10-Day Preview Ready To Go

The Sabre's third annual 10-Day Hoo Preview is set for its 2008 return this week and this edition is bigger and better than ever! Starting tomorrow, The Sabre will take you through every aspect of the Hoos' football team, covering every unit while also catching up with several individual players. We also have several columns in the works, including special "user takes" from your fellow Sabre-ites and Sabre Roundtables featuring media members that cover the Cavs.

Over the course of 10 days, you'll receive more than 35 stories on your Virginia Cavaliers. Here are a few samples of what you can expect:

• JHoo's "10 Things" where your favorite columnist looks at 10 things he is watching for in 2008
• Jed Williams has a "Cavalier Conversation" with wide receiver Maurice Covington
• Q&A with tight end Joe Torchia
• Schedule breakdown with Sabre writer Greg Waters
• A feature look at senior linebacker Antonio Appleby

That's just the tip of the iceberg too! You'll actually be getting at least 7 times more information on your Hoos! Not an EDGE member yet? This the perfect month to sample the service for only $5.99! The EDGE provides a year-round connection to the Hoos through features, analysis articles, columns, in-depth interviews, and more. Join Life On The EDGE Today!

Kris Wright
Editor, TheSabre.com

This Week In Recruiting
By Chris Horne

Football recruiting

Virginia received an unofficial visit on Saturday from one of its top remaining 2009 class line prospects, 6-5, 265-pound Catholic Memorial (West Roxbury, MA) standout Brennan Williams. Brennan's father, Brent Williams, confirmed the weekend visit but we were unable to reach the younger Williams for further comment. We'll continue to try to reach Brennan and hope to put out an article this week.

Williams has narrowed his list of schools to six - Boston College, Duke, Maryland, Michigan, Virginia and Wake Forest. The Wolverines - Williams' childhood favorite - could be the program to beat, but we'll see if Virginia was able to impress with the recent experience.

Speaking of top remaining line targets, one of the biggest - literally and figuratively - is Meadowbrook (Richmond, VA) star Morgan Moses. Moses, who stands 6-7, 340 pounds, was spotted at Virginia's Meet the Team event Sunday. Clemson, Florida, Maryland, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Virginia Tech and West Virginia, among others, have offered Moses, who is not expected to make a decision until December or January. We'll see if anything has changed with the Monarchs product and we'll see how his most recent experience in Charlottesville went.

Today, stay tuned for more on Virginia commit Jake Snyder. The 6-4, 235-pound defensive end recruit and his Deep Run (Glen Allen, VA) teammates begin preseason practice today. The Wildcats are a truly talented team and certainly could be a team to watch in the Central Region.

We'll also check back in on Forest Park (Woodbridge, VA) outside linebacker/wide receiver recruit Brandon Scott, a player the Virginia staff had been eyeing in the spring. The 6-5, 215-pound prospect has not received a Division 1A offer, but head coach Charlie Chandler believes that could change quickly if Scott turns in some top performances early on in the 2008 season.

2010 class

Virginia's astounding 2009 class recruiting success should enable the staff to start to focus a little bit more on 2010 recruiting. The staff sits at 19 commitments for 2009, so there certainly aren't many spots remaining to fill. This week, we'll provide a feature profile on one of the state's top rising junior prospects in Brookville (Lynchburg, VA) defensive end/tight end Zack McCray. Virginia is one of six programs that have verbally offered McCray, who is the cousin of 2009 class star Logan Thomas.

Basketball recruiting

Attempts to follow up with Montrose Christian (Rockville, MD) wing forward Tristan Spurlock were unsuccessful, but we'll continue to try to reach him for further news on his recruitment. The 6-8, 216-pound prospect told TheSabre.com last week that he could be ready to make a college commitment within the next few weeks, so we'll see if that comes to fruition.

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 ...

St. Xavier's Muldoon Narrows List to Four
One of the top overall prospects in the state of Ohio has narrowed his list of schools to four. But a decision is not likely to come any time soon for 6-4, 265-pound St. Xavier (Cincinnati, OH) standout Pat Muldoon, who plans to make official visits to each of his four finalists before coming to a decision.

Top WR Evaluates Options
Concord (Wilmington, DE) wide receiver Justin Brown, one of the top overall prospects in the Northeast in this 2009 recruiting class, admits that certain schools have made more of a positive impression than others, but for now he is not disclosing a clear list of favorites. And he has yet to narrow a list of schools that includes offers from Boston College, Iowa, Maryland, N.C. State, Oregon, Penn State, Rutgers, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Virginia Tech, among others.

Hairston Updates Recruitment
Courtland (Spotsylvania, VA) forward Josh Hairston, one of the most highly recruited players in the 2010 recruiting class, has earned scholarship offers from Clemson, Duke, Kansas, Memphis, Ohio State, Virginia and Virginia Tech, among others. The 6-8, 215-pound prospect would like to make his college choice by the beginning of his junior season, but he admits that he is open to waiting beyond that timetable if necessary.

More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...

