Football Practice Opens Next Week

The Virginia football team opens practice for the 2013 season next week. The Cavaliers are holding open practices for the public on Monday, Aug. 5, Tuesday, Aug. 6 and Wednesday, Aug. 7. Those practices start at approximately 3:40 p.m. and will last approximately two hours. Fans attending those practices can park in the University Hall and John Paul Jones Arena parking lots.

There are two other public events as well. Movie Night at Scott Stadium is set for this Saturday, Aug. 3. Fans can watch the family film Madagascar 3 on HooVision from the field. Gates open at 5 p.m. and the movie is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. The football team's locker room will be open for tours before the start of the movie.

The annual Meet the Team Day event is scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 18 at the John Paul Jones Arena. Players and coaches will be there from 2 to 3:30 p.m. for photos and autographs. The first 500 youth in attendance receive a free Nike mini football. All fans in attendance also have the opportunity to win door prizes. The Cavalier and his horse, Sabre, will be in attendance along with members of the Virginia spirit teams.

Admission is free to all of these public events.

In other football news, senior tackle Morgan Moses has been named to the preseason All-ACC Team. Media attending the annual ACC Football Kickoff last week voted on the team. Moses is also a preseason candidate for the Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy.

Lastly, make sure to check out a pair of Jeff White articles over at Virginiasports.com. White compiled a football notebook here and wrote about the early season schedule here.

This Week In Recruiting With Chris Horne

Football Recruiting

Upland (CA) rising senior Jeffery Farrar traveled cross country to Charlottesville this past weekend, making his first ever visit to the University of Virginia. Farrar enjoyed the experience, which included an opportunity to watch a team workout, interact with assistant coaches, and learn more about Virginia's academics.

The 6'1", 195-pound wide receiver/defensive back, an ESPN.com 4-star recruit, said in an interview Sunday night that he plans to make his college choice before the start of his senior season.

Arizona, Arizona State, Cal, Miami, Michigan State, Oregon, Virginia, and Washington State made Farrar's top eight recently. Has he narrowed the list further? EDGE subscribers can learn more in the article posted Monday morning.

Virginia football currently has nine verbal commitments in the class of 2014. One of those pledges is not 100-percent solid at the moment, though. The player in question is Memphis University School (Memphis, TN) place-kicker/punter Gary Wunderlich, who is having second thoughts after receiving a scholarship offer from Ole Miss.

Wunderlich spoke with TheSabre.com about his Virginia commitment, the Ole Miss offer, and more in an interview last week. He is one of the featured stories in last week's Sabre Scoop, and there is now a full EDGE report on him posted on Sunday night.

This week, one of Virginia's top remaining in-state targets in the class of 2014 - Stonewall Jackson (Manassas, VA) standout Greg Stroman - is set to make his college choice. The 6'0", 165-pound athlete will choose Duke, UVa, or Virginia Tech at a 2 p.m. press conference on Saturday, Aug. 3.

Stroman's primary role at Stonewall Jackson is quarterback, but he also plays cornerback, which is the position UVa is recruiting him to play.

Basketball Recruiting

UVa made the final five for 7'2" rising senior Isaac Haas, who revealed his plans for the coming few months in an EDGE article posted last week. The Alabama native and a 4-star prospect is also considering UAB, Purdue, Texas A&M, and Wake Forest.

Haas is one of Virginia's top remaining targets in the class of 2014. Later this week, we'll let you know which prospects the staff is focused on right now and where the Hoos stand with each of those players.

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 ...

New Offer Complicates Wunderlich's Decision
A recent scholarship offer from the University of Mississippi has caused prized place-kicker/punter Gary Wunderlich to reconsider his college decision. Wunderlich, who verbally committed to the University of Virginia in April earlier this year, is not sure how or when he will choose between the Hoos and the Rebels.

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."

Cavs Make Final Five For 7'2" Center
The University of Virginia men's basketball program has extended a handful of scholarship offers to class of 2014 prospects during this all-important recruiting month of July. One of the biggest targets -- literally and figuratively -- is 7'2", 278-pound center Isaac Haas, a rising senior out of Hokes Bluff High School in Alabama. And despite being a relative newcomer to this race, Virginia landed a spot in the talented big man's final five.

More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...

• Farrar Visits UVa, Eyes Decision
• Sabre Scoop: Wunderlich's Status
• Class Of 2015 Profile: Jamez Brickhouse
• TheSabre Preseason Top 40

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Men's Basketball Season Tickets On Sale

UVa Athletics Media Relations Official Release

Season tickets for 2013-14 Virginia men's basketball home games are on sale beginning Monday, July 29 at 9 a.m. Season tickets are available at four price levels and include a reserved seat to UVa's 17 home men's basketball games.

The Atlantic Coast Conference announced in April each school's home and away opponents for the 2013-14 season. Virginia will host Boston College, Florida State, Maryland, Miami, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Syracuse, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest at John Paul Jones Arena this season.

