Football News As August Nears

The summer days of July fall off the calendar this week and that, of course, means that college football season is just around the corner. With August arriving this Saturday, there is plenty of football news to track in the coming weeks. Here are a few things to keep tabs on as you prepare for the Hoos' season:

• The Sabre's annual "Hoo Preview" is ready to hit the site starting next Monday, Aug. 3. Appearing throughout the month, the "Hoo Preview" will feature position previews, schedule analysis, columns, features and more. If you're not a subscriber, August is a great month to give our EDGE service a try! Sign up here!
• The ACC Football Kickoff media event is under way and wraps up today. You can follow any articles published on the Hoos in Sabre NewsLink. Updated 365 days a year, Sabre NewsLink always helps you track your Hoos!
• Virginia opens practice on Friday, Aug. 7 and currently there are no open practices listed. UVa has scheduled the annual "Meet the Team Day" event for Sunday, Aug. 16 at Scott Stadium; the meet-and-greet afternoon is slated for 3-4:15 p.m. The Cavaliers are scheduled to wrap up the "training camp" portion of preseason on Saturday, Aug. 22. As always, The Sabre will provide news and notes throughout the month.

This Week In Recruiting
By Chris Horne

This week's football recruiting coverage features offensive and defensive linemen.

Virginia continues to be one of the top contenders for Lake Braddock (Burke, VA) offensive lineman Khamrone Kolb. Kolb, a 6'6", 300-pound rising senior, is now leaning towards taking official visits before committing and knows of three official visit destinations already. He discussed the latest on his recruitment as well as his recovery from a torn ACL in the latest EDGE update, which is already up on the site.

Kolb is ranked No. 14 in TheSabre.com's current in-state top 30. Besides Virginia, he has been offered by Connecticut, Maryland, North Carolina, N.C. State, Penn State and Virginia Tech, among others

Stay tuned for more this week on several other rising senior bigs, including South Columbus (N.C.) defensive tackle Ethan Farmer and Boston College High (Boston, MA) jumbo athlete Andrew Tallman. Virginia has offered Farmer, a versatile 6'4", 265-pound prospect, as a defensive tackle. Alabama, Clemson, North Carolina, N.C. State, Penn State and Virginia Tech are among the other offers for the talented prospect, who plays tight end and on the defensive line in high school.

Tallman, whose first offer came this spring from the Cavaliers, is a 6'6", 260-pound tight end/defensive end in high school. Alan Tallman, Andrew's brother, says the Virginia staff believes Andrew has potential at several positions including defensive end, outside linebacker and offensive line. Other offers include Miami, Syracuse and Utah, but Virginia is in strong position at this point.

On the basketball front, Lake Chelan (WA) guard Joe Harris indicated earlier this month that he may be ready to commit to a school by early August. We'll check back in with the 6-6 rising senior prospect for the latest on his recruitment. Harris has been offered by Virginia and Washington State, among others, and was leaning toward the Cavaliers at last check.

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 ...

Odom Feeling Better Since NBAPA Camp
6'8.5", 205-pound rising senior guard/forward Rod Odom Jr. admits to not feeling 100 percent at the beginning of the summer, something that he feels hindered his performance at the NBAPA Top 100 Camp at the John Paul Jones Arena. The Middlesex School (Concord, MA) standout has been feeling better, though, and feels good about recent results on the AAU circuit.

More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...

• Khamrone Kolb Knows Three Official Visits

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Jeff White Debuts On VirginiaSports.com

Jeff White, the former UVa beat writer for The Richmond Times-Dispatch, has started his new job with VirginiaSports.com. He will be providing news articles, features, interviews, and more for Virginia's official athletic web site. Check out White and the "Cavalier News Beat" at VirginiaSports.com.

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Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

