After a string of commitments from Georgia in the south, the Virginia football team went in the opposite direction for a Massachusetts prospect. Deerfield Academy wide receiver Triston Ward made the call for the Hoos on Friday.
That brings the 2024 class up to nine commitments. Ward joins Ethan Minter (Virginia), John Rogers (Virginia), Benjamin York (Virginia), Grant Ellinger (Illinois), Christian Zachary (South Carolina), Chase Morrison (Georgia), Jaylin Lackey (Georgia), and Cedric Franklin II (Georgia).
Ward announced his decision on social media.
COMMITTED! Go Hoos! 李@UVAFootball @Coach_TElliott @coachdeskitch @Coach_Mims2 @DABigGreenFB @bbarbato53 @duvaljr @coachderekward pic.twitter.com/qZznKIRvJN
— Triston Ward (@triston_ward1) June 23, 2023
Ward chose the Cavaliers over offers from several ACC schools in Pittsburgh, Boston College, and Duke. He visited UVA earlier in June and then made his choice. He gives Virginia another 3-star in the class; 247 Sports rates all nine players as 3-star recruits thus far. 247 ranks Ward as the No. 8 recruit in the state of Massachusetts.
The 6’1”, 190-pound prospect meets a position need in this recruiting cycle. The Cavaliers list only two scholarship receivers as sophomores on the current roster in Dakota Twitty and JR Wilson. They brought in only two receivers officially in the 2023 class in Jaden Gibson and Titus Ivy, while Suderian Harrison and TyLyric Coleman could get a look a receiver as well. Fellow 2024 commit Christian Zachary is also a wideout.
Ward brings some key athletic attributes and a high level of production to the table. According to his Hudl profile, he recorded a 4.5-second time in the 40-yard dash, a 4.14-second shuttle, and a vertical leap of 40 inches. That makes Ward a possible deep threat, a potentially quick receiver in and out of breaks, and a red zone target. At Deerfield as a junior, he finished with 51 catches for 1,167 yards (22.9 yards per reception) and 16 touchdowns.
Ward’s Hudl highlights page can be found here.
