Locker Room Access - Virginia

New coach Ryan Odom and his Wahoos finished summer practices last week.  As usual, I reached out to people around the program to get their takes on how the team is shaping up.  

Team Building Summer

With an almost entirely new team, the coaching staff has concentrated on building team chemistry this summer.  That seems to have been the main emphasis of the summer, just getting these guys used to playing with each other.  They haven’t implemented much of their system in practice.  They’ve just let them play, and get a feel for everyone’s game.  

One person close to the team described it as a honeymoon phase for Odom and the staff.  They’re clearly thrilled to have this opportunity, and they want to make the most of it.  Smiles all around all the time. 

Needless to say, the universal opinion is that this should be a good team.  How good, nobody wants to predict.  But everybody I talked to thinks they have a chance to be a lot better than most of the national pundits are predicting.  And I get the feeling the coaches like that they’re sneaking under the radar. 

Projected Starters

BYU transfer Dallin Hall will surely be the starting point guard.  A couple people called him the team leader, so he’s assumed that role right away.  On the court, it’s as expected.  He brings the veteran floor general presence.  Maybe a little more scoring punch.  One person commented on the way he can create his own shot when needed.   

It will be surprising if anyone other than San Francisco transfer guard Malik Thomas leads the Wahoos in the scoring this season.  Tony Bennett was quoted as saying “That guy is a bucket”. What has surprised some people is that he’s pretty solid defensively, likes to take on the challenge.  

North Dakota State transfer guard Jacari White looks like he’ll be the secondary scorer in the backcourt.  I asked the same question about the mid major transfers, whether there was any concern about their game translating.  In Jacari’s case, there’s no worry at all.  He may not average 17 points, but he’ll do fine in the ACC.   Their best player in transition, one source said, loves to run the floor and spot up for three. 

Belgian forward Thijs de Ridder arrived too late to enroll in summer school, so he wasn’t allowed to take part in practices.  But he’s still been around for everything else, the unofficial type stuff.  Pick-up games and all that.  There’s a lot of excitement about him.  A couple people who’ve seen him told me they expect him to be UVA's best player this season, one of them went so far as to say he could be All-ACC.  

I asked everyone I talked to the same question, which one player will be better than fans expect?  The answer was nearly unanimous.  Ugonna Onyenso.  “I don’t know how Kansas State screwed that up”, one person said.   It looks like UVA will get a version much closer to what he was at Kentucky, where he led the SEC in blocked shots as a sophomore.  And as has been reported, he’s regularly  knocked down open three-pointers in practice.  That’s unexpected from a guy who’s only attempted one in his career.   

Rotation Locks

Toledo transfer guard Sam Lewis is a lock to have a big role.  But off the upperclassmen transfer additions, he seems to be one that the jury is still out on.  People didn’t mention him unless I brought him up.  Usually, that means he hasn’t stood out this summer.   When talking about the rotation though,, it’s a given that he’s up there.  One person suggested that Lewis is still figuring out his place, and is sometimes too passive.  

UC-Irvine transfer forward Devin Tillis might be the most popular guy on the team.  He’s just happy to be at UVA, and all about doing whatever he can to help them win.  “Tillis is a joy to be around”. On the court, one source described him as “super solid”.  A very competitive and crafty player who manages to overcome any physical shortcomings.  He’ll be a big part of things this year. 

German center Johann Grunloh is a special talent.  He’s dazzled at times with his finishing ability.  “Unreal coordination for his size”, one person said.  It’s expected that he’ll have an adjustment period to the college game. And he was late arriving this summer, so he’s still a little behind the others.  The coaches are really happy with the center duo of Grunloh and Onyenso.  They’ll probably split time close to even unless one of them really separates himself.  

Everyone included freshman guard Chance Mallory when projecting a rotation. I heard he had some struggles early on, then found his groove as the summer went on.  It’s a similar story as with past freshmen.  One source even named him as the player most likely to exceed fan expectations this year.  At minimum, he’s in-line for a backup point guard role.  Everything points to him being the four-year contributor we all hoped for when he committed.  

Others

As you know, sophomore guard Elijah Gertrude returned this summer from his second major knee surgery.  The good news is that he is every bit the ridiculously explosive athlete as before.  He’s looked like his old self, providing some jaw-dropping highlights in practice.  They’ve been extremely careful with him though.  He’s missed a lot of practice, anytime there was the slightest discomfort.  Because of that, it’s too soon to guess where he’ll stack up. 

VCU transfer Martin Carrere was another late arrival this summer, after spending time with the French national team.  He’s been a little banged up too, nothing serious.  Interestingly, Odom seems to view him more as a guard than a forward.  Most of us projected him as a stretch-4 type.  Maybe that will end up true down the line.  But at least this summer, he’s exclusively been a 3-man. 