• Six Cavaliers Named to VaSID Academic All-State Team: Six Cavaliers have been named to the 2008-09 Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) Academic All-State Team, as announced by the organization. Seniors Andrew Carraway, Dom Inglot, Katie Shannon and Mike Timms, in addition to juniors Lauren Dickson and Peter Ferrara were among 207 collegiate student-athletes that were honored for their performances both in the classroom and in competition.
• Vigilante Releases Women's Recruiting Class: The Virginia women's track and field team has received 11 commitments for the 2009-10 season, Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Jason Vigilante has announced. The group will consist of Pearl Bickersteth (Dumfries, Va.), Anna Blackwood (Norfolk, Va.), Janelle Clayton (Suffern, N.Y.), Colette Gnade (Waukee, Iowa), Natalia Kuhn (Virginia Beach, Va.), Whitney Rose (Pearland, Texas), Barbara Strehler (Richmond, Va.), Emily Vannoy (Frederick, Md.), Vanessa Walton (Rutesheim, Germany), Danielle Williams (Alexandria, Va.) and Lauren Zarger (Erie, Pa.).
• Cavaliers Announce Men's Recruiting Class: Virginia's Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Jason Vigilante has announced the commitment of 11 athletes to join the reigning men's ACC Cross Country and co-ACC Outdoor Track and Field Champions for the 2009-10 season. The group consists of Robby Andrews (Englishtown, N.J.), Matthew Armentrout (Glen Allen, Va.), Taylor Gilland (Chapel Hill, N.C.), Robert Guider (Danbury, Conn.), T.J. Hobart (Pittsburgh, Pa.), Brett Johnson (Ocean City, N.J.), Bryan Lewis (Roanoke, Va.), Luke Noble (Charlottesville, Va.), Austin Von Ohlsen (Ridgefield, Conn.), Zack Vrhovac (Charlottesville, Va.) and David Wilson (Brookline, Mass.).
• Eight Cavaliers Named to USTFCCCA All-Academic Teams: Eight Cavaliers have earned individual All-Academic honors as announced by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), while the Cavaliers' women's track and field team has received 2009 Division I All-Academic team honors. Five Cavaliers, Amy Bilmanis, Lauretta Dezubay, Morgane Gay, Billie-Jo Grant and Ayla Smith, were named to the women's All-Academic Track and Field team, while Kevin Anding, Andrew Jesien and Matt Meyer were named to the men's team.
• Trebels Competing at Global Challenge in Croatia: Rising sophomore Hillary Trebels has been selected to the Junior National A2 Volleyball Team that is in competition at the 2009 Global Challenge in Pula, Croatia. The American vs. European Challenge includes 12 teams hailing from six countries, with each team playing six matches before playoffs begin.
• Courtney Wins Mid-Atlantic Clay Court Title: Rising sophomore Drew Courtney won the singles title at the 2009 Mid-Atlantic Clay Court Championship last week at the Salisbury Country Club. The event featured top collegiate and professional players from 12 different states.
• Virginia Trio Selected for USA Junior World Cup Team: Three Virginia field hockey players - freshman Tara Puffenberger, sophomore Paige Selenski and sophomore Michelle Vittese - have been selected to represent the United States at the 2009 Junior World Cup, as announced Monday by USA Field Hockey. The event will be held Aug. 3-13 in Boston.
• Nielson Falls in Quarterfinals of TRANS National: Virginia junior women's golfer Calle Nielson advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2009 Women's TRANS National Golf Championship at Tennessee National Golf Course near Knoxville. Nielson loss to Wake Forest's Cheyenne Woods 1-up.

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

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Issue No. 325 - January 21, 2008

London Takes Richmond Job

Last week, SabreMail told you that Mike London was interviewing with the University of Richmond about its head football coaching vacancy. Less than one week later, London accepted the position - which he interviewed for in 2004 but was not hired - at his alma mater. He was officially introduced at a news conference on Saturday.

"I'm excited about the opportunity that has been presented to me," London told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. "I've walked the grounds here. I've been on the football field and the practice field. I know what it takes to be a student-athlete at this school. Things didn't work out the first time, but I firmly believe that things happen for a purpose. I needed more training, and now I've come back and I'm ready."

London's depature marks the fourth time during Al Groh's tenure at UVa that an assistant has been hired by another school to be its head coach. Al Golden (Temple), Danny Rocco (Liberty), and Ron Prince (Kansas State) are still head coaches at those schools today.

Of course, this also means that Groh will have to find a replacement yet again. The key for him will be to not only find a capable coach, but a capable recruiter. London was one of the top assistants on the UVa staff on the recruiting trail; high school coaches and players routinely praise London for his genuine interest in recruits.

Stay tuned.

Kris Wright
TheSabre.com

Check Out SabreMail #325.

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's Summer Reading Series wraps up this week.
• Bennett's Beginning: Editor Kris Wright takes a look at the early months of new basketball coach Tony Bennett.
• Hoo Preview: The Sabre's annual Hoo Preview is just days away.

In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles since the last SabreMail

JHoo's Summer Reading '09: Cornerbacks
Going into the 2009 season, UVa is having to replace a multi-year starter at one cornerback slot, a guy who was a leader among his teammates, was fifth on the team (and led the cornerbacks) with 59 tackles, was tied for second on the team with two interceptions, had three tackles for loss including a sack, had a knack for causing a key turnover at key points in games, and forced as many fumbles all by himself as the rest of the team did combined. And yet no one I talk to is concerned one bit. Strange, isn't it?

FanWatch: ChattaHOOga Eyes Hardwood Success
Tom Hayslett has one of The Sabre's great play-on-words user names: ChattaHOOga. Not only does it tip the cap to UVa's beloved nickname, it also honors Hayslett's hometown these days. Of course, after reading this edition of Sabre FanWatch, you'll see it could have just as easily been ChattaHOOPSga because Hayslett is a big fan of the hardwood Hoos.

Catching Up With Byron Thweatt
If the company that makes all those "Life is Good" products is looking for an endorser, it could do well to secure the services of former University of Virginia linebacker Byron Thweatt. He could wear the t-shirts and hats proudly, show off the bumper stickers on his car.

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