New Subscriber Promotion

Sabre fans,

Not an EDGE subscriber? You've been missing some of the best coverage available on your Cavaliers! The Sabre covers the Hoos like no one else - analysis, columns, features, photos, recruiting coverage, and more on everything from football and basketball to No. 1 teams like baseball, men's lacrosse, and men's tennis. Join today with our "Put Spring In Your Step" new subscriber promotion (offer good through April 10, 2010)!

Check out these samples:

• Of course, Marc Verica isn't the lone wolf in the QB sessions - there's a whole pack of players working there this spring with some freshman recruits on the way this fall as well. In other words, Verica is in another spring practice where a quarterback battle is in play - "I think it's right that we're all starting from square one," Verica said.

  Among the players joining Verica Monday in red quarterback jerseys were Ross Metheny (6'2", 195), Quintin Hunter (6'1", 195) and Michael Strauss (6'2", 205), a Florida freshman that enrolled in January. UVa coach Mike London, who joined reporters on the practice field for a face-to-face interview prior to the start of practice, said he wants the best man to win the job.

  "I want to see the best quarterback earn the job and take it and run with it, whether it's Marc or anybody else," London said. "It's a wide-open approach. He's been a guy who has taken snaps and we'll see what happens. All of those quarterbacks know they'll be evaluated daily and we'll see how you perform."

• Elsinore (Wildomar, CA) senior forward James Johnson saw Virginia in action last week against Boston College and Duke and came away impressed with the team's performance.

  "I like the team, watching them play," he said. "I can't wait to be apart of it. At the same time, it was hard watching because I want to be there so bad. It is my dream to play college basketball and it's so close. I've watched it for so long, but now it'll finally be my time to be in the spotlight."

  A consistent worker, Johnson is lifting four times a week, running and putting up shots consistently in the gym. Otherwise, he is just awaiting the time when he can arrive at the University of Virginia.

So why aren't you a subscriber? Not only do you get all the great coverage on your favorite program, a subscriber-only message board, and a 10% discount at UVA Bookstores, EVERY SUBSCRIPTION helps support this site and keep it running! Like The Sabre? Like the message board discourse? Like the fun?

Subscribe today with our "Put Spring In Your Step" new subscriber promotion! This offer is for new subscribers only (new subscribers consist of people who have never subscribed to the Sabre EDGE in the past, or those who have subscribed but have allowed their subscription to expire and lapse more than six months) and good through April 10, 2010.

Click here!

This Week In Recruiting
By Chris Horne

Football recruiting

Representatives from Bethel (Hampton, VA), DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, MD), Liberty (Bealeton, VA), Mountain View (Stafford, VA), Phoebus (Hampton, VA) and Stone Bridge (Ashburn, VA) have been spotted at Virginia's spring practices this past week. We're working to confirm which players were in attendance and will follow up with these prospects in the coming weeks.

A few we've confirmed so far are Mountain View wide receiver Anthony Johnson and Stone Bridge quarterback Brian Rody. The latter, a junior, impressed the previous staff at camp last summer, while Johnson, a 6-2, 175-pound junior, is being evaluated by Virginia and a host of other programs. We'll have more on Johnson with new Mountain View head coach Lou Sorrentino later in the week.

Coach Sorrentino says Virginia is also keeping tabs on Hylton (Woodbridge, VA) cornerback Iric Harris, who attended one of Virginia's junior days earlier this year. Harris, a junior who is recovering from a knee injury that sidelined him for the entire 2009 season, impressed at Virginia's camp last summer.

"He worked right beside [UVa 2009 cornerback signee] Rijo Walker and you couldn't tell them apart," said Sorrentino, who was head coach at Hylton before accepting the job at Mountain View.

Sorrentino says that Harris is interested in Virginia. We hope to catch up with the standout corner later this week for more, including the latest on his recovery and recruitment. Harris certainly is one to watch this upcoming season.