• Fontaine Making Latest College Visit
• Exum Continues Recruiting Visits
• Varina Notes: Rhodes Adds Another Big Offer

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UVA Bookstores Lends A Hand

UVA Bookstores, the official Wahoo gear sponsor of TheSabre.com, is lending a hand to two Virginia non-profit organizations this fall. In Richmond, Meals on Wheels Serving Central Virginia is the sponsored group and in Waynesboro, the Waynesboro YMCA is the featured organization. Both groups will be raising funds by selling the 2008 UVA Bookstore Football Fan T-shirt as well as the 2008-2009 UVA Bookstore All-Sports T-shirt for just $10 each. Every t-shirt sold will help defray the costs for the more than 80% of Central Virginia clients unable to fully pay for nourishing home delivered meals (Meals on Wheels Serving Central Virginia) or will help go towards youth basketball scholarships as the YMCA turns no one away due to the inability to pay.

In order to support these great causes by buying T-shirts, you'll need to make the purchase through specific channels. To support Richmond's Meals on Wheels Serving Central Virginia, T-shirts need to be purchased at the Meals on Wheels Office (1600 Willow Lawn Drive, Richmond, Virginia 23230, Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Call Kristin Stokes or Kathleen Seal at 804-673-5035) or online at www.uvabookstores.com/mow. To support the Waynesboro YMCA, T-shirts need to be purchased at the Waynesboro YMCA (648 South Wayne Avenue, Waynesboro, Virginia 22980, 540-942-5107) or online at www.uvabookstores.com/ymca.

Thank you for supporting Sabre sponsor UVA Bookstores in this community fundraising effort!

Olympic Profiles

Virginia Athletic Media Relations has been catching up with Cavalier Olympians on Virginiasports.com. So far, profiles have been posted on the following: Cavalier Olympians: Rogulj's Third Time Might be the Charm (swimming) | Cavalier Olympians: Rojas Living the Dream on the Diamond (softball) | Cavalier Olympians: Nelson's Quest for Gold (track and field) | Cavalier Olympians: Shoop Realizes a Dream (rowing). Check out the stories on these successful Hoos!

Blog Banter: Second Annual Ranking of the UVa programs

"It hurts so bad because you put so much into it. I look at all of our sports. It is really really hard to win. At the end of every year, when you look at how many great teams did come up short in the end, it is to some extent frustrating." Women's lacrosse coach Julie Myers really hit the nail on the head: this was a season full of oh-so-close moments for Virginia sports teams. A lot of impressive results (well, after you get past the first few), but too many missed opportunities for additional championship trophies.

Regardless, here's my ranking of the Virginia programs for the 2007-2008 season.

23. Softball "Really, click the link. I dare you. Last season's rank: 23.

22. Men's basketball The CBI? Last season's rank: 6.

21. Women's Tennis Losing ACC record. Losing overall record. No NCAA postseason. I know they beat Virginia Tech in the ACC championship for their lone postseason victory, but they don't get bonus points for beating the Hokies. Last season's rank: 15.

20. Women's Cross country Eh. An 8th place finish in the ACC tourney and not breaking out of the Eastern Regional to make the NCAAs doesn't exactly thrill me. Aside from a few nice finishes and an impressive year by Emily Harrison (who finished second overall in the ACC championships and sixth overall in her race at the NCAAs), there wasn't anything here to really propel these ladies up the list. Last season's rank: 7.

Check out the full rankings!

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

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

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Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

• Vigilante Named Virginia's Director of Track and Field and Cross Country: Virginia athletics director Craig Littlepage announced Jason Vigilante (VIG-ah-Lan-tee) has been named the Director of Track and Field and Cross Country for the Cavaliers. Vigilante comes to Virginia after serving as the associate head men's track and field and head men's cross country coach at the University of Texas. "Having the opportunity to become the director of the track and field and cross country programs at Virginia accomplishes a lifelong dream of mine to become a head coach," Vigilante said. "As an added bonus, having the opportunity to move to the east coast is an ideal situation for my family. I'm so grateful for my time at Texas. All of the people I have been able to work with have been wonderful; DeLoss Dodds, Butch Worley, Bubba Thornton, all of the sudent-athletes and everyone who has treated me so well over the past nine years. I am thankful, optimistic and excited about what my experiences will bring in the upcoming years as a Virginia Cavalier."
• Hirai, Freitager Join Virginia Softball Staff: Virginia head coach Eileen Schmidt announced the hiring of Geoff Hirai and Heidi Freitager as assistant softball coaches. Freitager begins her duties Aug. 11 and Hirai begins Aug. 25. Hirai, who will serve as hitting coach while also spearheading Virginia's recruiting efforts, spent the past three seasons as an assistant at the University of Washington. Freitager, who will coach Virginia's pitchers, arrives in Charlottesville after a one-year stint at Temple. "We are very fortunate to have Geoff and Heidi join the Virginia family," Schmidt said. "They are both very knowledgeable and energetic on and off the field. They understand what we are trying to do here and the process and time it is going to take. At the same time, Geoff and Heidi realize how special this University is and have committed to helping this program grow into a national contender while still staying true to what the University of Virginia is all about."
• Cavaliers Host Meet the Team Day: Sunday the Virginia football team took a break from practicing for its annual Meet the Team Day at Scott Stadium. The Cavaliers and fans mingled from 3 p.m. until 4 p.m. until storms in the area forced an early end to the festivities.
• Neuhauser Falls in Quarterfinals of U.S. Amateur: Virginia junior Whitney Neuhauser lost to Belen Mozo of Cadiz, Spain 6 & 5 during the quarterfinal round of the U.S. Women's Amateur Championships at the Eugene (Ore.) Country Club.
• Field Hockey Game with Richmond Moved to Oct. 1: Virginia's field hockey game with Richmond has been moved to Oct. 1 at the University Hall Turf Field. Game time is scheduled for 6 p.m. The contest was previously scheduled for Oct. 7 in Charlottesville. The Cavaliers report for preseason training camp Tuesday and open the season Aug. 29 at home against William & Mary.

