After a flurry of commitments in April and May, the Virginia football team returned to the 2025 recruiting pool for a new prospect on Sunday. Maryland defensive back Davin Chandler made the call for the Cavaliers after a weekend visit.
Chandler announced his choice on social media.
00 Committed ‼️ #GoHoos pic.twitter.com/0VrrfsVMzE
— Davin Chandler (@DavinChandler2) June 23, 2024
Chandler chose UVA over offers from Boston College, West Virginia, Old Dominion, Air Force, Army, and more. He visited WVU and Virginia this month before making his commitment to the Hoos.
The Virginia 2025 commitment list currently ranks as the No. 40 class nationally by 247 Sports. Chandler joined a list of 3-star prospects considered to be top 35 pickups within their state. Chandler rates as the No. 19 prospect in Maryland per 247.
A defensive back, Chandler joins Christopher Spence and another recent commitment Montino Williams Jr. as players that project to the secondary. In Chandler’s case, that could mean safety or cornerback. At Decatur High School, he logged 54 tackles, 2 interceptions, and 2 caused fumbles per MaxPreps.com. He also had 162 receiving yards on offense and 398 return yards (233 punt return, 165 kickoff return) on special teams.
At 6’2”, 180 pounds, he fits the mold of Virginia recruits on the defensive side of the ball, meaning long, range-capable athletes. If you look at the 2025 class of commits, all five players check in at either 6’2” or 6’3” and between 170 and 215 pounds. All have the versatility to potentially play multiple positions.
That was true of the 2024 transfers too. Kempton Shine (6’0”, 184), Jermarian Jackson (6’2”, 175), and Kendren Smith (6’1”, 205) have a similar build. True freshman Dre Walker (6’3”, 180) from the 2023 class worked his way into the lineup last fall for UVA as an another example. The Cavaliers will lose at least Shine and Greene from the roster next season as both enter their final years of eligibility so adding recruits in the secondary is an important roster management strategy.
Highlights for Chandler can be found on his Hudl profile here.