Former Prince George High School star John Bivens was the super sleeper recruit of the 2006 recruiting class. Bivens flew under the recruiting radar after not playing varsity football his junior year in order to focus on baseball. He played in 2005 and played very well, eventually drawing interest from Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina and N.C. State. UVa was the only school to officially offer at the time he committed and Al Groh was certainly happy to have him on board.

“This player has the type of versatility athletically and really mentally to play a number of positions for us,” Groh said on signing day. “That’s something we’ve really been striving for.”

Bivens projects as a linebacker for UVa. He is currently 6-1, 212 pounds. In his senior season, he tallied 800 all-purpose yards on offense. Defensively, he finished with 68 tackles including four sacks and had one interception. The team captain, Bivens saw action at safety and linebacker last season. He was rated the #13 overall recruit in the state by TheSabre.com and earned second-team Richmond Times-Dispatch all-metro honors for his performance last season.

An excellent baseball player (a center fielder, he had a .515 batting average, five home runs, 24 RBI and 25 stolen bases in 25 games), Bivens was considered by some to have a good chance at getting drafted in the recent MLB Draft. He hopes to play both football and baseball at the University of Virginia.

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