The fruits of the University of Virginia football program’s on-field growth under the guidance of head coach Bronco Mendenhall are being realized on the recruiting trail, as the Hoos reeled in their first national Top 30 haul since 2013.

From a ranking perspective, consensus 4-star defensive lineman Bryce Carter is the headliner of UVA’s 24-man class. 247Sports.com ranks the Richmond (VA) area defensive end as the No. 117 overall prospect in the class of 2021, which makes him the third most highly rated UVA recruit in the Mendenhall era behind defensive lineman Jowon Briggs (#75 in the class of 2019 per 247Sports) and offensive lineman Andrew Gentry (#88 in the class of 2020 per 247Sports).

Per 247Sports, Virginia’s class is rated No. 27 overall in the nation and No. 5 in the Atlantic Coast Conference behind Clemson, Miami, North Carolina and NC State. Virginia’s previous best class under Mendenhall in the 247Sports rankings was the 2019 group, which was rated No. 44 overall and No. 7 in the ACC.

The Hoos landed five national Top 500 recruits according to 247, including Carter, offensive tackle Logan Taylor (No. 336), outside linebacker Josh McCarron (No. 368), dual-threat quarterback Jacob Rodriguez (No. 375) and offensive lineman Noah Josey (No. 423). UVA signed four 247Sports national Top 500 prospects in total in its previous four classes – Briggs, Gentry, outside linebacker Jonathan Horton (2019 Class, No. 307) and outside linebacker Brandon Williams (2019 Class, No. 414).

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