Early this week, we'll have articles on highly recruited prospects Darius Jennings and Drew Owens. Jennings, a star athlete out of Gilman (Baltimore, MD), attended Virginia's junior day on March 6 and enjoyed the experience. He is considering 24 FBS offers at the moment. Owens, a tight end out of Ardrey Kell (Charlotte, N.C.), has 13 offers including Virginia.

Basketball

Wednesday, Mr. Basketball in the state of Alabama will be announced. Virginia recruit K.T. Harrell, who has already been named Class 4A Player of the Year by the Alabama Sports Writers, is a finalist for the award. The 6-4, 200-pound senior guard averaged 27.5 points, 10.7 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 2.8 steals per game in helping Brewbaker Tech (Montgomery, AL) to the Class 4A state title game this season.

TheSabre.com will catch up with Harrell this week to discuss his senior season as well as his future at the University of Virginia.

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 ...

The Latest on Clifton Richardson
Menchville (Newport News, VA) athlete Clifton Richardson remains a "soft" commitment to the University of Virginia, and at this point he does not intend to make a final decision any time soon. The 6-1, 195-pound junior, one of the top prospects in the state, may not make a final decision until the fall or maybe beyond.

Johnson Working To Realize Potential
Elsinore (Wildomar, CA) senior forward James Johnson estimates that he averaged 22 points and 13 rebounds this past season, helping the Tigers to a 25-5 overall record including an appearance in the state playoff semifinals . The 6-9, 230-pound Virginia recruit was named Valley Player of the Year by The Californian for his performance. Despite a productive senior season, Johnson is hungry for more.

Harris Anxious To Start UVa Career
In just three months, Joe Harris will travel across the country from Lake Chelan (WA) to Charlottesville to begin his college career. Harris, one of five high school seniors to sign with Virginia's men's basketball program last November, recently concluded a stellar high school career in which he amassed 2,398 points.

More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...

• Norcom Free Safety Claims UVa, VT Offers
• Despite Top Offers, Terrell Remains Grounded
• Major Conference Schools Eye Creeden
• Nicholson Impressed By Visits, Names Top 4
• Basketball Recruiting Notes

Crutchfield.com provides a wide selection of audio systems, home theater and car audio brands and models. From their award winning site usability to customer support/education to buying guides and more, Crutchfield.com is a destination, not just an online store.

Shop from Crutchfield.com's award winning store via any link located on our site and every purchase you make directly supports TheSabre.com!

Blog Banter: London On January Enrollment

January enrollment is frequently a hot message board topic on The Sabre; it particularly fell under debate during the final years of the Al Groh era for the football program. Virginia did not appear to lean too favorably toward the mid-year enrollment route for freshman athletes. As pointed out frequently, however, there is not a UVa rule preventing January enrollment and each decision comes on a case-by-case basis. The key for the football program (or any Cavalier program for that matter) is to present strong candidates for mid-year admission and then prove that your program can successfully help those recruits through the transition to college and ultimately graduate.

New UVa football coach Mike London addressed the January enrollment issue at a media session earlier this month. London believes that it is important to produce successful student-athletes through mid-year enrollment in order to earn the privilege of admitting future January recruits.

"The important thing to me is the ones we do get in mid-year that they do well. Because that may lend itself to having more opportunities later on down the road," London said. "Will Hill is one of those guys that got in mid-year and he's doing real well. Michael Strauss, if he does well, then if the situation presents itself and we present the academic credentials to those that make the decisions, then maybe they'll look upon us favorably."

London pointed out that there is not a rule or restriction on January admission for student-athletes at UVa.

"It can [make an impact]. Again, you look at the different schools and their profiles and what they allow in or what their admissions process is. Currently, right now there is not a roadblock that says we can't. Obviously, you've seen a couple that are here," he said. "I think it's important for us for the ones that do come in, that we continue [to show that] they are good students, they can handle the rigors of being a college student-athlete mid-semester, and make that transition. If they can do that and we can prove that, then hopefully the doors are open for other opportunities."

