UVa Adds Another Commitment

Virginia has picked up yet another commitment in the 2009 recruiting class. With its 12th overall commitment, the staff once again stayed in-state, landing 6-4, 215-pound linebacker prospect Connor McCartin. McCartin, who stars at Fauquier High School in Warrenton, Virginia, chose UVa over heavy interest from Boston College, Kansas, and West Virginia.

As a junior last season, the first-team all-Cedar Run district performer compiled 135 total tackles and added several interceptions. He projects as an inside linebacker at UVa, although former Fauquier head coach Greg Hatfield, who confirmed the commitment this morning, believes McCartin has potential at either the inside or outside linebacker spots.

McCartin was scheduled to visit with the Virginia coaches last Friday according to a report in The Culpeper Star Exponent. McCartin's brother, quarterback Kyle McCartin, has accepted a recruited walk-on spot in Virginia's 2008 class.

Virginia has already doubled the amount of in-state prospects it landed in last year's class. Connor McMartin is the 10th in-state commitment for the Cavaliers, who only signed four in-state kids in last year's class. He is also the second UVa commitment out of the Cedar Run district, joining top safety prospect Corey Lillard.

This Week In Recruiting
By Chris Horne

Football recruiting ...

Virginia also added commitment No. 11 for the 2009 recruiting class recently. Deep Run (Glen Allen, VA) star Jake Snyder, one of Virginia's top targets at the defensive end position, pledged to the Hoos over an impressive list of schools that included Boston College, Colorado, Ohio State, Penn State, and Virginia Tech, among others.

Snyder, a 6-4, 235-pound prospect, joins Canadian Brent Urban, who is a 6-7, 265-pound prospect, as UVa's two defensive end recruits. Defensive end is a position of need in this class, so landing Snyder and Urban gets the Cavaliers off to a great start.

Since April 24, Virginia has landed six verbal commitments including offensive lineman Luke Bowanko, outside linebacker Tucker Windle, Urban, safety Perry Jones, safety/outside linebacker LoVante' Battle, and Snyder. Overall, five of Virginia's recruits project to play offense initially while the other six project on the defensive side of the ball.

Later this month, we'll revisit Virginia's needs on both offense and defense for this 2009 recruiting class. Stay tuned to find out which areas UVa has addressed well in this early going and which needs may be more of a focus as we head into the summer and fall seasons.

In the meantime, if past success is any indication, then Virginia can expect a few more commitments from this year's edition of the Elite Junior Day, which takes place this coming Saturday (June 14). The day after last year's Elite Day was a big success as the staff came away with four commitments. Will this year be a success as well? Stay tuned, as we'll follow up with those prospects who visit the Grounds over the weekend.

Today, be sure to check out the latest on Maury (Norfolk, VA) safety/wide receiver prospect Laroy Reynolds. The 6-1, 207-pound prospect, who boasts offers from N.C. State, Syracuse, and Virginia, attended Virginia Tech's camp on Saturday. That was a big visit, as Virginia Tech is widely considered the favorite to land Reynolds if the Hokies decide to offer. If not, Virginia seems to be in good position for the versatile prospect.

Also this week, stay tuned for the latest on Massachusetts OL/DL Brennan Williams, who recently narrowed his list of schools to eight with six main favorites. The 6-5, 265-pound prospect, another top lineman target for the Cavaliers, discusses the finalists as well as his most recent scholarship offer, which was a big one. We'll also check back with Liberty (Bealeton, VA) offensive lineman Kory Gough and St. Ignatius (Cleveland, OH) wide receiver Connor Ryan for the latest on their recruitments.

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 ...

Snyder Fulfills Dream
In a December 19th Sabre Edge article, Jake Snyder stated that "it has always been like a dream to go" to the University of Virginia. On Tuesday afternoon, that dream became a reality when the Deep Run (Glen Allen, VA) star verbally committed to head coach Al Groh and company. Snyder decided to make the commitment after feeling like he had gone through the recruiting process as much as necessary.

TheSabre.com Pre-Summer Top 30
The 2009 class has to be one of the deepest in-state classes in recent memory. Heading into the summer, over 50 rising seniors already boast at least one Division 1A scholarship offer. Over 40 boast multiple Division 1A offers. The talent is deep in the Commonwealth this year, headlined by a number of top quarterbacks and a number of top defensive linemen.

Moses Enjoys Big Month of May
"It is a blessing, of course, to have that many offers. It is amazing. They just came all at once," said Meadowbrook (Richmond, VA) star offensive line prospect Morgan Moses, who is coming off of a big Evaluation Period. Moses, a 6-7, 340-pound offensive tackle prospect, now boasts over 20 Division 1A scholarship offers - he had seven prior to late April/May - including recent ones from Florida, Michigan and South Carolina.

More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...

• Federspiel Looking to Impress at Summer Camps
• The Latest on Antone Exum
• Snyder Decides!
• Simpson Preparing to Narrow List

Shenandoah Spring Water delivers a variety of high quality bottled waters for the home and/or office. They are committed to providing you with caring, efficient delivery service, attentive customer service (with real people on the phone!), and the most carefully monitored and safest bottled water available. If you or your company is in need of bottled water, coffee, tea and a variety of other food and beverage services, please look to Shenandoah Spring Water.

