FUMA's Pasztor Commits

Fork Union Military Academy offensive lineman Austin Pasztor made an official visit to UVa this past weekend. The 6-6, 310-pound prospect had an excellent official visit experience and, earlier today, gave a verbal commitment to head coach Al Groh, according to The Daily Progress and other reports. Pasztor becomes Virginia's 15th verbal commitment for the 2008 recruiting class. He is the fourth prospect projected to play on the offensive line.

A native of Langton, Ontario, Canada, Pasztor was discovered by Fork Union postgraduate head coach John Shuman in August, when Fork Union scrimmaged against the Canadian National team. Pasztor decided to come to Fork Union and, even though he is classified as a true senior, played for Coach Shuman's postgraduate squad this season. He played well, starting every game at left tackle.

Stay tuned to the Sabre EDGE for more later today.

This Week In Recruiting
By Chris Horne

Football recruiting ...

In case you missed it, Gateway (Monroeville, PA) athlete Cameron Saddler chose Pittsburgh over Virginia and West Virginia at last Wednesday's press conference. The decision ultimately came down to the Panthers and Hoos with a late surge by Pitt proving to be the difference for the 5-7, 155-pound prospect.

A 4-star recruit, Saddler was a key miss for Virginia, which had been the favorite for the past month or so. Not only does Virginia miss out on one of its top overall targets and a dynamic playmaker, but it also no longer has a shot with Saddler's teammate and cousin, linebacker Shayne Hale. Had Saddler chosen Virginia, he likely would have paved the way for Hale to end up at Virginia as well.

Saddler and Hale aren't the only other Virginia targets making news. Pennsylvania CB Jarred Holley, Maryland S Okechuckwu Okoroha, and New Jersey TE/DE Chris Pantale each made official visits to schools besides Virginia.

Holley visited Pitt while Okoroha headed to Illinois and Pantale to Boston College. At this time, Holley still plans to make an official visit to Virginia in January. Pantale plans to make an official visit to Virginia as well, though nothing has been set. Okoroha has already made his official to UVa and plans to visit Boston College next weekend. A decision after the BC visit is not out of the question for the 6-2, 193-pound prospect.

Highland Springs TE Rod Wheeler, one of Virginia's most recent offers, rescheduled his official visit to Syracuse for this coming weekend. Virginia offensive coordinator Mike Groh is expected to be in-home with Wheeler this evening, so stay tuned.

Stay tuned for the latest from each of these prospects and more later this week.

Basketball recruiting ...

6-6, 195-pound guard Sylven Landesberg is off to a terrific start to his senior season at Holy Cross High School (Flushing, N.Y.). Virginia's most highly rated commitment poured in 28 points in a rout of Cardinal Hayes in the season opener. He followed that up with a 29-point performance in a 78-73 overtime win over Boys & Girls in the Big Apple Basketball CHSAA vs PSAL Challenge.

Landesberg, who chose Virginia over Georgia Tech and St. John's, is coming off of a junior season where he averaged almost 26 points and 11 rebounds per contest.

Chris Horne, our resident recruiting expert, provides updates throughout the week for Edge subscribers about UVa's commitments and recruiting targets in football and men's basketball. To sign up for an Edge subscription, please check out the Sabre Edge Sign Up and Information Page. If you're already on board as an Edge subscriber, click the links below to catch up on recruiting.

Sabre Edge recruiting updates from the past week ...

Recruiting Notes: Schautz Sticking with UVa
Despite making a verbal commitment to the University of Virginia in June, Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.) star Billy Schautz has been courted by several other Division 1A programs in the late summer/fall months. The 6-4, 220-pound athlete recruit continues to stand by his original pledge, however, and plans to sign a letter of intent with UVa in February.

More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...

• Pantale Sets First Visit
• Star Cornerback to Start Official Visits

Please welcome our newest sponsor Chase to TheSabre.com! Show your true colors and support your community. Apply for the Flexible Rewards Card that let's you choose your reward. CHASE Cards provide great benefits and deliver the superior service you deserve. Choose your design, sign up and support your community. Apply Today!