Freshman forward Silas Barksdale will probably just be a depth piece this season, but the future looks good for him.  The older players have been impressed by the way he competes.  “Don’t let his looks fool you, that kid is a dawg." Odom is high on him.  He’s not the greatest athlete, but he plays hard all the time.  And he’s been working on expanding his offensive game, developing a three-point shot. 

The coaching change may have boosted the status of sophomore center Carter Lang.  With Bennett, he was labeled as another walk-on and probably wouldn’t have had much hope of escaping that.  Under Odom, he’s talked about the same as the other guys.  The team has a lot of respect for Carter.  There will always be players in front of him, but he may have a better chance now of earning a role at some point in his career.  

What’s Next

This is the break between summer school and the start of the fall semester.  August is a quiet time on the recruiting front too.  Class of 2026 recruiting looks like tough sledding for the Hoos right now.  There’s been a lot of list cuts.  UVA has made a few, and been trimmed from a few.  By the end of the month, most of the group with offers should have their visits scheduled and we’ll see where things stand. 

Coaches will also be back on the road in early September, for open gym season.   Odom has a history of paying calls on recruits to offer new scholarships at that time, so the board probably isn’t completely settled yet.  

Appreciate you all sticking with us on Locker Room Access.

As we heard toward fall recruiting, the latest on where things stand with each of UVA’s 2026 recruiting targets in this LRA Intel Report.  

*All rankings from the On3 industry average 

Guards

Bo Ogden 6’5” SG Rank: 45

High School: Westlake (TX)  AAU: ASAK (Adidas)

Summer stats: 20.9 PPG, 4.5 Reb, 55 FG%, 52% 3FG. 

Ogden recently included Virginia in his top six list along with Texas, Gonzaga, Purdue, Tennessee, and Kansas.  He’s scheduled to visit UVA in late September, and has already taken an official visit to Purdue. 

His father is on the coaching staff at Texas, the general manager.  It would be very surprising if he doesn’t commit to play for the Longhorns.  But he’s going through the process.  UVA will get a visit, and we’ll see if Odom can somehow pull off a shocker.  

Dylan Mingo 6’5” CG Rank: 6

High School: Long Island Lutheran (NY)  AAU: PSA Cards (Nike)

Summer stats: 17.9 PPG, 7.7 Reb, 2.1 Stl, 42 FG%, 25% 3FG

Mingo is visiting Washington this weekend, his first official visit.  There’s been no list cut yet.  UNC, Baylor, UConn, and NC State are some other teams involved. 

UVA expects to get a visit this fall.  There’s no clear favorite in the race. Our side believes they have a real chance.  Odom’s style of play and the opportunity for a big immediate role seem to appeal to him.  His ranking is a little misleading, more about his pro potential. As you see from the shooting percentages, he’s still rough around the edges.  

Lucas Morillo 6’7” SF Rank: 56

High School: Newman (MA)  AAU: City Rocks (Nike)

Summer stats: 15.6 PPG, 8.8 Reb, 45 FG%, 21% 3FG

Morillo has taken one visit, an early trip to Marquette.  He hasn’t trimmed his list yet. Illinois, NC State, and Villanova get mentions with him. 

He’s a hard player to categorize positionally.  I’ve only seen him used at guard so that’s where he’s grouped, but it’s not hard to envision him as a combo forward in college.  There’s an opportunity for UVA if they make a push.  I would expect the Hoos to be on his list anyhow. 

Quentin Coleman 6’3 SG Unranked

High School: Principia (MO)  AAU: Bradley Beal (Nike)

Summer stats: 11.9 PPG, 5.2 Reb, 1.2 Stl, 45 FG%, 37% 3FG

Coleman’s recruitment exploded after a great week at Peach Jam in July.  Up until that time, he was considered a mid-major recruit.  Now he has a collection of new power conference offers to choose from. 

His recruitment is just beginning, very different from the others listed here.  Odom and UVA were really impressed by him.  He was the one player we knew for sure would come out of July with a new offer.  It may be hard for them to overcome geography though with teams like Iowa, Illinois, and Kansas State now involved.  

Jayden Hodge 6’6” SG  Rank: 55

High School: Montverde (FL)  AAU: Shorebots (Under Armour)

Summer stats: 16.8 PPG, 6.6 Reb, 2.5 Stl, 54 FG%, 25% 3FG

Hodge grew up in Belgium and knows UVA forward Thijs de Ridder.  That connection led to Odom tossing out an offer this summer.  His dad is an Old Dominion assistant coach, and his brother Matthew plays at Villanova.  Jayden has visited Georgetown and Northwestern so far. 

