New ACC Arrives

Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Notre Dame - except for its football team - officially became members of the Atlantic Coast Conference on Monday. For ACC Commissioner John Swofford, who has shepherded the conference through the expansion era of college athletics, it marks the culmination of years of work. The hope from the league office is that the latest expansion has helped secure the conference's long-term future.

"It's a very exciting time to be a part of this league," Swofford said in an Associated Press article. "In a lot of ways, it feels like Pitt and Syracuse and Notre Dame are already in the league. They just haven't been in it competitively, but they've been in our meetings and been a part of our discussions and the decisions that will move us forward. ... We're just in a really good place right now."

That Associated Press article, linked here, reported through sources that the latest moves will pay the 14 football-playing members of the ACC an average of more than $20 million annually. That is before the addition of a potential new ACC Network that has been widely reported to be in the research phase.

The changing conference landscape also has opened new opportunities. In many ways that means media exposure in New York City. Swofford and other ACC representatives spent Monday in New York to publicize the conference at press conferences and promotional events. Recently, the ACC announced that it has signed a deal with the Pinstripe Bowl in New York too. The bowl will be held at Yankee Stadium with a selected ACC team for six years, starting in 2014. Part of that agreement places ACC signage at Yankee Stadium year-round for the length of the deal.

There, of course, has also been talk of moving the ACC basketball tournament to different locations outside of North Carolina. That could include New York with Madison Square Garden in Manhattan and the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

All of which are just part of the changing conference landscape. The new ACC is still focused on its roots too, though.

"We're still the ACC. Our cornerstones have not changed. We're bigger and better and stronger than we've ever been in our history," Swofford said.

For more articles on the ACC and its new members, click here (SUAthletics.com), here (ESPN blog on Notre Dame), and here (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette).

This Week In Recruiting With Chris Horne

Saturday was certainly a great day if you're a University of Virginia football fan as 5-star defensive lineman Andrew Brown announced that he had verbally committed to the Cavaliers. The Oscar Smith (Chesapeake, VA) rising senior gives UVa its second 5-star recruit of the class and nine commitments overall.

A few of Brown's soon-to-be UVa classmates took to Twitter to discuss the announcement. There was Memphis University School (Memphis, TN) place-kicker/punter Gary Wunderlich, who wrote: "Lets gooooooo!!!!!!" Woodgrove (Purcellville, VA) defensive end/linebacker Jordan "JJ" Jackson had three tweets Saturday afternoon. First, he wrote: "S/O to @DrizoBeats (Brown) for committing to UVA #wahoowa". He followed up with "We're on the path to greatness now" and finished with "'Hoos next? #justgettingstarted".

Brown's news wasn't lost on UVa targets. Class of 2015 offensive lineman Drew Richmond, a teammate of Wunderlich's who reportedly has Virginia in his current top five, tweeted the following: "UVA getting ugly out here with this recruiting class".

This week in recruiting, I'll catch up with more Virginia football targets for the latest on their recruitments as well as reaction to Brown's decision. Also this week ...

• I'll have an update on Stonewall Jackson (Manassas, VA) defensive tackle Tim Settle, one of UVa's top targets in the class of 2015.
• I'll take a look at blossoming WCAC power Gonzaga College Prep (Washington, D.C.), which features three juniors with offers from the University of Virginia.
• Finally, I'll release my initial in-state top 40 rankings, a list of the top 40 rising high school seniors in the state. This year's class has tons of talent at the top, including three consensus 5-star prospects in Brown, defensive end Da'Shawn Hand (top three of Alabama, Florida, and Michigan), and free safety Quin Blanding (UVa commit).

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.

More recent Sabre recruiting updates ...

5-Star Andrew Brown Picks Virginia
Oscar Smith (Chesapeake, VA) defensive lineman Andrew Brown, who is rated a 5-star prospect by all four national recruiting outlets (Rivals, 247Sports, ESPN, Scout), announced this afternoon that he has verbally committed to the University of Virginia. Brown's decision gives Virginia its second 5-star recruit in the class of 2014 and the third 5-star overall in the Mike London era.

Q&A: UVa Commit Evan Butts
The University of Virginia football program picked up commitment number eight in the class of 2014 this past weekend, when tight end prospect Evan Butts pledged to the Hoos. Butts, the subject of our latest "Q&A" feature, has had UVa at the top of his college list since very early on in his high school career, so certainly this past weekend was a special one for the Episcopal Academy (Newtown Square, PA) rising senior.

