Virginia football coach Tony Elliott wanted to place an emphasis on in-state and regional recruiting as part of his strategy with the program. The Cavaliers continued to deliver on that plan with a commitment from Lake Taylor High School’s Anthony Britton on Tuesday.
The Norfolk offensive lineman pledged to the Hoos as the 13th commitment in the class of 2023. Britton is the first commit from the 757 area code and the seventh overall in-state recruit. He joined TyLyric Coleman (Dan River), Miles Greene (Highland Springs), Donte Hawthorne (now at Colonial Forge), Rodney Lora (Woodberry Forest), Kamren Robinson (Essex), and Cole Surber (Patriot) from high schools inside the state.
The Cavaliers also have taken commitments from a pair of bordering states. Noah Vaughn (Maryville, Tenn.) and Keandre Walker (East Lincoln in Denver, North Carolina) have also pledged as part of the 2023 class. There are also players from Alabama in Pinson Valley’s Amare Thomas and Florida in Lakewood’s Anthony Colandrea, St. Thomas Aquinas’ TeKai Kirby, and IMG Academy’s Jarvis Lee.
Britton and Surber, who was the first commit of the group, are the only two offensive linemen in the class. After losing several from the O-Line in the transfer portal this past winter, the Cavaliers restocked with multiple incoming players that included six true freshman. That likely will lower the total number of linemen in this year’s class.
It also gives Virginia some leeway with prospects. Britton does not have a ranking from the traditional recruiting services currently. Listed at 6’5” and 270 pounds on his Hudl profile, however, he has the frame to play at the next level. He earned first-team all-district honors for the Titans as an offensive tackle and was second-team all-state at defensive tackle. His Twitter profile shows a 3.7 GPA.
Lake Taylor opens its season on Friday, August 26 against I.C. Norcom.
