Blog Banter: No plans for a West Virginia series

A reader of The Good Ol' Blog raised a good point about the email that Craig Littlepage reportedly sent about the rumored West Virginia series:

"Saw your blog post on the potential (or lack thereof) for a UVa-WVU football series in the future, and your quoting of an EDGE post that says that Littlepage hasn't been in touch with them. Of course he hasn't. Jon Oliver does the football scheduling. I'm sure the two of them will discuss the potential for a game, but there's no way Littlepage handles the day-to-day of scheduling. So don't take Littlepage's non-denial denial as gospel."

My reader made clear that we can't get a good read from an email we never saw. And I'd be surprised if Littlepage was playing semantic games like this. But, to close the loop on this whole matter, I touched base with Executive Associate Athletics Director Jon Oliver. And he confirmed as well in an email to me:

"We are not pursuing a series with West Virginia at this time and there are no immediate plans to get them on the schedule in the future."

So, that's that. No need to worry about burning couches, not counting those trips to College Park.

Keep in touch with all the hot topics around Virginia athletics on The Good Ol' Blog.

Rob Mahini (Vandy-Hoo)
The Good Ol' Blog

This Week In Recruiting
By Chris Horne

In case you missed it, we reviewed Virginia's 2009 class needs for the offensive side of the ball last week. Offensive line tops the list of remaining needs in this 2009 class, but the staff is involved with some top prospects. This week, we'll shift our focus to the defensive side of the ball, where linebacker seems to be the top remaining area of need.

Of Virginia's 18 verbal commitments, eight project on the defensive side of the ball. The staff has hit a home run with its defensive end recruiting, an important thing considering defensive end is a key position of need in this class. 6-5, 260-pound Justin Renfrow, 6-4, 235-pound Jake Snyder and 6-7, 265-pound Brent Urban are the three current commitments.

That trio represents a very good haul, but the staff may not be finished with recruiting the position. The Cavs remain in contention for several other top defensive ends, including Lafayette (Williamsburg, VA) star William Hill, Hun School (Princeton, N.J.) standout Anthony LaLota, and St. Xavier (Cincinnati, OH) star Pat Muldoon. Stay tuned for more this week on LaLota, who is one of the top defensive end recruits in the country. We'll also try to check in on Hill, while Muldoon is expected to narrow his list to three to five schools next month.

Virginia's other defensive commitments include Phoebus (Hampton, VA) safety/outside linebacker LoVante' Battle, Oscar Smith (Chesapeake, VA) safety Perry Jones, Liberty (Bealeton, VA) safety Corey Lillard, Fauquier (VA) inside linebacker Connor McCartin, and Charlotte Catholic (Charlotte, N.C.) outside linebacker Tucker Windle.

Jones and Lillard are two physical, hard-hitting safeties. Battle plays linebacker in high school but could end up at safety on the next level. Outside linebacker is certainly a possibility, however. McCartin and Windle are two good athletes at the important need position of linebacker, which should be addressed with Virginia's remaining scholarships. I'd expect the staff to try to land at least two more linebackers in this class, perhaps one if the staff sees Battle as more of a linebacker on the next level.

Stay tuned for more on Virginia's needs on the defensive side of the ball. The article will be posted on the EDGE this week.

In other news from this past week, Brooke Point (Stafford, VA) defensive end Lanford Collins has narrowed his list to four schools according to The Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star. According to the report, Collins is down to Penn State, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia. Collins is a defensive end/outside linebacker prospect for the Hoos.

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 ...

Revisiting the 2009 Class Needs: Offense
UVa has enjoyed tremendous success in this 2009 class, landing 18 commitments to date, and the staff is now in the enviable position of being selective with its few remaining scholarships. A Division 1A program may enroll 25 players in a given class, but for now the expected number of recruits in this class is about 23. For the right kids, though, I could see that number expanding.

Logan Thomas Narrows List to 7
Brookville (Lynchburg, VA) athlete Logan Thomas followed through on his plans to narrow his list of schools, cutting his list to seven finalists yesterday. The 6-6, 225-pound rising senior, who has received close to 20 Division 1A scholarship offers, says that it is a "relief" to have a more manageable number of schools to consider.

Pitts Prepares For Junior Season
As athletes are pressured to commit to a college earlier and earlier, it can no doubt become stressful for the athlete, pressing their game into question. For 2010 women's basketball recruit, Jazmin Pitts, that was something she was determined to avoid as she committed verbally to Virginia last summer.

More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...

• 4-Star TE Includes UVa in Top Four
• The Latest on Star OL Peter White
• Recent Visits Help Kindler Name Five Favorites

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Meet the Team Day Set for Aug. 10

Virginia Athletic Media Relations
Official Release

The Virginia football team will hold its popular "Meet the Team Day" this year on Sunday, Aug. 10. Cavalier fans will have the chance to interact with the players on Virginia's 2008 squad and head coach Al Groh.