Email and thank Chase for their support!

Thank you again for supporting the sponsors of TheSabre.com. Please remember that TheSabre's sponsors are YOUR sponsors! They directly contribute towards our ability to bring you a better web site.

Long Piles Up Honors

Virginia senior defensive end Chris Long had a busy week last week as a wave of postseason recognition was sent his way. Long earned All-American recognition from The Football Writers Association of America, The Sporting News, CBSSports.com, and the Walter Camp Football Foundation. Those honors followed an All-American nod from the American Football Coaches Association.

Long also received two more individual trophies to go with his ACC Defensive Player of the Year Award. He won the 2007 Ted Hendricks Defensive End of the Year Award, making him the third Cavalier player to win a national individual football award. In 1941 Bill Dudley was named the Maxwell Award winner as the Collegiate Player of the Year. In 2004 Heath Miller was voted the Mackey Award as the nation's top tight end.

Long also captured the 2007 Dudley Award as the state's top collegiate player. Long was a unanimous selection, marking just the third time in the history of event that has occurred. The Dudley Award is named after former University of Virginia standout "Bullet" Bill Dudley and has been presented annually since 1990 to the player of the year at a state school. Long joins Virginia's Shawn Moore (1990) and Virginia Tech's Lee Suggs (2000) as the only previous unanimous selections. Matt Blundin, Mike Frederick, Tiki Barber, Anthony Poindexter, and Billy McMullen are the other Cavalier players who have won the Dudley Award.

"I'd like to start by saying all of the candidates are deserving of this award," Long said in a news release. "As a representative of the University and the state of Virginia, I am proud to accept this prestigious award. It is truly an honor and I couldn't have done any of this without my family, teammates and coaches. I am humbled to accept this award. I would like to thank the voters and congratulate the other players for their outstanding performances this year."

UVa's standout defender also learned that he finished 10th in the Heisman Trophy voting.

Keep up with senior Chris Long's statistics, articles, and award nominations all in one place on The Sabre. (Click here.)

Fan of the Week

Every week, theSabre.com features a Fan of the Week photo on the front page of the Web site. (Archives are available in the Wahoowa! section.) So you want to be the fan of the week? It's easy - be the loudest Hoo at a live UVa event, wear some crazy Cavalier gear, or do something else to catch our attention. If Mike or Kris spot you and take your picture, you'll be in the running for Fan of the Week honors!

Check out Sabre NewsLink today!

Gator Bowl Shirts
$24.00 or less!

The Virginia football team posted a 9-3 record in the regular season and is looking for just the second 10-win season in school history. Support your Hoos and get ready for their important Gator Bowl game with Texas Tech at the same time.

UVA Bookstores has two Gator Bowl t-shirt designs. The traditional dueling helmet short sleeve in adult and youth sizes as well as a UVa-centric long sleeve shirt. All shirts are less than $24. AND don't forget that Sabre EDGE subscribers get 10% off!

Get your Gator Bowl gear today!

Issue No. 52 - Sept. 5, 2002

Big Weekend For Cavaliers
Report by Chris Horne

While the Cavaliers tackle the South Carolina Gamecocks this weekend, they will look to impress a number of top 2002 recruits. Headlining the list of blue chippers officially visiting Virginia is State College (PA) All-American tight end prospect Jonathan Stupar.

Stupar, who has earned All-American accolades from virtually every recruiting publication, including Tom Lemming, will be making his first official visit this weekend. And while he and his family have been to Charlottesville on three previous unofficial visits, the thrill of his first official is still high.

"It's my first official, and I can't wait," said Stupar of his impending visit. "It's going to be great. We have been to Virginia three times before, but this will be the first live game action."

The Cavaliers have consistently been at the top of Stupar's list of schools. Factors working in Virginia's favor are, among other things, academics and the relationship with the coaching staff. The Stupars are familiar with Coach Rocco as well as Coach Groh, who coached for the New York Giants when Jonathan's uncle, Jeff Hostetler, was a player there.

