With a two-week respite before the Cavalier football team travels to Penn State, Virginia Coach Al Groh and his staff plan to use their time off to focus on recruiting.
"We're allowed six evaluation days by the NCAA," Groh said. That's when "a coach from a school can go to a high school, talk to the coach, look at tape, pick up academic information from the guidance counselor, attend a game for evaluation purposes
So we're using two of them today and tomorrow."
Last February, Groh signed a recruiting class ranked in the top 10 by a number of analysts. This year's class is beginning to take shape, and looks to be another impressive group of players. Virginia already received verbal commitments from several talented prospects, including strong-armed Pennsylvania quarterback Kevin McCabe and highly-touted Florida center Jordy Lipsey. The latter is considered one of the best offensive linemen in the nation. Groh commented last week that Virginia's top targets were well aware of the team's recent success and were becoming excited about the possibility of contributing to the rise of the Cavalier program.
While the coaches are busy recruiting, the Virginia players will have some time to rest and catch up on their studies. This relaxed schedule contrasts heavily with the practice-laden bye week the Cavaliers experienced after the South Carolina game.
"That was an early bye with a young team," Groh said. "I thought that with an early bye after the third game
with a young team like that there's a lot of players who were still trying to learn our system. At this stage now they've run all those same plays for six more weeks and played six more games with them. It should have built their experience and knowledge base but also probably tired them out a little bit, too."
With Saturday's loss to Georgia Tech, Virginia (6-3, 4-2 ACC) sits in third place in the conference and remains one win away from bowl eligibility. However, the Cavaliers face three ranked teams in their last four games and travel to the unfriendly confines of both Blacksburg and State College.
"This is in general where we hoped to be at this point," Groh said. "I think the [upcoming schedule] looks pretty challenging. Probably kind of a repeat of those first three" games.
For Virginia to secure a bowl bid in its next four games, the team's kicking game will have to improve. Freshman kicker Kurt Smith missed a 25-yard field goal early in the Georgia Tech game, and has been inconsistent for much of the season. The kicking game's unreliability led Groh to go for it on two fourth downs in Georgia Tech territory. Yet, despite his hesitance to rely on his kickers, he tends to leave them to themselves, only offering an occasional word of encouragement.
"Other than to offer encouragement on most of these occasions, I've judged that it may be in everybody's best long-term interest to keep my distance," he said. "I told [Smith] to get his head up, to stop drooping his eyes down, and get ready for the opportunity where he has a chance to do something good."
More than likely, Smith will get that opportunity in the next four games. For the Cavaliers to be successful, it is crucial that he delivers.
Read More
'The Måns Dahlberg show' is kicking into gear, just in time for Virginia’s title chase
By Thomas Baxter | YesterdayHe's one man during the first few months of the season, quite another in the final two.
TILOCK: The real Virginia baseball just stood up
By Xander Tilock | 2 days agoThe Cavaliers' chronic issues are dwindling, and underperforming stars are ascending.
Dietrich’s comeback clincher sends No. 7 seed men’s tennis to NCAA quarterfinals
By Margaret Piatos | 3 days agoFor the 18th time in 20 years, Virginia is headed to the quarterfinals.
