The 2008 National Letter of Intent Signing Day, one of the most exciting days for senior high school football players -- and nerve-racking for the staff and fans of Virginia football -- happened yesterday. National recruiting services Scout and Rivals rank Virginia coach Al Groh's recruiting class No. 61 and No. 62 in the country, respectively. In Groh's seven years as Virginia's head coach, this is one of the weakest classes his football program has had, at least based on rankings by national recruiting services.
The rankings may not be as high as the coaching staff would like to see, but, according to The Daily Progress, many recruits show a flexibility to play different positions on both sides of the ball and already have developed chemistry with each other.
Even though Virginia lost a few recruits in yesterday's final hours when defensive end Ugo Uzodinma chose to go to Illinois and punter Matt Zubyk selected Stanford, Virginia acquired a few standout players among the group.
The highest-rated player in the class is four-star running back Torrey Mack of Connecticut. Mack is SuperPrep's No. 18 nationally ranked running back.
Florence, S.C. native punter Jimmy Howell joins the kicking team ranked as the No. 6 punter in the nation by Scout. With a strong kicking leg, Howell averaged more than 43 yards per kick as a senior.
Another player to look out for is incoming defensive lineman Klinton "Buddy" Ruff. A native of Norfolk, he was listed as the No. 13 player in the state by Rivals.
The anticipation for the new football season kicked off yesterday among the incoming freshman, including All-Ohio linebacker and three-star recruit Steve Greer, whom the Cavaliers stole away from North Carolina and Oklahoma State in the days leading up to signing day.
"It all comes together [today]," Greer told The Daily Progress. "I am really happy about my opportunity at Virginia."
--compiled by Emily Bareford
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