"Greatest Virginia class ever."
Those are the words national recruiting analyst Tom Lemming, editor of Prep Football Report, used to describe his number five recruiting class in the country. And according to Rivals.com., this class includes three of the top 21 players in the country.
"We announced a class that most of the analysts in the country are rating in the top five," Virginia coach Al Groh said. "It's a very exciting group."
Groh said he was looking for size, speed and a winning attitude in his recruits and he landed a potentially dominant group, even after Virginia posted a 5-7 season.
The centerpiece of the class is linebacker Ahmad Brooks, USA Today's defensive player of the year and a Parade All-American. Brooks, from Woodbridge, Va., called Tennessee his leader on Jan. 25 and told his father 20 minutes before his announcement that he was headed to Virginia Tech. When it came time to make his commitment at a Monday press conference, however, he announced that he was headed to Virginia.
"Ahmad is a marvelous player," Groh said of Lemming's defensive player of the year, who also was a second-team All-State running back.
Brooks will team up with Kai Parham to help form what should be a strong linebacking corps.
Parham, from Virginia Beach, is a Parade All-American and Gatorade's Virginia player of the year. Parham, who can bench press over 400 pounds, said he was torn between Virginia and Tennessee until he made his decision Monday on a live ESPN.com chat with Lemming.
Brooks and Parham, who made their decisions almost simultaneously, both run the 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds. They instantly will upgrade the team speed on a defense that ranked 94th in the country against the run.
Groh also added three top defensive linemen. Parade all-American Kwakou Robinson of Brooklyn will team with Keenan Carter (Dumfries, Va.) and Braden Campbell (Slippery Rock, Pa.) to give Virginia a powerful line that allows Brooks and Parham to make plays.
The Cavaliers also signed two of Rivals.com's top 18 cornerbacks: No. 11 Marcus Hamilton from Clifton, Va. and No. 18 Stefan Orange from Culpepper, Va. The top two defensive backs in the state both stand over 6-feet-tall and run the 40 in under 4.5 seconds. Their size and speed will be a tremendous asset to the Virginia secondary next year.
"Through the recruiting process, [Virginia coaches] have been real loyal to me," Orange said. "I feel real comfortable" at Virginia.
Michael Johnson, ranked by Rivals.com as the second best running back in the country, will help bolster a rushing attack that ranked 101st in the nation. Johnson, who hails from Newport News, Va. has been clocked as fast as 4.24 in the 40-yard dash. He scored an eye-popping 52 touchdowns and finished with over 2,000 yards rushing as a junior.
"He's a dramatic player," Groh said. "He has great speed and great acceleration."
Another top-20 running back, Wali Lundy, will help form a talented backfield with Johnson and last season's leading rusher, freshman Alvin Pearman. Lundy was an all-state receiver in New Jersey as a junior but switched to running back as a senior and rushed for 2,038 yards and 38 touchdowns. He has been projected as a running back at Virginia, but also is a dynamic return man with 4.4 40 speed and what Lemming calls Barry Sanders-like ability.
Groh also signed top-15 quarterback Anthony Martinez and top-20 fullback Jason Snelling to his backfield. Martinez is a poised pocket passer with tremendous arm-strength. He has thrown the ball 74 yards and throws a 94 mph fastball as a pitcher.
"He's got a live arm and can really get the ball upfield with a lot of velocity," Groh said. "He's got physical toughness in the pocket and competitive poise under pressure."
Groh also said he focused on the lines and signed SuperPrep's third best offensive lineman in New Yorker D'Brickashaw Ferguson.
"He's a 6-7 offensive tackle with an 87-inch wingspan," Groh said. "He's a prototypical left tackle."
All in all, the Cavaliers signed 26 players, 14 of which call Virginia home.
"We're the University of Virginia," Groh said. "This should be our home base. It was vital that we got into the hunt for the very best players in Virginia."
Despite the high rankings, Groh said he feels that one recruiting class does not make Virginia an instant ACC contender.
"This is a class. This isn't the team," he said. "Our greatness is in our future"
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