UVA football gets pair of in-state recruits

CHARLOTTESVILLE—The University of Virginia football program started the day with no commitments from in-state players in the Class of 2010. By mid-afternoon yesterday, the Cavaliers had two.

The newest members of U.Va.‘s recruiting class are Conner Davis, a 6-5, 280-pound offensive tackle from Deep Run High, and Henry Coley, a 6-2, 230-pound linebacker from Bayside High in Virginia Beach. Each is a rising senior.

“It’s a relief,“ Davis said of reaching a decision. “Now, I can concentrate on my senior year and get ready with the team. It was a fun time, but I’m kind of glad it’s over with.“

Davis, who’s been attending games at Scott Stadium with his family since he was in elementary school, seriously considered Virginia Tech before choosing U.Va. He also had scholarship offers from Wake Forest, West Virginia, Boston College, Duke, Maryland and Syracuse.

“It was tough, especially with Tech being a recent powerhouse and having really good things going on up there,“ said Davis, who was second-team All-Metro in 2008. “But it was hard for me to think about going to another school when all I could think about was sitting in the stands watching U.Va. play and just dreaming about playing there. That just kept coming back to me, and I couldn’t avoid it. Ultimately, it was just a dream come true, and that’s why I picked Virginia.“

As for his college position, Davis said, “I’d be willing to play center, guard, tackle—whatever it takes to get on that field.“

Virginia’s roster includes his friends Matt and Jake Snyder, brothers who graduated from Deep Run. Davis leaned on the Snyders during the recruiting process. Whatever questions he had about U.Va., they would try to answer, Davis said, and “it was definitely a blessing to have people like that helping you out.“

Coley chose U.Va. over Louisville, Navy, Temple, Richmond and Liberty. He’d been favoring Virginia for some time.

“My mother liked it, everybody liked it,“ Coley said last night, “so I just figured, ‘Why not? Let’s get this thing over with so I can go ahead and focus on this season and know where I’m going to go to school.‘“

Coley, who has played several positions on defense for Bayside, will line up at middle linebacker this season. He’s also a standout tight end who made the all-Tidewater second team on offense in 2008. He’s projected to play inside linebacker in Virginia’s 3-4 defense.

Contact Jeff White at (804) 649-6838 or