Yesterday the Virginia football program announced the names of athletes who signed national letters of intent to enroll and officially join the Cavaliers' roster for fall 2007.
"This is a fun day for us, to take part in the enthusiasm and life of these 24 young men and their families," Virginia coach Al Groh said.
Thirteen of the new recruits are Virginia natives, including one of the nation's top four-star quarterbacks, Peter Lalich, four-star wide-receivers Terence Fells-Danzer and Ras-I Dowling and four-star defensive back J'Courtney Williams, according to Rivals.com.
"We talk in two different areas: The players' tools by position are the first thing that gets our attention but second to that is the player's make-up, Groh said."
Groh said Lalich has all the physical tools that exhibit proficiency to perform in the Virginia system.
"In the terms of make-up, he really stands out, as far as his focus, his ambition to be great and his commitment and work effort toward those objectives, Groh said."
Though the list shows an addition of three linebackers, Jared Detrick, Aaron Taliaferro and running back-linebacker combo Fells-Danzer, the coaching staff will determine final placement once each athlete has gained experience on the collegiate playing field.
"All three are versatile players, and versatility is a trait that we prize in the players that we recruit, whether it's to go from offense to defense, or vice versa, or to play multiple positions on one side of the ball," Groh said.
Though the class holds a high recruit seed, Lalich carries much of the rank weight. Groh hesitated to speculate on the athletic superiority of the incoming freshmen until a studied approach can be taken.
Groh also commented on the versatility of 6-foot-4, 245-pound Anthony Mihota, who played both offensive lineman and defensive end at Massaponax High School in Fredericksburg, Va., as well as at Virginia's training camp. Like the linebackers, he will be re-evaluated before being specifically slotted.
With the incoming class, the Cavaliers should also experience an increase in speed, as many of the recruits have held starting positions in multiple sports. Groh commented on a few of the stand-out players who possess both integral lateral quickness and vertical speed.
Groh also discussed the football apt and talent of both Chanse Mannifield and Nick Jenkins. Groh said Mannifield can not only run the ball, throw the ball, catch, kick and return, but he carries refreshing academic performance hovering around a 4.0.
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