Thursday, October 3, 2013
2010 HENRY COLEY
Vol. 124, Issue 13
2011 DEMETRIOUS NICHOLSON
2012 ANTHONY COOPER
PART 4: THE RIPPLE EFFECT
2013 TAQUAN MIZZELL
“THIS “THISCOULD COULDBEBEA ANATIONAL NATIONALPOWER POWERPROGRAM” PROGRAM”
As Virginia continues to attract recruits from the talent-laden Tidewater area, fans, players anticipate transformation into national powerhouse Daniel Weltz Sports Editor
Henry Coley, a star linebacker at Bayside High School in Virginia Beach in 2009, came to terms with a harsh reality prior to his senior season. His grandmother was dying of cancer. Coley put everything else on hold to be by his grandmother's bedside, reneging on a commitment to attend his official recruiting visit at Virginia. Mike London, the new head coach in Charlottesville, reacted with empathy. He invited Coley back the following week and earned the linebacker's admiration
in the process. "That's one of the biggest reasons that made me invest everything I had into coach
London,” Coley said. “That was more because it wasn't just about football for him. It was also about that family. My grandma is basically on her deathbed … and he understood where I was coming from whenever I had to deal with that." Coley became the first of a slew of top prospects to commit to the University from Bayside, and his presence at Virginia was far more than incidental in that trend. In many ways, Coley helped kickstart a movement that has drastically altered the Cavaliers' recruiting fortunes — whether he meant to or not.
When Bayside senior safety Demetrious Nicholson — a four-star prospect and Coley’s close friend — began to consider his collegiate options in 2010, he called his former teammate to gauge his impressions of the University. Coley did not pressure Nicholson to join him, but he still affected Nicholson’s December 2010 decision to decline offers from North Carolina, Michigan and others to become just the second Rivals Top 100 prospect since 2005 to commit to the Cavaliers. “Him being here really influenced me because I enjoy coming to a school where I already had someone that could show me a way to go when I get there,” Nicholson said. Since Nicholson’s 2011 class, at least one prospect from Bayside has committed to
the University each year: sophomore safety Anthony Cooper in 2012, freshman running back Taquan Mizzell in 2013 and class of 2014 top-rated safety Quin Blanding. The success that Nicholson enjoyed at Virginia in his first season — earning Freshman AllAmerican honors for a team that enjoyed a revival on the field — resonated with Bayside’s top prospects. “I think that other guys look at how Tre carries himself, and the things that he does on the field as well as off the field, and I think more and more guys want to be a part
see RECRUIT, page 4
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