Read more posts on The Good Ol Blog!

Remaining Open Practices

The Virginia football team continues its first spring practice period under new coach Mike London this week. The next practice is today at 3:50 p.m. and is open to the public. The remaining open practice schedule follows:

• Monday, 3/22, 3:50 p.m.
• Wednesday, 3/24 3:50 p.m.
• Saturday, 3/27, 1:30 p.m. (At ODU's Foreman Field)

The final opportunity to see the Hoos' football team in the spring comes on Saturday, April 10. The program's annual Spring Football Festival and Spring Game is scheduled for that afternoon beginning at noon.

Want to see the Hoos in the fall? Season tickets are now on sale to the general public - click here for more info.

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].

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

Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

• Virginia Wrestling Takes 15th Place at NCAA Championships; Henrich Takes Third: The Virginia wrestling team finished off its historic season Saturday night with a 15th-place finish at the NCAA Championships at the Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb. The finish was the second-best ever for Virginia, topped only by a 10th-place finish in 1957. The Cavaliers finished with 34 team points, marking the most points Virginia ever has accumulated in the NCAA Championships. Following the completion of matches Saturday evening, Virginia's Brent Jones earned the 2010 Gorrarian Trophy, which is presented to the wrestler who pinned the most opponents in the least amount of time at the championships. The award has been presented every year since 1961. Jones recorded a pair of pins in the competition and needed just one minute, 33 seconds to do so. Virginia's Chris Henrich concluded his season Saturday with a pair of wins as he took third place in the 174-pound weight class. Henrich wrapped up All-America honors for the second straight season as he became the first two-time All-American in Virginia history.
• Virginia Places Ninth at NCAA Championships: he Virginia women's swimming team placed ninth at the 2010 NCAA Championships, which wrapped up Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind. The Cavaliers finished with 151 points, just two away from eighth-place Auburn (153). It was just the third top-10 finish for the Cavaliers in school history, and the highest since the 1988 squad placed seventh. Virginia improved three spots from its 12th-place showing a year ago.
• No. 21 Virginia Edged By Green Bay, 69-67, in NCAA First Round: Virginia's Monica Wright scored 34 points and pulled down nine rebounds, but No. 21-ranked and fifth-seeded Virginia fell to 12th-seeded Wisconsin-Green Bay, 69-67, Sunday night in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
• No. 1 Virginia Downs Baylor and Gardner-Webb: The top-ranked Virginia men's tennis team secured its eighth consecutive 20-win season as it swept a doubleheader Sunday at the Snyder Tennis Center. The Cavaliers (20-1, 3-0 ACC) topped No. 8 Baylor 5-2 in the first match before downing Gardner-Webb 9-2 in the nightcap.
• Women's Tennis Downs Rival Virginia Tech 5-2: The No. 27 Virginia women's tennis team remained unbeaten in ACC play as its topped No. 60 Virginia Tech Sunday afternoon at the Burrows-Burleson Tennis Center. The Cavaliers improve to 10-3 overall, 3-0 in the ACC.
• Five Cavaliers Win Events In Outdoor Opener: Five Cavaliers won events for the Virginia track and field team in its season opener at George Mason on Saturday afternoon. On the track, junior Andrew Revelle won his first 3000m steeplechase competition with a time of 9:30.40, while redshirt senior transfer Steve Delice won the 100m in 10.85. Redshirt freshman Tasia Potasinski led three Cavaliers across the line in the top-three of the 800m. Sophomore Kevin Anding won the 200m in 21.59. In field events, freshman Pearl Bickersteth cleared 5' 6" in the high jump to claim top honors.
• No. 6 Virginia Dominates No. 13 Princeton, Wins 14-7: The No. 6 Virginia women's lacrosse team snapped a two-game one-goal losing streak to Princeton Saturday afternoon, using eight-unanswered scores to defeat the 13th-ranked Tigers, 14-7, at Princeton Stadium. The win marks the fourth-straight for the Cavaliers over a nationally ranked team and improves Virginia to 6-2 on the season. Senior All-American Brittany Kalkstein led the way with four goals and two assists for a career-high six points.
• Bocklet Scores Four Goals to Pace No. 1 Virginia in Road Victory at Towson: The No. 1 Virginia Cavaliers (8-0) overcame a first quarter deficit and rode four goals from Chris Bocklet and four points from Brian Carroll to handily defeat the Towson Tigers (1-4), Sunday afternoon at Unitas Stadium, 15-10.
• Koren's HR Lifts Virginia Over No. 2 Arizona, 2-1: Nicole Koren's two run homer in the top of the first inning was all the Virginia softball team (14-12) needed to upset second-ranked Arizona 2-1 Sunday at the Judi Garman Invitational. It was the third win for the Cavaliers over a ranked team this season, including its second over a top-5 opponent. Virginia also defeated No. 4 Michigan 2-1 earlier in the year and No. 23 Louisiana-Lafayette 10-4 in the first gamed of the Judi Garman Invitational on Thursday.
• No. 3 Virginia Opens Season By Sweeping Five Races vs. Bucknell: The third-ranked Virginia rowing team swept five races vs. Bucknell in the spring season opener on Sunday, March 21, on the Rivanna Reservoir.
• UVa Continues Strong Play with Third-Place Finish at The Schenkel: The No. 20 Virginia men's golf team continued its streak of top-five finishes Sunday with a third-place showing at the 31st annual Schenkel E-Z-GO Invitational in Statesboro, Ga. The Cavaliers shot 1-over 865 during the 54-hole tournament to finish three shots behind first-place Auburn and two strokes behind runner-up North Florida.