The Cavaliers host VCU in nonconference action and Wisconsin on Dec. 4 during the 15th ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

The ACC will release Virginia's complete nonconference schedule and the dates and times of conference games in late August or early September.

For more ticket information, click here.

Men's Soccer Finds A Keeper

From Jeff White at VirginiaSports.com

Born in Chicago, he lives in nearby Bartlett, Ill., and roots for the "Bulls, Bears and, sadly, Cubs," Jeff Gal said with a smile.

His sport of choice, though, is soccer, and that's what brought him to the University of Virginia. Gal, a 6-1, 165-pound redshirt sophomore, transferred to UVa from Creighton after the 2012-13 school year. He's projected to start at goalkeeper for his new team this season.

Spencer LaCivita, the Cavaliers' starting goalie in 2011 and '12, has had multiple hip and groin operations since the end of last season and will redshirt this fall.

His replacement is no rookie. Gal, who redshirted in 2011, when Creighton's No. 1 goalie was an All-American, went 13-1-1 as a starter last season.

To read the entire free article, click here.

Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

• Devvarman Qualfies for Citi Open Main Draw, in action Monday on "UVa Day": Virginia alumnus Somdev Devvarman (Class of 2008) qualified for the main draw of the ATP 500 Citi Open on Sunday at the FitzGerald Tennis Center. Devvarman topped Christian Harrison 6-0, 6-1 in the final round of qualifying. Devvarman will meet former Tennessee All-American Rhyne Williams in the first round of the main draw on Monday, which is "Virginia Day" at the Citi Open. Also on Monday, the 2013 NCAA Champion Cavaliers will be honored.
• O'Brien Wins Gold at World Rowing Under-23 Championships: Four members of the Virginia rowing program completed action at the World Rowing Under-23 Championships on Sunday. 2013 UVa graduate Kristine O'Brien won gold with the U.S. women's eight, while rising senior Fiona Schlesinger claimed silver with the Great Britain women's eight.
• Shawn Hindy Joins the Virginia Field Hockey Staff: Virginia field hockey head coach Michele Madison has announced the hiring of Shawn Hindy as an assistant coach. Hindy, a former US National Field Hockey team member and a former US National Indoor Field Hockey team member, comes to Charlottesville after working the last two seasons as an assistant coach at Michigan State.
• Derek Valenti Named Virginia Volunteer Assistant Coach: Former Virginia All-American Derek Valenti has joined the coaching staff of the UVa wrestling team as the volunteer assistant coach. Valenti joins a trio of fellow former All-Americans, Virginia head coach Steve Garland and assistant coaches Alex Clemsen and Jordan Leen, on the Cavaliers' coaching staff.
• McLean, Bachrouche Start Competition at FINA World Championships: Former Virginia swimmers Matt McLean (Class of 2011) and Katya Bachrouche (Class of 2011) started action at the 2013 FINA World Championships on Sunday. McLean, an Olympic gold medalist, placed 13th in the men’s 400-meter freestyle in 3:49.74, while Bachrouche represented Lebanon and finished 27th in the women’s 400m free in 4:20.46.

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. 533 - Feb. 6, 2012

National Team Duo Recognized
Virginia Athletics Media Relations official release

Virginia field hockey players Paige Selenski and Michelle Vittese were honored last week for National Girls and Women in Sports Day at John Paul Jones Arena.

Selenski and Vittese were members of the United States' first gold medal team in field hockey at the 2011 Pan American Games held in October in Guadalajara, Mexico. The Americans upset world No. 1 Argentina 4-2 in the championship match to automatically qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games. Both Cavaliers contributed with a goal apiece in the gold medal game.

Selenski, a three-time All-American, and Vittese, a two-time All-American, both redshirted the 2011 season for Virginia to compete with the U.S. National Team. They will return to Charlottesville in the fall for their final season of eligibility.

National Girls and Women in Sports Day brings national attention to the achievements of female athletes and to issues facing girls and women in sport. The event is co-sponsored by the University of Virginia Athletic Department and the University of Virginia Women's Center.

Read SabreMail No. 533 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:

• Hoo Preview: TheSabre.com's annual preseason look at the football team comes your way throughout August.

In Case You Missed It

Recent Sabre articles ...

Summer Reading 2013: Linebackers
If the question is which position on the Virginia football roster must replace the most production, then the answer is undoubtedly linebacker. New defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Jon Tenuta will be in charge of finding tacklers among the group and his past stops on the coaching trail show that the linebackers will be key pieces in the aggressive system he is installing at UVa. Let's take a closer look at the linebackers with the "Summer Reading" series.

Summer Reading 2013: Secondary
The Summer Reading series has focused on the defensive line and linebackers in the last two articles. A similar theme emerged in those two articles as those positions feature a lot of potential with some concerns about depth. A look at UVa's secondary is up next.

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