Tony Elliott and his coaching staff faced many unique and difficult challenges as they tried to put together the first full Virginia football recruiting class of the year. By the time the coaching staff settled in last January, some of the top recruiting targets in Virginia, in particular, had already developed strong relationships with coaches in out-of-state programs, so the Cavaliers could step in the door.
Received additional commitments and maintained commitments already secured after the tragic shooting that claimed the lives of three Virginia football players (Lovell Davis Jr., Devin Chandler and Deshawn Perry) Their efforts to do so became increasingly difficult. November 13th.
With the floodgates opening in the weeks that followed, it wouldn’t have been surprising if some of UVA’s verbal promises made them rethink their hiring plans. A win-seven loss was cut short by a vicious and pointless shooting at UVA.
Ultimately, only one player left Virginia after the shooting, and UVA won additional contracts from five more recruits in December. Virginia also added commitments from four transfers in the weeks leading up to signing date.
“I’m really excited because they chose us. Given the season and how it ended, they chose us,” Tony Elliott said Wednesday’s signing day reporter. “Over the course of the season, I think we had a total of three players decommitted. Two of them happened early in the season. When it all happened later in the season, we lost commitment in this class. There was only one and we were able to add some transfers in the adversity we were going through as a program…they decided to go anywhere in the country We could, but they chose to saddle up with this staff, this program.
UVA hosted an autograph session Wednesday afternoon and invited coaches from each position to talk with John Freeman about each player they hired and signed. It was Elliott’s idea to host a signing day show as a way to introduce them and their stories to the UVA football community.
Watch Virginia’s National Signing Day show here.
Elliott and the UVA coaching staff spoke about each of the 22 players signed with the Cavaliers at the time, but about the final recruitment of one who was due to make a final college decision later that night. I was still waiting to hear. That player happened to be four-star linebacker Camren Robinson, Virginia’s highest-rated verbal commit in the 2023 class.
scroll to continue
Robinson has been hotly pursued by Florida and South Carolina in the weeks leading up to signing day, and Robinson made state visits to both Tallahassee and Columbia in December, so UVA may not lose Robinson’s involvement on signing day. It has provoked much speculation.
Instead, Robinson wore a UVA hat Wednesday night and signed a national letter of intent to play for Virginia at a signing ceremony at Essex High School in Tappahannock, Virginia.At the same time, Tony Elliott and his UVA football All staff and management gathered at Scott Stadium to celebrate the acquisition of Robinson, whom Tony Elliott believes will be the “cornerstone” of UVA’s 2023 recruiting class.
With Robinson signing with Virginia, the Cavaliers not only have one of the top linebackers in the country, but one of the top recruits in all of Virginia. In total, six of his Virginia natives signed with UVA on Wednesday, and he was seven when including Monmouth quarterback Tony Muskett (Springfield, Va.). He was the only signer from Virginia in his 2022 recruiting class at UVA.
The Cavaliers were able to secure a significant number of in-state recruits, including one of Virginia’s top talent, Camren Robinson, bringing a 23-man contract class early in the contract and UVA’s most important recruit. It’s worth noting that the needs of the roster were greatly catered for.An achievement, especially given the difficult circumstances.
“I’m so excited about this class,” Elliott said. “They have a great opportunity to come here and be part of the healing process about recovering this program and building it..I am very grateful to the coaches and all their work. Our recruiting department has done a great job. Great job supporting us.”
See more Virginia Football news and content: Virginia Football on Sports Illustrated
See more Virginia sports news and content: Sports Illustrated Virginia Cavaliers
Follow CavaliersNow on social media for the latest on all Virginia Cavaliers sports news.
Facebook: @CavaliersNow
twitter: @CavaliersNowFN