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

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Issue No. 171 - January 7, 2005

Will they stay or will they go?

Heath Miller

This is a big week for the Virginia football team. Underclassmen have until next Sunday to apply for the NFL draft and four Cavaliers - Ahmad Brooks, Darryl Blackstock, Heath Miller and D'Brickashaw Ferguson - have been projected as high-round picks if they decide to go pro.

Fortunately for the Wahoos, Ferguson and Blackstock already have indicated that they plan to return for their senior seasons. Brooks also is reportedly leaning toward staying at UVa, while Miller has not made any statement about his plans. Of course, it would be hard to fault Miller for leaving. He just won the Mackey Award as the nation's top tight end and is on schedule to graduate in May.

Farrior, Barber make All-Pro team

Speaking of the NFL, a few ex-Cavaliers are among the best players in the league. Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Farrior and Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Ronde Barber received the most votes at their positions for the Associated Press All-Pro team.

Farrior and Barber were teammates for four years at UVa. Both were selected in the 1997 NFL draft and have developed into outstanding defenders. Farrior, who leads the NFL's top defense in Pittsburgh, was named to the first team on 44 of 48 ballots. Only Colts quarterback Peyton Manning and Ravens safety Ed Reed received more votes. Barber got 17 votes at cornerback, two more than Denver's Champ Bailey and Philadelphia's Lito Sheppard.

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:

• 10-Day Hoo Preview: The Sabre's annual 10-day extravaganza previewing the football season begins on Tuesday, August 12!
• Football News: Al Groh joins the media for teleconferences throughout the week and we'll keep you up to date on the happenings in Hoo camp.

In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles since the last SabreMail

QBs, Kickers Showing Progress
The Virginia football team held its annual Meet the Team Day event on Sunday and reporters got a chance to catch up with players and coaches since the outing also serves as media day. As is a near daily occurrence when you don't have a starting quarterback, Al Groh was asked about the QB situation through the first two days of practice in full pads. Groh said he does not have a timetable for making a decision on the starter.

Monroe Primed For Big Season
In the 11 games Eugene Monroe played last season, the Virginia football team attempted 359 passes. Monroe, the starting left tackle, did not allow a single sack. Not one. As the senior statesman on the Cavaliers' offensive line entering 2008, Al Groh thinks Monroe could be even better this season no matter how the statistics play out. "He is a player that really has caught people's attention here early. He finished at a high level last year - he looks like he's already ahead of that level," Groh said Thursday.

QBs Still Jockeying For Position
Approximately two weeks of practice remain before the Virginia football team begins game preparation for its season-opening contest with Southern California. For several Cavaliers, that means there is not much time to do impress the coaches and earn either a starting job or playing time. But the attention runs a little higher for one trio in that scenario: quarterbacks Scott Deke, Peter Lalich, and Marc Verica.

Woods Emerges Early In Safety Battle
One of the more interesting storylines during Virginia's spring practice period involved the safeties as several players are in competition for playing time at the spot vacated by Nate Lyles. As fall training camp picks up steam this week, junior Brandon Woods has climbed to the top spot on the depth chart alongside returning starter Byron Glaspy. While the depth chart is an ever-changing thing because there is an open competition for playing time at all times, the early emergence of Woods could be an important development for the Cavaliers.

Ask The Experts #13: Patrick Kerney
To put it simply, Patrick Kerney has been one heck of a football player for more than 10 years running. Kerney has been named to the Pro Bowl twice in his NFL career, including last season when he posted a career-high 14.5 sacks for the Seattle Seahawks. He has started every game in which he's played since 2000. The success in the NFL followed on the heels of an outstanding career at Virginia. He still ranks fourth on the career sacks list with 24 and he's tied for first and 12th on the single-season sacks list. Kerney is the latest guest of TheSabre.com's "Ask the Experts" series where former Hoos take on questions directly from Sabre-land.

Green Enjoys HOF Experience
As a child, Virginia wide receiver Jared Green begged his father, longtime Redskins great Darrell Green, to let him play football. The answer was always no. Finally in 9th grade, his father relented and training began full force. Five years later, Jared, 19, is a redshirt freshman receiver at Virginia. On the weekend before opening his own 2008 season, Jared presented his father into the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, on Saturday.

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