Cavaliers lose out at quarterback, but continue to build linebacking "armada"
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA -- It was one thing to lose out on Tennessee quarterback Kareem Kamalu, but knowing that New Jersey state quarterback Chase Stevens was opting to make the trip out to Charlottesville, things felt calm on that front.
Until this afternoon, when the number 75 ranked quarterback, Chase Stevens, in the country opted to stay home and commit to Rutgers University over the Cavaliers. "There was no way I could leave when I could build a better home right here. I'm committing to the Scarlett Knights." he wrote in a post announcing his commitment. The battle with Rutgers on the recruiting front continues, having also lost wide receiver target Benji Maginn to them earlier this season.
A tougher loss to swallow may be four-star running back Seth Davis, the speedster out of Maryland, also opting to join Rutgers. "Playing in Scarlett Red is the look for me, come on now."
Though Rutgers continues to run Virginia's pockets, the Cavaliers cannot claim to be leaving empty-handed, having landed a trio of linebackers in two-star recruits Tremaine Rossouw out of South Carolina, Shawn Addison out of North Carolina, and Lionel Hubbard out of Louisiana. The team also brings in two running backs to continue to fill the stable in three-star recruits Gerald Tuggle out of Louisiana and Morris Tripucka out of Georgia.
"These are two southern running backs who are raring to go here in Charlottesville," commented head coach James Xavier. "They're down for the cause, but we're not done building yet."
2026 Virginia Recruiting Board
Commitments
#55 DE Jake Jennings | 6’4”, 258 lbs | Bethesda, MD | 2-star | Committed to Virginia
#71 OLB Trip Kiselak | 6’2”, 224 lbs | Greensboro, NC | 3-star | Committed to Virginia
#30 OG Donovan Bada | 6’5”, 303 lbs | Gallatin, TN | 3-star | Committed to Virginia
#75 WR Mohammed Cherry | 6’5”, 207 lbs | High Point, NC | 3-star | Committed to Virginia
#72 TE Alex Milliner | 6’3”, 259 lbs | Wake Forest, NC | 3-star | Committed to Virginia
#56 OT John Lokombo | 6’4”, 314 lbs | Statesville, NC | 3-star | Committed to Virginia
#104 FS Ramon Mingo | 5’11”, 195 lbs | Portsmouth, VA | 2-star | Committed to Virginia
#69 OLB Pat Burks | 6’4”, 249 lbs | Shreveport, LA | 3-star | Committed to Virginia
#142 HB Gerald Tuggle | 6’1”, 182 lbs | Marrero, LA | 3-star | Committed to Virginia
#112 HB Morris Tripucka | 5’9”, 225 lbs | Suwanee, GA | 3-star | Committed to Virginia
#93 OLB Tremaine Rossouw | 6’0”, 229 lbs | Fort Mill, SC | 2-star | Committed to Virginia
#105 OLB Shawn Addison | 6’0”, 256 lbs | Oakboro, NC | 2-star | Committed to Virginia
#72 OLB Lionel Hubbard | 6’0”, 248 lbs | New Iberia, LA | 2-star | Committed to Virginia
Recruiting Board
#63 TE Carl Beard | 6’3”, 237 lbs | Indian Trail, NC | 3-star | Virginia, James Madison, Georgia Southern, Florida Atlantic, Charlotte
#14 OT Sam Abraham | 6’7”, 282 lbs | Washington, MD | 3-star | Rutgers, Virginia, James Madison, Vanderbilt, Buffalo
#99 MLB Sam Madden | 6’2”, 221 lbs | Miami, FL | 2-star | Georgia Southern, Virginia, South Carolina, Kennesaw State, UAB
#16 SS Rasheem Meredith | 6’1”, 207 lbs | Charleston, WV | 3-star | Virginia, Temple, Kent State, Akron, James Madison
#126 CB Trevor McDonnell | 6’2”, 192 lbs | Greenbelt, MD | 3-star | Rutgers, Virginia, Temple, James Madison, North Carolina
#99 CB Ahmad Cooks | 6’2”, 180 lbs | Dinwiddie, VA | 3-star | Rutgers, Virginia, Temple, North Carolina, South Carolina
#165 ATH Andre Chigoziem | 6’5”, 193 lbs | Memphis, TN | 3-star | South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Rutgers, Oregon
#86 MLB Pierre Langham | 5’11”, 238 lbs | Saint Pauls, NC | 2-star | South Carolina, Virginia, Louisiana, Temple, App. State
#78 OT Benjamin Gore | 6’6”, 281 lbs | Albuquerque, NM | 3-star | Virginia Tech, South Carolina, Maryland, Rutgers, New Mexico
#56 ATH Forrest Wester | 5’11”, 237 lbs | Acton, MA | 2-star | UConn, Rutgers, Temple, Akron, Virginia
Committed Elsewhere
#7 OG Matthew Cook | 6’3”, 306 lbs | Germantown, MD | 3-star | Committed to Temple
#11 CB Mike McCann | 5’11”, 178 lbs | Washington, MD | 4-star | Committed to Syracuse
#203 CB Ryan Procter | 6’0”, 179 lbs | Washington, MD | 2-star | Committed to Charlotte
#73 DE Britton Mauldin | 6’4”, 278 lbs | Charlottesville, VA | 2-star | Committed to Maryland
#52 CB Marquez Bordeaux | 6’1”, 181 lbs | Collierville, TN | 3-star | Committed to South Carolina
#221 QB Kareem Kamalu | 6’3”, 228 lbs | Manchester, TN | 2-star | Committed to Wisconsin
#100 WR Felix Maybin | 6’4”, 197 lbs | Cornelius, NC | 3-star | Committed to James Madison
#76 DE Jahlil Kearns | 6’2”, 285 lbs | Alcoa, TN | 2-star | Committed to Kentucky
#64 WR Benji Maginn | 6’2”, 176 lbs | Chantilly, VA | 3-star | Committed to Rutgers
#33 OT Cornell Davis | 6’5”, 299 lbs | Greensville, SC | 4-star | Committed to South Carolina
#89 MLB Taylor Bruggeman | 6’1”, 235 lbs | Bethesda, MD | 2-star | Committed to Buffalo
#14 OT Sam Abraham | 6’7”, 282 lbs | Washington, MD | 3-star | Committed to Vanderbilt
#14 HB Seth Davis | 6’0”, 209 lbs | Leonardtown, MD | 4-star | Committed to Rutgers
#51 OLB D’Andre Wiggins | 6’4”, 233 lbs | Miami, FL | 3-star | Committed to Florida
#75 QB Chase Stevens | 6’4”, 208 lbs | Ramsey, NJ | 3-star | Committed to UConn
#75 SS Warren Rutter | 6’1”, 203 lbs | Rockville, MD | 2-star | Committed to Maryland
#56 OT Keenan Kumah | 6’5”, 289 lbs | Murfreesboro, TN | 2-star | Committed to Kentucky
#61 ATH Gabriel Dubose | 6’2”, 220 lbs | Shreveport, LA | 3-star | Committed to LSU