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

Virginia Lacrosse With Stick T-Shirt Special Buy

S-XL $9.99, 2XL-3XL $10.99

The Virginia Lacrosse with Stick T-Shirt, by Blue Ridge Graphics, has a full-front chest imprint. Virginia Lacrosse is screened in navy with a white lacrosse stick silhouette inside and a white outline. The V-Sabre is imprinted below.

Issue No. 376 - January 12, 2009

Hourigan To Join UVa Athletics

Official Release, UVa Athletic Media Relations

Virginia head football coach Al Groh announced Friday that Brandon Hourigan has been named the Cavaliers' Director of Football Training and Player Development. He replaces Matt Balis, who recently was named the head strength and conditioning coach at Mississippi State

Hourigan has been the head strength and conditioning coach for football at Richmond since May of 2005. He oversaw all fitness duties for the Spiders who won the 2008 NCAA Football Championship Subdivision title.

"This position is much more significant than most people could comprehend," Groh said. "The director of football training and player development is one of the only two people who coach everybody on the team. This part of our program is where not only physical skills are trained and developed, but where team chemistry and unity take root. Brandon comes highly recommended by two of our staff members who have worked with him, and Mike London who knows what we need. The position is one of the most important we've got and we are very pleased Brandon is our guy."

Prior to his appointment at Richmond, Hourigan was the assistant coordinator of speed, strength and conditioning at Northeastern University. He worked with the Huskies' football, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's hockey, volleyball, men's and women's soccer and men's and women's track and field squads.

Hourigan has also worked as an assistant strength & conditioning coach on the collegiate level at Arizona (2001) and Clemson (1998-1999). He also served as a strength & conditioning intern for the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL in 1999.

Hourigan graduated with a bachelor of science in physical education from Plymouth State College where he was a four-year letterwinner in football. At Clemson, he completed work toward a master's of sciences in guidance and counseling.

Hourigan is certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association, the United States Weight Lifting Association, and has both First Aid and CPR certification.

Check Out SabreMail #376.

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:

• Baseball/Lacrosse/Tennis: The Sabre covers some of the Hoos' most successful teams as well as anyone. Stay tuned to the site!
• Spring Football: Virginia is working hard during Mike London's first spring practice and The Sabre will have tons of coverage on the Cavaliers.

