh, PA) 3-star standout, who took an official visit to Iowa State June 11-13 and is also considering offers from Minnesota, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Vanderbilt and West Virginia, among others.

M’Ba Reclassifies, Reopens Recruitment

St. Thomas More (CT) defensive tackle prospect Andy-Jeffrey M’Ba committed to Virginia earlier this year. At the time of his commitment, his plan was to enroll at UVA this summer as a member of the class of 2019.

M’Ba announced earlier this week that being a member of the class of 2019 is no longer an option, so he is reclassifying into the class of 2020. Further, he is reopening his recruitment.