FB Recruiting: UVa lands one in-state prospect, finalists for two more announcing soon

Hoos land 757 prospect

UVa ended the holiday weekend with a bang, picking up a commitment from Oscar Smith cornerback Jayden Covil . Covil is the #22-ranked player in Virginia, playing at Oscar Smith High School in Chesapeake, a prep hotbed that UVa has had little success pulling talent from of late. Covil the younger brother of current Virginia Tech safety Sherrod Covil who transferred to VT from Clemson. The three-star prospect also held offers from Wake Forest, Ole Miss, UConn and others. Covil has been a priority target for UVa for some time, and took an official visit to Virginia last month. 

Covil is another solid in-state pickup for the Hoos, and it’s always a positive when they can dip back into the talent-rich 757 area to land commitments. While Covil is in the fold, there are a couple other in-state prospects that Cavalier fans should keep an eye on….

Two Announcements to Watch

Da’Mari Carter: Today (July 7)

UVa fans won’t have to wait long for this one. Richmond native Da’Mari Carter (Varina) will announce his commitment today, with three finalists: UVa, Virginia Tech and Maryland. Carter is a three-star prospect, ranked #21 in the Commonwealth. In addition to his three finalists, Carter holds offers from Wake Forest, Pittsburgh, Boston College, Indiana and others. 

The Hoos received a visit from Carter in mid-June, and he visited in-state rival Virginia Tech the following weekend. He took an official visit to Maryland in late may. The Varina product is listed as an athlete, but likely slots in at wide receiver at the next level. 

Jay’Sean Richardson: July 25

Another Varina product, Jay’Sean Richardson has been making the rounds and is ready to announce his decision later this month. The Richmond native will announce his choice on July 25th, and has a very straightforward decision to make: either UVa or Virginia Tech. 

Richardson, a 6-foot-1, 285-pound defensive tackle, has narrowed his choices to the two in-state P4 programs, after also receiving offers from Maryland, JMU and others. Like Carter, Richardson took visits to both Charlottesville and Blacksburg in June. It will be interesting to see if Richardson ends up at the same school that Carter selects, assuming Carter stays in-state. 

Class to Date

UVa has 10 commits in the fold, and their class currently ranks 79th nationally. The class should rise up the rankings quite a bit when rankings are issued for three of UVa’s commits, DB Alex Dunn, QB/ATH Jae’Oyn Williams, and WR Josiah Teasley.

UVa already has a QB in the fold, their first commit in the class, Ely Hamrick. The three-star Asheville, NC native has been committed to Virginia for nearly a year, committing back on September 16th of 2024. UVa has already landed a pair of offensive linemen as they continue to add depth there, with Suwanee, GA native Dylan Biehl and New Jersey’s Michael Gildea, both three-star prospects, in the fold. UVa’s top-ranked commit is Charlotte-area linebacker Dallas Brannon, one of two linebackers in the class, along with Derek Uran, a Cincinnati native who flipped to UVa from the hometown Bearcats. The Hoos landed Alabama native and three-star WR Dylan Cope last month, the second-highest ranked player in the class, and a nice addition to Adam Mims’ receiver room. Cope is paired up with Teasley, a fast riser who received an offer from UVa following a camp appearance and committed soon after. 

With Covil in the fold, UVa has three in-state commits, as he joined DB Alex Dunn and WR Josiah Teasley. Now they have a chance to add to that if they can land one or both of Carter and Richardson.