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ACC Official Media Release

Clemson, seeking its 15th Atlantic Coast Conference football title and its second in three years, is the preseason choice to win the Atlantic Division and defeat Miami in the 9th Annual Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship Game, according to a poll of media members attending this week's ACC Football Kickoff at the Grandover Resort.

Clemson, which leads all ACC teams with 14 conference championships, finished atop the media preseason poll for the second time since 1991. The Tigers have been picked to finish first six times overall since the ACC preseason poll began in 1976.

Clemson senior quarterback Tajh Boyd was the overwhelming choice to repeat as ACC Player of the Year. The senior from Hampton, Va., was named on 105 of 120 ballots after a 2012 season in which he broke his own ACC single-season marks for touchdown passes (36) and touchdown responsiblility (46). Boyd enters the 2013 season with 8,053 career passing yards and 73 touchdown passes. Miami running back Duke Johnson, with four votes, placed second to Boyd in the 2013 ACC Preseason Player of the Year voting.

The media's overall predictions:

Atlantic Division 1. Clemson
2. Florida State
3. NC State
4. Wake Forest
5. Maryland
6. Syracuse
7. Boston College

Coastal Division 1. Miami
2. Virginia Tech
3. North Carolina
4. Georgia Tech
5. Pitt
6. Virginia
7. Duke

This Week In Recruiting With Chris Horne

The University of Virginia held its final one-day camp of the year on Sunday. On hand for an unofficial visit was 6'3", 235-pound athlete Ricky DeBerry Jr., who is considered one of the state of Virginia's top prospects in the class of 2015.

Virginia is one of 38 schools that has offered a full scholarship to DeBerry, who has played running back, wide receiver, defensive end, and linebacker for St. Christopher's School in Richmond, Virginia. DeBerry has taken to the recruiting trail in a big way this year, visiting Baylor, Clemson, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Penn State, Virginia, and Virginia Tech, among others. Stay tuned for his reaction to the UVa experience on Sunday and a look at where he goes from here on the recruiting front.

UVa-bound recruits Quin Blanding and Corwin "Turtle" Cutler were also on hand to watch the camp. Blanding, a 5-star safety prospect, is looking forward to his senior year at Bayside High School (Va. Beach), while Cutler is preparing for a postgraduate season at Fork Union. Cutler, a quarterback, signed with the Cavaliers as a senior out of Ocean Lakes (Va. Beach) last February. I hope to catch up with Turtle for his thoughts on Fork Union, the latest on his knee recovery, and more.

Also this week we'll have the latest on ...

• DeMatha (Hyattsville, MD) rising senior receiver Cam Phillips, who is considering offers from UVa, Virginia Tech, Rutgers, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
• Stonewall Jackson (Manassas, VA) teammates Greg Stroman and Tim Settle. Stroman, a rising senior cornerback target of the Hoos, is primarily considering Duke, UVa, and Virginia Tech with UVa and Tech the likely favorites. ODU came through with an offer last week. Settle, one of the top defensive tackle targets in the class of 2015, has Virginia high on his list along with Alabama and others. He recently visited UVa and Alabama, so I hope to get his thoughts on those trips.
• Upland (CA) rising senior athlete Jeffery Farrar, who plans to visit UVa for the first time this weekend.
• The basketball recruiting front. UVa has extended new offers recently, so we'll get you updated on those new targets and more.

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 ...

The Latest On Jamil Kamara
Six schools remain in the running for 4-star wide receiver Jamil Kamara, one of the top remaining uncommitted prospects in the state of Virginia's class of 2014. The University of Virginia is the only in-state school still in the running for the 6'2", 205-pound prospect, who is impressed with the Cavaliers' Class of 2014.

Strategy Session: Class Of 2014 Breakdown
Five rising high school seniors, including 5-star defensive lineman Andrew Brown, verbally committed to the Virginia football program in the months of May and June. In total, the Cavaliers have nine verbal commitments in the class of 2014. How many scholarships remain? Who are the top targets on the board? Find out the latest on UVa's Class of 2014 football recruiting landscape in this "Strategy Session."

More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...

• TheSabre Preseason Top 40
• Class Of 2015 Profile: Jamez Brickhouse
• Rising Junior Tackle Scores Sixth Offer
• Nnadi Talks Top Schools, Future Plans

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Single-Game Tickets On Sale

UVa Athletics Media Relations Official Release

Single-game ticket sales for six of Virginia's 2013 home football games have started.

Single-game tickets for Virginia football home games are offered at five price levels depending on the seat location. Tickets to the games against VMI (Sept. 21) and Ball State (Oct. 5) are available for $19, $22, $26, $32, and $38. Tickets to the season-opening game against BYU and ACC home games against Duke (Oct. 19), Georgia Tech (Oct. 26-Homecomings), and Clemson (Nov. 2) are available for $24, $28, $32, $42, and $48. All tickets to the home games against Oregon (Sept. 7) and Virginia Tech (Nov. 30) are $65 each.

For more ticket information, click here.

Meredith Named Women's Basketball Assistant

UVa Athletics Media Relations Official Release

Virginia women's basketball head coach Joanne Boyle has announced the hiring of La'Keshia Frett Meredith as an assistant coach. Frett Meredith, a former All-American and four-time All-SEC honoree at Georgia, will work primarily with the Cavalier post players.

