Ahmad Brooks and Kai Parham, the top two players in the state of Virginia, and two of the best linebackers in the nation, verbally committed to the University of Virginia today. Brooks committed at a press conference at his high school and Parham chose to announce his decision during a live chat with Tom Lemming on ESPN.com.

Brooks (6-4, 230 C.D. Hylton HS, Woodbridge) chose the Cavaliers over Tennessee, Florida State and Virginia Tech. Many assumed that he was Tennessee-bound when he made several positive comments about the Volunteers shortly after his official visit. Brooks had said that he was leaning to Tennessee as recently as last week, but the flood of recent Virginia commitments must have convinced him that UVa was getting a tremendous class and that he and the other recruits could make a positive impact immediately.

Brooks is rated the number one linebacker nationally by Rivals100.com and has a five star rating. Brooks was named first-team All-State in Virginia this season at linebacker and second-team All-State at running back. Brooks' speed and strength are comparable to that of ex-Virginia linebacker Jamie Sharper, who currently plays for the Baltimore Ravens.

Parham (6-4, 235 Princess Anne HS, Virginia Beach), Virginia's Gatorade Player of the Year, is a versitile defensive player. Rivals100 has him listed as the number one weakside defensive end, although he is projected to be a linebacker in college. Parham has a five star rating and was one of the most sought-after recruits nationally as well. Kai chose UVa over Tennessee, and had some interest in Florida earlier in the recruiting process. Distance and good academics were the main concerns for Parham, although he had said on occasion that being part of a winning program was essential. With the recruiting class that Virginia is bringing in this year, winning shouldn't be a problem over the next few years.

Brooks and Parham had discussed on many occasions the possibility of attending the same school. They met at Tom Lemming's photo shoot in Charlottesville last summer, along with several of the state's top players. They made several unofficial visits to UVa and spent time with the UVa staff watching film and discussing defensive philosophy and how they'd fit into the system. The weekend of January 18th, Brooks and Parham joined an amazing group of athletes on their official visit to UVa. Along with them, Marcus Vick, Michael Johnson, Jr. and Marcus Hamilton were just a few of the other top recruits visiting. That being said, it should be no surprise that Brooks and Parham committed to Virginia on the same day, and at the same time, 3:00 PM.

Commitments from these players could influence another top recruit's decision, Marcus Vick. Vick is holding off until tomorrow at 3:00 PM to make his announcement, and although many expect him to commit to Virginia Tech, the recent commitments to UVa, and the ground that the staff has made over the last few weeks, might be enough to convince Vick to join the Cavaliers and make it the number one ranked recruiting class in the country. Vick's good friend, Michael Johnson, Jr., committed two hours later today.

Michael Johnson, Jr. (5-10, 190), one of the top all-purpose running backs in the nation, has committed to the University of Virginia. Johnson is the third five star recruit to commit to the Cavaliers today. Top linebackers Ahmad Brooks and Kai Parham were the others.

Johnson is ranked 2nd nationally by Rivals100.com as an all-purpose runner. Johnson brings speed to his game, and a lot of it. At UVa's summer football camp, Johnson was clocked at 4.24 and 4.27 in the forty yard dash. Johnson says he's a consistent 4.3 flat runner.

Johnson racked up 4,310 rushing yards in three years and scored 95 touchdowns for Coach Reggie Garrett at Heritage HS in Newport News. Johnson has scholarship offers from over 30 schools before entering the 12th grade. He chose Virginia over Michigan State and Miami.

Gloucester Hoo was on the scene of the press conference and got these words from Johnson:

Opening Statements:

"Good afternoon, thank ya'll for coming down here. It's been a long process for me. It's just been crazy, people have been calling me and I'm just ready to get it over with. It's just been too crazy.

"I'd just like to let you know I will be attending the University of Virginia, through my college career, to get my degree and hopefully be successful in the near future. Thank you."

On UVa having an ex-NFL coach on staff

"Oh it played in [the decision] a lot, because everybody wants to go to the NFL - but it's pretty secondary to me right now. I just want to get my degree. A degree is first for me. It played a big role though."

On the possibility of starting as a freshman

"I have to compete with a freshman. Well, he'll be a sophomore next year. I just have to compete with him, but they pretty much said I would have to beat him out for the starting job."

On the other recruits playing into his decision

"It played alot, because I didn't want to go into a class that was going to be like last, or 100th in the country. I mean, with me and two other guys [Parham and Brooks]... they've told us it's three All-American guys and [our class will] be a top three or top five in the country. So that played a big role."

On how tough the decision was

"Really tough. It came down to three great schools, but UVA just stood out. Education is second to none, and they just stood out. Miami won the national championship, Michigan State is going to do good things next year, but [Virginia] just stood out. I want to be a part of the rebuilding program that's going on there, with that coaching staff."

On the constant telephone calls

"It's tough, they call all day, all night, and some nights I didn't make it to bed on time. The mailman used to bring the mail to my house and not put it in the mailbox cause he couldn't even fit it in the mailbox. People told me to go to UVA, but I didn't listen to them - I just wanted to go where I thought was best for me."

On the importance that education played in his decision

"Education is second to none. I can get a great education there, get my degree, and no one can ever take that away. That's why I want to get my degree so bad."

On who helped him with his decision

"My dad and my sisters. UVA did a heck of a job recruiting me. They told me everything and I believe them. They trusted me and I trusted them."

On his official visit to UVa

"It was a real exciting weekend. I was around a bunch of great players. I just wanted to be there where they are. Like Kai, Ahmad and Marcus Hamilton - they're really great players."

On talking with other uncommitted recruits

"Ahmad told me when I was up there... he was like, 'I don't wanna go to Tech, I'm going to U.Va.' I was like, 'I think I'm coming here too.' But then I talked to Michigan State, and I didn't know what I was going to do. UVA and Michigan State were neck and neck yesterday and I thought I would be going to Michigan State."