In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles since the last SabreMail

Hoos Finish Sweep Of BC
The Virginia baseball team swept Boston College in its first ACC home series this weekend, capping the series with an 11-1 drubbing of the Eagles on Sunday at Davenport Field. Paced by third-slot starting pitcher Cody Winiarski, UVa's bullpen allowed only 8 base hits and stranded 8 batters with superior defense. The nation's top-ranked team improved to 17-3 and 5-1 in the ACC.

Pads Practice, Special Teams Highlight Weekend
The UVa football team wrapped up its first week of spring practice this weekend with another open practice session Saturday morning. On Friday, the Cavaliers went to full pads for the first time in the spring season; Saturday, they went back to helmets only, completing the NCAA requirement of three non-padded spring practices. Check out some Sabre notes from each of the past two days, including Saturday's special teams work.

Photo Gallery: Spring Football Practice 2010
The Virginia football team hit the fields again this week for the first practices under new coach Mike London. The defense wore white jerseys, while the offense donned blue jerseys - except for the quarterbacks, who came out in red. The QBs included Quintin Hunter, who is getting a shot at the position this spring. Check out 73 images from the first practice of the spring in this photo gallery!

Joseph Logging Time At Safety
When it comes to the Virginia secondary, one theme has popped up frequently about the safety position. UVa always seems to be searching for a player with good ball-hawking skills plus the speed and ability to cover a lot of ground. A centerfielder type to be more specific. Who better than a former baseball player to try the role?

Wallace Working His Way Back
New Virginia coach Mike London's emphasis on a power running game for the 2010 season is likely a breath of fresh air for Wahoo fans. Fans aren't the only ones who are eager to see more running this year; the prospect of a power-running attack rings in the ears of Dominique Wallace, as well. While Wallace is still not cleared for full contact, the 230-pound back said he hopes to be 100 percent by the summer.

Hoos Hope To Stretch The Field
"We're going to throw deep!" Mike London's voice bellowed at the University Hall practice fields on Wednesday. Even though they were all wearing helmets at the time, it sure felt like the receivers were smiling at the idea of becoming big-play threats for the Hoos. Jared Green said it's an exciting notion.

Fells-Danzer Eyes Role At Fullback
Virginia's attempted migration to a spread offense in recent seasons led to a recruiting and roster shift for the Cavaliers, meaning fullbacks and tight ends became nearly extinct in orange and blue. When new coach Mike London took the reins at UVa, however, those two positions quickly emerged as areas of need. Junior Terence Fells-Danzer saw that as an opportunity.

Photo Gallery: Men's Lacrosse Vs. Syracuse
The Virginia men's lacrosse team, ranked No. 1 nationally, returns to its home field at Klockner Stadium on Tuesday night for a contest against Vermont. Steele Stanwick and the Cavaliers took over the top spot in the polls, of course, after knocking off previous No. 1 Syracuse. Look back at the win against the Orange while you get ready for some more UVa lacrosse action; this photo gallery features 104 images of the Hoos!

Energy Runs High At First Spring Practice
As the Cavaliers jogged onto the field just before 4 p.m. on Monday, there was a sense of glee coming from the players. They laughed, they joked, they yelled. Perhaps the practice was a breath of fresh air for the players, with the final game of a dismal 3-9 season four months ago seeming like a distant but still irritating memory. But, as assistant coach Scott Wachenheim hinted in a not-so-subtle way, this practice wasn't a walk in the park, either. As individual drills broke into a team offense-defense drill in the latter part of practice, energy and competitiveness ran high on both sides.

Verica Helping Lead Hoos Into London Era
Some students at Virginia this week probably have some nice, golden tans after making a spring break trip to some coastal town somewhere warm. Not Marc Verica. The senior quarterback for the Cavalier football team is still sporting a winter beard after spending last week in Charlottesville to spend some extra time preparing for spring practice, which began on Monday afternoon at UVa.

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