"Academically, they are the best," said Stupar of Virginia. "I here the student to teacher ratio is excellent. I really like the coaches as well."

"Plus, Virginia is close to home. Not too close, but close enough."

In addition to Virginia this weekend, Stupar has set up official visits with Arizona State (September 27) and Florida State (October 26). He has composed a final list of eight schools including, in no particular order, Virginia, Florida State, Arizona State, Iowa, Boston College, UCLA, North Carolina and Maryland. Stupar plans to set up his other two official visits some time during his senior football season. He does not plan to make any changes to his list.

"I have my top eight, and I will keep it," said Stupar when asked if he will be narrowing the list. "I will set up two more official visits from the top eight list."

The All-American is in no hurry to make a decision on his collegiate choice. For now, he wants to take all of his official visits and decide sometime after those are completed.

"I want to take all five official visits," said Stupar.

Stupar's talent, ability, and strong family background make him an attractive prospect to programs all across the country. The Virginia coaching staff has done an excellent job recruiting him so far, and looks to impress even more on this weekend's official visit. There is no doubt Stupar is one of Virginia's most important targets this recruiting season.

The Cavaliers expect to host some other highly important targets on campus this weekend, including All-American offensive line prospects Ian Yates-Cunningham and Jordy Lipsey, wide receiver Fontel Mines, and current commitment (and friend of Stupar) Kevin McCabe. This promises to be an exciting weekend for Cavalier fans.

Coming Soon

The Sabre has you covered when it comes to Hoo news. Here are a few of the articles to expect on the site in the coming days:

• Courtside Checkup The men's basketball team is on a break for exams. The Sabre's newest feature takes the temperature of the team.
• Gator Bowl preparation The Sabre will get you ready for the Gator Bowl and opponent Texas Tech.
• Photo Gallery The Sabre takes a look back at the Longwood game.
• The Hawk's Nest Ahmad Hawkins sheds some light on the bowl practice period.

In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles since the last SabreMail

Syracuse Delivers 2nd JPJ Loss To Hoos
For the second time in three games, the Virginia basketball team couldn't consistently connect from long range and lost in the process. This time, Syracuse and its traditional 2-3 zone befuddled the Cavaliers, who made 11 of 32 3-pointers in the game but just 4 of 15 in the second half. The Orange took advantage of the cold shooting to pull out a 70-68 victory, just the second time a visitor has won in the John Paul Jones Arena. UVa coach Dave Leitao said his team's usual strength of shooting actually worked against the team Wednesday night.

Blog Banter: Scott Earns Some Credit
Considering Mike Scott has seen only limited action so far (12.7 minutes per game in 6 games of action) while working his way back to 100% basketball conditioning, we haven't had much of a chance to see much of his reported explosiveness. However, one thing is already clear to me. I'm a huge fan of Mike Scott. And it has nothing to do with his on-court production or potential. It's because he slipped in a reference to basketball legend Earl Manigault earlier this season during a postgame interview. Well done young man! Well done!

More recent updates on The Sabre ...

• Uninspired Hoos Top Longwood
• Photo Galleries: Northwestern, Syracuse
• Photo Gallery: Virginia Tech 33, Virginia 21

Get your Wahoo fix. Subscribe to Sabre Edge!

Every week, Sabre Edge provides you with exclusive articles, columns, special features, interviews and recruiting news, including daily recruiting updates. There's even a special message board just for subscribers. And to top it off, you get 10 percent off all of your UVa Bookstores purchases during your subscription.

All of the great Sabre Edge content can be yours for the price of $5.99 per month or $59.99 per year. Try it for a month and cancel if you like. But we think you'll get hooked on the Edge and find out for yourself why the most knowledgeable Cavalier fans are Edge subscribers.

If you're a true Wahoo, then the Sabre Edge is right for you. Check it out!

• Sabre Edge Info and Sign Up