As a professional basketball player, Frett Meredith played seven seasons in the WNBA, including making four appearances in the Western Conference Finals, after a two-year stint in the American Basketball League. Frett Meredith retired from the WNBA to take a full-time coaching position at her alma mater, serving as an assistant coach for Georgia from 2005-11. For the past two seasons, she has served as the Lady Bulldog's director of basketball operations.

"We are very excited to have La'Keshia join the Cavalier staff," Boyle said. "With a young post group, it is going to be a great asset to have someone with her vast levels of experience and knowledge to mentor, guide and transform our team. La'Keisha was a dominant player who had tremendous success in both the collegiate and professional ranks and she has maintained that same passionate desire and ability to win in her coaching career. I cannot wait to see the positive impact she is going to have on the Virginia basketball program."

For more information, click here.

Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

• Joe Morabito Named Assistant Softball Coach: Joe Morabito has been named an assistant coach with the Virginia softball team, head coach Blake Miller announced Wednesday. Morabito will work primarily with the Cavalier hitters and outfielders.
• Virginia Tennis to be Honored July 29 at Citi Open: The 2013 NCAA Champion Virginia men's tennis team will be honored Monday, July 29, at the Citi Open, the Washington, D.C., tournament on the ATP Tour. Cavalier fans are encouraged to come out to the FitzGerald Tennis Center in Rock Creek Park for a special day with the team by using a special ticket deal.
• Virginia Baseball Summer Update: The college baseball summer leagues have hit the stretch run as July winds down. Six Cavaliers were named to the all-star game of their various summer leagues: Branden Cogswell and Derek Fisher in the Cape Cod League, Nathan Kirby, Cameron Tekker and Kenny Towns in the New England Collegiate Baseball League and John LaPrise in the Northwoods League.
• Four Cavaliers to Compete at World Under-23 Rowing Championships: Four current, former and incoming members of the Virginia rowing program are set to compete at the World Under-23 Rowing Championships, to be held in Linz, Austria, July 24-28. Set to row for the United States is 2013 graduate Kristine O'Brien and rising junior Lizzy Youngling. Representing Great Britain will be rising senior Fiona Schlesinger, while incoming freshman Hannah Osborne will represent her native New Zealand.
• Eleven Cavaliers Named Scholar All-Americans, Women's Program Honored: Eleven members of the Virginia swimming and diving programs have been honored by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) as Scholar All-Americans, the association announced Thursday. In addition, the Cavalier women’s team has been recognized as a CSCAA Scholar All-America Team.

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

Goodnight Cavaliers Book

Written by two alumni, Catherine Jennings Davis and Traci Shirley Thompson, this charming bedtime story is a tribute to all of the remarkable people, landmarks, and traditions of the University of Virginia. Captivating illustrations by Charlottesville native, Madeline Mae Bowden, accompany this heartfelt ode to Mr. Jefferson's University. Goodnight Cavaliers (Officially licensed by the University of Virginia) hopes to bring back fond memories of the University and inspire future Wahoo fans everywhere.

Issue No. 517 - Oct. 10, 2011

Blog Banter: Film Festival Features Movie With Sene

From TheSabre.com's Good Ol Blog

Like movies and Virginia basketball? Well, here's some good news. The Virginia Film Festival features a documentary with Cavalier center Assane Sene this year. Elevate highlights four players including Sene from the SEEDS Academy (learn more at www.seedproject.org) in Dakar, Senegal where young basketball players from across West Africa gather for a program that focuses on academics and athletic training. Players, like Sene, who stand out earn full scholarships to preparatory high schools in the United States. That step could create opportunities for college.

Elevate is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 4 at 6:45 p.m. at the Regal 3 theater on the Downtown Mall in Charlottesville (click here for more info) as part of the annual festival. Sene and Kandioura Drame will have a discussion at the screening.

So is Sene a movie star?

"I'm not a movie star yet. I'm more like a student and a basketball player for now," a smiling Sene said at Virginia's men’s basketball media day on Thursday. "It's a documentary they did about me and some other players from Senegal. We went to a school in Senegal called SEEDS. They made a documentary trying to help and support the [SEEDS program] and go forward like I'm helping this program to go forward. I'm not a movie star yet, but I've heard that a lot. People are like 'You're a movie star' and I'm like not yet."

For now? Not yet? Doesn't sound like the door is shut on the bright lights of Hollywood.

"Not yet because I don't know. I don't know exactly what's going to happen tomorrow or next year or next month. I don't really know so that's why I use the yet," Sene said laughing.

Read SabreMail No. 517 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:

• Summer Reading: Sabre Editor Kris Wright provides position by position analysis of the football team.

In Case You Missed It

Recent Sabre articles ...

Summer Reading 2013: Defensive Line
After wrapping up with the offense, the Sabre's Summer Reading series shifts gears to look at the defense. First up is the defensive line, which will still feature four down linemen under new defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta. Is this group ready to spearhead Tenuta's aggressive defense? It's time to take a look at the D-Line.

Summer Reading 2013: Offensive Line
Readers following the "Summer Reading" series on TheSabre.com have seen a recurring caveat among the articles on the offense at Virginia. The receivers, tight ends, running backs, and quarterbacks all seem to have enough talent and enough depth to make an impact in 2013 ... and then comes the disclaimer ... if the offensive line can improve its performance and consistency from 2012. Let's look at the O-Line.

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