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.

UVa's First Three Football Games to Be Televised

The Atlantic Coast Conference announced last week that Virginia's first three games of the 2008 football season will be televised and the game times are now set for those contests.

The Cavaliers' home opener at Scott Stadium on Aug. 30 will kickoff at 3:30 p.m. and be televised by ABC (regional) and ESPN2. UVa's Sept. 6 home contest vs. Richmond is slated for a 3:45 p.m. start and will be carried by ESPNU. Virginia's first road game of the season at Connecticut on Sept. 13 will start at 7:30 p.m. and also be shown by ESPNU.

After the first three weeks of the season (games through Sept. 13), game times and TV will be announced weekly with ESPN/ABC and Raycom Sports making their choices with a 12-day advance notice beginning on Monday, Sept. 8 (for games on Saturday, Sept. 20).

The Sabre keeps you up to date on the schedule announcements on the Football Info Page. As soon as game times are announced, we'll update the schedule so you can make your plans to watch the Hoos. Also, if you click on any opponent's name, it links you to The Sabre's game info page for that contest where you'll find all the information you need about that week's game. Check out the USC page today!

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!

Advertise With The Sabre!

Our advertising approach is different in that we make it abundantly clear in a direct and honest way that your company's commitment of sponsorship dollars is what enables the site to continue existing and improving into the future.

To learn more, please contact [email protected].

The Sabre is a vital part of a unique collegiate sports network that reaches nearly 2 million individuals per month. Like the Sabre, each site in the SportsWar network is an organically grown community and the emotional home for its fans.

To learn more about SportsWar network sponsorship opportunities, please contact [email protected] and visit the SportsWar media guide www.sportswar.com

To view a list of our sponsors, please visit our Sponsors Page.

Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

• Somdev Devvarman Named ITA National Player of the Year: The Intercollegiate Tennis Association announced Thursday that Somdev Devvarman has been named the 2008 ITA National Player of the Year. With the honor, Devvarman becomes just the third player in the 29-year history of the award to win it twice. Devvarman, who also won the award in 2007, joins Georgia's Matias Boeker (2001 and 2002) and Baylor's Benedikt Dorsch (2004 and 2005) as the only multiple winners of the award. Other past honorees include Michigan's MaliVai Washington (1989), Stanford's Bob Bryan (1998), and Harvard's James Blake (1999).
• Cavaliers Picked In MLB First-Year Player Draft: Virginia baseball's Jeremy Farrell, Pat McAnaney, and Michael Schwimer were selected Friday in the 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Farrell was picked in the eighth round (234th overall) by Pittsburgh, while McAnaney was taken in the eighth round (258th overall) by Arizona and Schwimer was selected in the 14th round (436th overall) by Philadelphia. The group joins David Adams, Greg Miclat, and Jacob Thompson, who were selected Thursday in the draft. Adams was a third-round pick of the New York Yankees, Miclat was a fifth-round selection by Baltimore, and Thompson was drafted in the fifth round by Atlanta.
• Grovatt Earns Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America Honors: Virginia outfielder Dan Grovatt has been named to Louisville Slugger's 2008 Freshman All-America Team, announced Wednesday by Collegiate Baseball.
• Virginia Announces Addition of 24 Newcomers: Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Randy Bungard has announced the addition of 24 student-athletes to the Cavaliers' 2008-09 track and field program. "This is one of the largest classes we have signed here at UVa," Bungard said. "We added great depth across the board, signing some young men and women who can step in and help us right away. We have a great mix of state champions, national champions, All-Americans and class record holders in this group."
• UVa Swimmers Head to Charlotte:Members of the Virginia swimming team will head to Charlotte, N.C. this week to compete in the Charlotte Ultraswim Grand Prix, the final meet before the United States Olympic Trials. Trials are set for June 29-July 6 in Omaha, Neb. "The Charlotte Ultraswim is a major USA Swimming meet every summer, but this year it is especially important, being the last event before Trials," Virginia head coach Mark Bernardino said. "Our swimmers will have opportunities to make initial and additional Olympic Trial cuts."
• Davis Finishes 21st at Sunnehanna Amateur: Virginia freshman golfer Amory Davis tied for 21st at the Sunnehanna Amateur Tournament of Champions in Johnstown, Pa. The tournament was held at the Sunnehanna Country Club from June 5-8. Davis completed the 72-hole event at 6-over 286. He had rounds of 69, 75, 73 and 69 on the par-70 course.
• Nielson Reaches Semifinal of Women's Southern Amateur: Virginia freshman golfer Callie Nielson reached the semifinals of match play Thursday at the 93rd annual Women's Southern Amateur Championship at the Island Course at the Clubs of Kingwood, in Kingwood. Texas. Teammate Kristen Simpson made it to the quarterfinals before being eliminated earlier in the day. Freshman Eleana Collins, playing out of the other side of the bracket, defeated Haley Hocott 5 and 4 in the round of 32 before losing to Lindy Labauve 1 up in the round of 16. Labauve is a sophomore at LSU. Collins and Nielson shared medalists honors with Sara Hemingway for the stroke play portion of the event. All three competitors shot 1-over 73 to advance to match play. Collins and Nielson received the Team Trophy for the lowest combined score.
• Sargent Qualifies for Virginia State Open: Virginia men's golf coach Bowen Sargent has qualified for the 2008 SunTrust State Open for the third consecutive year. Sargent earned his berth in the Virginia State Golf Association event by winning a 36-hole zone qualifier at Mattaponi Springs Golf Club in Ruther Glen, Va.
• Marino Qualifies for U.S. Open/Davis 1st Alternate: Former Virginia men's golfer Steve Marino qualified for the 2008 U.S. Open at the Sectional Qualifying Tournament held in Columbus, Ohio. Marino had rounds of 69 at The Ohio State course and 70 at Brookside Golf and Country Club to finish 17th at 139. He was one of 37 players to advance from the largest of the sectional qualifying fields.