Benedictine Combo Guard Talks Recruiting
Highlighted by a plus performance at the NBPA Top 100 Camp, Benedictine (Richmond, VA) rising senior combo guard Robert Johnson has shown very well on the court throughout this spring and summer. Major recruiting outlets have taken notice, as the 6'3" prospect is now rated on the 4-star level by ESPN.com, Scout.com, and Rivals.com. College coaches have as well, as Johnson has accumulated some quality Division 1 offers.

More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...

• DeMatha's Phillips Recaps Recent Visits
• Sabre Scoop: Camp & Visitor News
• NBPA Top 100 Recap
• Basketball Recruiting EDGE Board Notes

Sabre Day With The Flying Squirrels

TheSabre.com salutes Jarrett Parker through Sabre Day With The Flying Squirrels! Former UVa baseball star Jarrett Parker plays for the Richmond Flying Squirrels so the site thought it would be a great idea to pull together Virginia fans for a trip to The Diamond. Sabre Day With The Flying Squirrels has been set for Sunday afternoon, July 21 against Bowie (former Hoo Tyler Wilson plays for Bowie!). The game is scheduled to begin at 2:05 p.m. and pre-game festivities for Sabre attendees start at 12:30 p.m. The details:

• Admission is $22 per ticket
• This includes The Pre-Game Tailgate Party at The Diamond:
• Hour and a Half All-You-Can-Eat Pre-Game Buffet with hamburgers, hot dogs, pulled pork, mac & cheese, cole slaw, garden salad, cookies, and Coca-Cola products
• Public Address announcement during the game to recognize the group
• A visit from Jarrett Parker
• Exclusive kids games
• Chance to win Sabre EDGE subscriptions and UVa baseball gear from UVA Bookstores!
• Silver Level Reserved Seating

If you're interested in joining the site for Sabre Day With The Flying Squirrels, please contact Camp Peery at [email protected] or (804)-359-3866, ext. 339. You can also download this order form and email/mail it in to buy your spot. You can also check out the Flying Squirrels all summer long - click here for ticket options.

Virginia Finishes 20th In Directors' Cup

Virginia Athletics Media Relations Official Release

Virginia finished 20th in the final 2012-13 Learfield Sports Directors' Cup competition for Division I schools. The final results were announced Thursday (June 27) by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA). The finish marks the seventh consecutive year the Cavaliers' program has placed in the top 20. Virginia's best finish came in 2010 when it was third.

It marks the 20th consecutive year, since the program's inception, the Cavaliers have recorded a top-30 finish. UVa is one of 14 schools to rank in the top 30 of the final Directors' Cup standings in each year of the program's existence.

"Our first NCAA championship in men's tennis highlighted another successful year of UVa athletics," Virginia athletics director Craig Littlepage said. "We finished fifth nationally in rowing and also 19 sport programs had teams or individuals participate in NCAA postseason competition. We expect postseason success and to be ranked in the top 30 nationally for the 20th consecutive year is a good achievement upon which we'll strive to improve in 2013-14."

UVa won five Atlantic Coast Conference Championships and now has won 56 in the last 11 years. Virginia's total is the highest number of championships won among the ACC's 12 member institutions. UVa won ACC Championships in rowing (13th in 14 years), men's swimming and diving (sixth consecutive and 14th in 15 years), women's swimming and diving (sixth consecutive), men's tennis (seventh consecutive and ninth in the last 10 years) and women's soccer.

For the full news release, click here.

CBS 19 Video

Dont' forget that TheSabre.com carries CBS 19 video! Our media partner CBS 19 Charlottesville is the "Official Flagship Station for Virginia Athletics!" To view CBS 19 video for Virginia athletics, just visit the CBS 19 Charlottesville Video Highlights and Features page on the site.

Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

• Rugged 2013 Schedule Awaits Virginia Men's Soccer: The Virginia men's soccer team once again will play one of the nation's toughest schedules in 2013. The 17-match schedule features nine opponents that advanced to the 2012 NCAA Tournament, including three that reached the quarterfinals. With the league's new additions this year, the ACC will shift to an 11-game conference schedule as each school will play everyone in the league during a 10-week stretch. ACC teams will have only six non-conference matches in 2013 and get just one full week of play before the league schedule begins.
• Virginia Women's Soccer Announces 2013 Schedule: The reigning ACC Champion Virginia women's soccer team announced its 2013 schedule today, which includes 13 home games at Klöckner Stadium and 12 contests against 2012 NCAA Tournament teams. Of the 12 NCAA Tournament teams on the schedule, five reached at least the quarterfinals, including reigning NCAA Champion North Carolina, runner-up Penn State and College Cup participant Florida State. Ten of those 12 opponents reached the round of 32 of last year's tournament.
• Field Hockey Announces 2013 Schedule: The University of Virginia announced its 2013 field hockey schedule, with the Cavaliers slated to play ten regular-season home contests at University Hall Turf Field. The Cavaliers will play a challenging schedule, taking on six teams who participated in the 2012 NCAA Field Hockey Championships including three of the four semifinalists. During the 19-game slate, Virginia will face 14 teams that were ranked in the top-25 at some point during the 2012 season, including facing three teams who held a No. 1 ranking last season.
• Cavaliers Sweep Player Awards on 2013 VaSID All-State Team: Eight Virginia players were named to the 2013 University Division All-State Baseball Team, chosen by the Virginia College Sports Information Directors (VaSID) and announced Thursday. For the first time, one school swept all three player awards as UVa's Mike Papi was named the state's Player of the Year, Kyle Crockett was tabbed the Pitcher of the Year, and Joe McCarthy earned the Freshman of the Year award.
• Kenny Towns Selected to Compete in College Home Run Derby: Virginia sophomore infielder Kenny Towns has been selected to participate in the 2013 TD Ameritrade College Home Run Derby in Omaha, Neb. The fourth-annual event will feature college baseball's top sluggers competing under the lights of TD Ameritrade Park Omaha at 8:30 p.m. on July 3 and will air nationally on ESPN at 8 p.m. on July 4.
• McLean Finishes Second in 400m Free to Qualify for World Championships: Former UVa swimming standout and Virginia volunteer assistant coach Matt McLean qualified for his second event at the 2013 FINA World Championships on Friday (June 28) at the U.S. National Championships and World Championship Trials. McLean finished second in the men’s 400-meter freestyle in a career-best time of 3:46.14 and will compete for Team USA in the event at the World Championships, which will be held in Barcelona, Spain, July 28-August 4. His time of 3:46.14 ranks as the sixth-fastest mark in the world this year. On Wednesday, McLean qualified for the American team as part of the 4x200m free relay after finishing third in the 200m free.

To read the full stories or gather more information on Virginia athletics, check out Virginiasports.com.

UVA Stars And Stripes T-Shirt

The UVA Stars and Stripes Red, White, & Hoos V-Sabre T-Shirt is perfect for Memorial Day and the Fourth of July! It has a front chest imprint with the Stars and Stripes imprinted inside UVA. A one color Red, White, & Hoos is imprinted above a two-color V-Sabre logo.

Issue No. 276 - January 22, 2007

Three Former Hoos Make The Super Bowl

The NFL playoffs have dwindled down to the final two teams after Chicago (NFC Champions) and Indianapolis (AFC Champions) advanced to the Super Bowl. For Virginia fans, that means three more Hoos will suit up in professional football's biggest game.

For Chicago, running back Thomas Jones and offensive tackle John St. Clair will represent UVa in Miami. Jones played a huge role in helping the Bears reach the Super Bowl, rushing for 123 yards and 2 touchdowns in the NFC Championship Game. Chicago defeated New Orleans 39-14.

For Indianapolis, Terrence Wilkins is the former Cavalier that is headed for the Super Bowl. Wilkins is a wide receiver/return specialist for the Colts. Wilkins averaged 20.0 yards per kick return and 13.3 yards per punt return in Indianapolis' 38-34 win against New England.

The Super Bowl is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 4 in Miami.

Read SabreMail No. 276 here.

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:

• Chris Horne's Top 40: Who are the top 40 in-state football recruits? Find out soon.
• Summer Reading: Sabre Editor Kris Wright provides position by position analysis on the football team.

In Case You Missed It

Recent Sabre articles ...

Summer Reading 2013: Receivers
The long summer wait has arrived for football fans. More than 60 days remain before Virginia kicks off its season against BYU on Aug. 31 at 3:30 p.m. That means it is the perfect time to do some summer reading. For TheSabre.com fans, that takes the form of position-by-position reviews for the Cavaliers. Don't worry. We're not diving into the deep end of the pool. Instead, let's ease into the series with a peek at the receivers.

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