Two years ago when Mike London was hired as UVA head football coach, he vowed the Cavaliers would do a better job recruiting the Commonwealth of Virginia.
UVA signed 25 players on National Signing Day Wednesday. 13 of them are from the Commonwealth, part of a recruiting class which is ranked as the 26th best in the nation by rivals.com.
London said, "Good players recruit other good players, and if it's a chance to play, then players come. If it's a chance to continue a tradition, the players go, but players recruit other players, and it just so happened that this year, this particular class, it snowballed."
Fork Union Military Academy offensive lineman Ryan Doull and wide receiver Adrian Gamble both signed with UVA from the FUMA post-grad team.
Doull is originally from Canada and follows in the footsteps of UVA lineman Austin Pasztor.
"This is probably one of the greatest days of my life," says Doull. "It's a big deal to finally be able to sign a letter to go to college, so very proud of being able to go to the University of Virginia."
Gamble is a North Carolina native.
"I'm just ready to play with all those guys," says Gamble. "I already talked to them. We all got a good connection. I'm just ready to fill Kris Burd's shoes, because that's what they're telling me I'm going to have to do, so I'm just ready to fill some shoes and score some touchdowns."
The Cavaliers bring in ten guys from Virginia's Tidewater region, including 4-star defensive end Eli Harold from Virginia Beach.
He's regarded as the second best prospect in the Commonwealth by rivals.com.
Harold had over a dozen offers from schools like LSU, Florida, and Penn State, but he chose Virginia mostly because of Coach London.
"He basically stood out to me when I went on my first visit there, and he told me that if I come here he'll take care of me like a son," says Harold. "We just connected well, so I thought that would be the best place for me."
Harold collected 78 tackles and 16 sacks as a senior while also playing quarterback, running back, and wide receiver.
Four guys from Norfolk Christian School all signed with Virginia, including 4-star linebacker Kwontie Moore.
Moore is part of a quartet of 4-star recruits to sign with Virginia. He's regarded by some recruiting experts as the top inside linebacker in the country.
Moore led the Ambassadors in tackles four seasons in a row, and he will be joined by three Norfolk Christian teammates.
Mario Nixon is a 6'5", 215-pound wide receiver and a three-star recruit.
6'6", 240-pound Courtnye Wynn is also rated three-stars, despite only playing organized football for three seasons.
Wil Wahee is being signed as an "athlete" and will likely play defensive back for the Wahoos.
London said, "It was kind of a snowball effect. One player said yes, who was a good friend or knew another player, and we said yes. The message was true and consistent, and obviously it helped with the winning and the opportunities for post-game play."
Virginia Tech picked up 17 players from the Commonwealth and signed 28 total in the 2012 class, which is ranked in the Top 20 in the nation by Rivals.
Joel Caleb signed with the Hokies as an "athlete" out of Richmond and is regarded as the top prospect in the Commonwealth.
Caleb is one of seven All-Americans in Tech's class and part of a recruiting class head coach Frank Beamer described as "special."
Monticello High School senior Sam Patterson signed with VMI.
The all-region first-team wide receiver averaged over 30 yards per catch for the Mustangs this past season and scored nine touchdowns (29 catches for 872 yards).
Patterson transferred to Monticello from Covenant for his senior year.
"I definitely would not have seen myself here four years ago," says Patterson. "It's been a big transition, but in the end, I think it was for the best, and it got me where I am today."
Patterson had interest from the University of Richmond. Virginia Tech wanted him as a preferred walk-on.
Buckingham County High School quarterback Tarian Ayres also signed with the Keydets.
Ayres may redshirt next season, but he was recruited to play quarterback in VMI's pro-style offense.
The first-team all-region, three-year starter at QB for the Knights likes the brotherhood at the school.
"I actually found a school that I like and can settle down and know that I have a great opportunity to play football and get a great education," says Ayres. "VMI just secures both those opportunities."
William Monroe High School senior Zach Duprey signed with Elon.
Duprey played on both sides of the ball at Monroe, often making the highlights as receiver.
He'll likely play tight end or linebacker in college.
"Academically, I thought it was a good fit, as well as athletically," says Duprey. "I like the program and the coaches. Everything about the program was definitely a good fit for me."
Orange County High School tight end Landon Rasnick signed with Eastern Kentucky.
Hornet kicker Hunter Ferguson signed with Division III Ferrum College, while classmate Raheim Cooper signed with Virginia Tech for baseball.
Rasnick will redshirt his first season with the Colonels and likely move to offensive tackle.
The three-year starter and all-district player says he was impressed by the Division-I FCS level program at EKU.
"It's a great program," says Rasnick. "They play big teams. They play Florida in 2014 at Florida. It's a nice stadium, nice facility, nice education."
Wide receiver D.J. Randle-El played on the Fork Union undergrad team and signed with FCS school Bryant University in Rhode Island, a member of the Northeast Conference .
He's the son of NFL star Antwaan Randle-El.
D.J. Randle-El Earned first-team all-state honors at Fork Union this past season, hauling in 789 yards receiving.
"It's definitely a big accomplishment," says Randle-El. "I've wanted to play Division I football. I finally made it. I hope to excel at the next level."
Also at FUMA, first-team all-state linemen Conlan Cassidy signed with Indiana State, and John Tu'uta signed with North Carolina State.
Cassidy had 56 tackles last year. Tu'uta earned first-team all-state the last two seasons at FUMA.