Meet the Team Day takes place at the Carl Smith Center, home of David A. Harrison III Field at Scott Stadium. Players will be available for photos and autographs from 3 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. Gates to the stadium open at 2 p.m.

"This is a day we look forward to every year," Groh said. "It is one of the fun days where we get to spend some time with the fans who are so passionate about the Virginia program. It is a day to catch up with some old friends and make some new ones. It is a terrific experience for our players."

Fans will also be able to pick up copies of the 2008 Cavalier Football schedule poster, schedule magnet and schedule cards. Merchandise vendors will be on site to sell the latest UVa gear and concession stands will operate to accommodate fans in attendance. All fans in attendance also have the opportunity to win door prizes.

There will be plenty of activities for young Cavalier fans. A kid's zone will feature face painting, inflatables and other activities. The Cavalier and his horse, Sabre, will be in attendance along with the UVa cheerleaders.

Parking is free for the event.

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Issue No. 270 - December 4, 2006

Cavaliers Are 1-0 In The ACC - Now What?

The 11-Year Plague?

95-96 FSU, L 64-69

96-96 Clemson, L 52-62

97-98 @ Duke, L 59-103

98-99 FSU, L 69-72

99-00 Duke, L 100-109 (OT)

00-01 @ Wake Forest, L 73-96

01-02 NCSU, L 74-81

02-03 @NCSU, L 63-75

03-04 @NCSU, L 69-86

04-05 @Wake Forest, L 70-89

05-06 @Georgia Tech, L 54-63

Virginia snapped an 11-game losing streak in ACC openers with a 67-62 win against N.C. State on Sunday. Does that mean anything other than the fact that the Cavaliers are 1-0 in the league play for the first time since the 1994-95 season? Not really.

It's pretty much one of those meaningless notes when taken in the context of a single season. It is noteworthy, however, to fans because they are looking for signs of improvement in a program that has made the NCAA Tournament just twice (1996-97, 2000-01) during the streak's time frame. Certainly, starting 1-0 instead of 0-1 is a step in the right direction. After all, as coach Dave Leitao said Sunday, that means for a few weeks the Cavaliers are at the top of the ACC standings and that's not a bad thing.

Other than that, it's just a part of Hoo history and there is no reason to dwell on things like that, according to Leitao.

"You've just got to keep working. Whether it's positively [in your favor with] a stat like that or negatively ... you can't really concern yourself about that," Leitao said. "Past history doesn't mean a whole lot. Future history does."

The future history features 15 more knock-down, drag-out ACC fights and 8 of those are on the road. In reality, those games will determine if this opening win means anything or nothing to the 2006-07 season. After all, the league-opening loss wasn't the problem during those 11 seasons, it was the long haul. In those 11 campaigns, the Cavaliers only dug out of the 0-1 hole twice to finish above .500 in conference play by season's end - they posted a 9-7 ACC record in both 1999-00 and 2000-01.

And what about the last time the Cavs won their league opener during the 1994-95 campaign? That season, the Hoos went on to finish 12-4 in the ACC and eventually made the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight.

A good omen? Not really. That's history and the future history is all that Coach Leitao is worried about.

Kris Wright
TheSabre.com
Editor

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 seventh article in this series.
• ACC Athlete of the Year: Why Somdev Devvarman deserves to win.
• Jed Williams: Jed is busy working out his next column, which will appear in the coming days.

In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles since the last SabreMail

Mason Jr. Excited About Shot With Spurs
After signing a one-year contract extension with the Washington Wizards last season, simultaneously turning down a multi-year offer from the San Antonio Spurs, former Virginia star guard Roger Mason Jr. signed a lucrative two-year deal with the Spurs on Wednesday for 7.3 million. Despite the payout, Mason Jr. says it's not just about the money. "The opportunity is there to get a championship," he said.

Who Will Be The "Next Men Up"?
Virginia football fed off its "next man up" mentality last season and won nine games in the process. With just 11 starters returning, if you include Kevin Ogletree, in 2008 there will be plenty of "next man up" opportunities for Cavaliers this season. TheSabre.com takes a look at some key positions where players have a chance to rise to the occasion.

JHoo's Summer Reading '08: Defensive Line
Having just finished the offensive line column, it is nice to turn to the opposite side of the ball and get to discuss a defensive line unit that is all about experience and returning starters and certainty and ... oh wait, never mind. Funny how quickly things can change, as well as how one change can have a ripple effect. That is the case for UVa's 2008 defensive line, a line that was expected to be a predictable strength going into 2008 but is now a major question mark.

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