For more Hoo news or to read full releases, check out Virginiasports.com.

BIG V LICENSE PLATE
CLOSEOUT PRICE $1

Get the Big V license plate and take advantage of this Special Closeout! This license plate is standard size. Sold as is, no returns.

Issue No. 306 - August 27, 2007

This Week In Recruiting
By Chris Horne

Basketball recruiting ...

Things will start to heat up for the University of Virginia this week as Holy Cross (Queens, N.Y.) star senior guard Sylven Landesberg is expected to make a visit. At last check, the 6-5 prospect was scheduled to arrive in Charlottesville on Aug. 30 and expects to stay five days.

Rated a 5-star prospect by Scout.com and a 4-star prospect by Rivals.com, Landesberg averaged 27 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists last season as a junior. He earned top scholarship offers from throughout the country, recently narrowing his list to Georgia Tech, Kentucky, St. John's, Texas, and Virginia.

This week's visit will be Landesberg's second experience at UVa. He attended the NBPA Top 100 camp in June as well. Although he could not tour the grounds or speak with the coaches, he was able to check out the town and, of course, get a look at the John Paul Jones Arena (which he was very impressed with).

Landesberg also has an official visit set to Georgia Tech for the weekend of Sept. 15 and is considering a trip to Kentucky as well. He has never visited either of those programs, but has tripped to St. John's and Texas. This week will be huge for the Cavs so stay tuned for the latest once he completes the visit.

Virginia will host another top target on the weekend of Sept. 9. 6-11, 230-pound center John Brandenburg, a 4-star recruit out of De Smet Jesuit (St. Louis, MO), will make his official visit to UVa at that time. He has already made a visit to Stanford, which is the other finalist in this race. He loved that experience, but Virginia will have its shot soon.

Brandenburg is UVa's top target at the center position.

While things will certainly get rolling on the 2008 class front in the month of September (as more visitors are expected as well), Virginia hosted a top prospect from the 2009 class this past Saturday. 6-9, 190-pound junior center Ryan Kelly visited Charlottesville alongside his parents.

As a junior last season, Kelly averaged 14 points, 9 rebounds, and 4.5 blocks per game in helping Ravenscroft (Raleigh, N.C.) to a conference championship.

Kelly, who has been offered by Virginia, N.C. State, and Virginia Tech, among others, discussed the visit with TheSabre.com last night. Stay tuned to the EDGE for a full report.

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 soon:

• JHoo's Summer Reading: JHoo helps take an in-depth look at the football team with the second article in this series.
• Jed Williams: Long-time Sabre contributor Jed Williams catches up with Debbie Ryan before her Hall of Fame induction.
• Catching Up With ... The Sabre is busy tracking down the incoming freshmen on UVa's men's basketball team. We'll bring yo the update.
• Ask The Experts: Patrick Kerney tackles this popular Sabre feature later this month.

In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles since the last SabreMail

JHoo's Summer Reading '08: Quarterbacks
When I first thought about this year's series of Summer Reading articles, I thought I might work in reverse order for once, going from the safeties to the quarterbacks. Why? Because there are enough question marks in my mind over the quarterbacks that I would not have minded the extra month or two to let things play out before I put pen to paper. So why am I starting with the quarterbacks after all? Because when I thought about having to take a guess now at who the second starting safety would be ... well, you see the problem. So we are back where we started, which I suppose is the way it should be when discussing the quarterback position in a back-to-square-one type of year.

Best Seat In The House: Somdev Devvarman
When it comes to the outstanding athletes in Virginia lore, tennis star Somdev Devvarman is among the most accomplished in school history. Devvarman recently wrapped up his second straight NCAA Singles Championship, becoming just the fourth player to repeat in the past 50 years. He also owns an NCAA record 18 career wins in the NCAA Singles Tournament. Devvarman, the ITA National Player of the Year, finished his career with a 158-27 career singles record, setting the school record for career victories. He was 88-6 over his final two seasons and ended his career on a school record 36-match winning streak. What does he think about his Cavalier legacy? Devvarman joined The Best Seat in the House recently to talk about that and more.

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