People generally expect he’ll end up following his brother to Villanova.  Because of that, other teams haven’t invested much effort.  UVA included.  He plans to take more visits in the fall before deciding.  It won’t be surprising if there’s a trip to Charlottesville on the agenda.  With the Euro flavor to UVA’s roster and his in-state ties, it could be an intriguing alternative to joining his brother.  

Forwards 

Billy White III 6’8” SF Rank: 38

High School: Veterans Memorial (TX) AAU: ASAK (Adidas)

Summer stats: 13.6 PPG, 5.9 Reb, 50 FG%, 36% 3FG.

White put out a top 10 with Virginia included.  He’s scheduled to visit in late August on the first football weekend.  That will be the first of six scheduled official visits with trips planned to SMU, Oklahoma State, TCU, LSU, and Maryland.  

Odom and Griff Aldrich are recruiting White hard.  Of the current targets, he’s probably the one they have the best shot at right now.   It’ll be a fight to pull a player of his status out of Texas.  SMU seems to be the main competition.  Keep an eye on Kansas too.  They’re on his list, but there’s no visit scheduled yet.   

Cole Cloer 6’8” SF Rank: 30

High School: IMG Academy (FL)  AAU: CP3 (Nike)

Summer stats: 16.3 PPG, 4.7 Reb, 46 FG%, 34% 3FG

Cloer listed Virginia in his top 8 along with UNC, Louisville, Indiana, NC State, UConn, Florida, and Alabama. He has fall visits scheduled so far to Louisville, Florida, and Alabama. 

He was an Odom target at VCU, so the new UVA boss has been on Cloer’s trail from the start.  The Hoos have their hands full in this recruitment though, as the list would suggest.  The two teams believed to have an edge are UConn and Florida.  I do expect him to visit at some point this fall, but it’ll be a real upset if Odom is able to pull him in.  

Bigs

Latrell Allmond 6’8” PF Rank: 31

High School: Petersburg (VA)  AAU: Team Loaded (Adidas)

Summer stats: 14.7 PPG, 7.4 Reb, 1.6 Blk, 55 FG%, 31% 3FG. 

Allmond released a top 9 list of Virginia, Tennessee, Arizona, Michigan State, Maryland, Kansas, Indiana, Oklahoma State, and Miami.  He’s already taken an official visit to Indiana, and has another scheduled to Kansas in late August. 

He’s said he plans to visit UVA.  It won’t be the first time.  The old staff hosted him on multiple occasions for unofficial visits.  Indiana and Kansas have the edge though.  Their affiliation with Adidas is a real advantage in this recruitment.  

Arafan Diane 6’11” C Rank: 21

High School: Iowa United AAU: Iowa United (Adidas)

Summer stats: 18.6 PPG, 10.8 Reb, 1.5 Blk, 74 FG%, 58% (7-12) 3FG. 

Diane is visiting Houston this weekend.  He also has a late August visit scheduled to Arkansas.  No finalists have been named yet. 

There’s some question of whether he’ll make it past the Houston visit, as the Cougars are believed to be the frontrunners.  But Virginia is one of a handful of teams he mentions, putting them in line for a fall visit. 

Ethan Taylor 7’0” C Rank: 23

High School: Link Academy (MO)  AAU: MoKan (Nike)

Summer stats: 9.3 PPG, 7.7 Reb, 1.0 Blk, 69 FG%

Taylor hasn’t named finalists, although he’s hinted that’s coming soon.  No official visits so far.  Kentucky recently offered.  Kansas, Missouri, and Kansas State are all seriously in the mix. 

UVA was a late comer, jumping in with an offer after Odom watched him at Peach Jam.  It seems like a longshot but the field isn’t that defined, so we’ll see if they can make the cut and secure a visit.  

Cody Peck 6’9” PF Rank: 76

High School: Davidson Day (NC)  AAU: Garner Road (Adidas)

Summer stats: 6.4 PPG, 4.8 Reb, 2.7 Blk, 38 FG%, 19% 3FG. 

No finalists yet for Peck.  It’s been reported that he’s scheduled two official visits for October, to Dayton and Tennessee.  Tony Bennett and the old staff hosted him on an unofficial visit last fall. 

As the stats suggest, he didn’t have a great summer.  His recruitment has cooled off as a result.  UVA coaches did stay involved, coming around to see him occasionally.  It’s one of those situations where it’s still to be determined if UVA makes a push this fall.  And he’s also thrown around the idea of waiting until spring to commit, so coaches may have time yet to decide.  

Others

There are other recruits that UVA isn’t completely out of the picture with.  Call them doubtful.  As we’ve seen in the past though, there are surprises this time of year when recruits start putting out lists.  And sometimes that can spur a renewed effort.  

Odom has continued to recruit stud guard Bryson Howard despite it looking hopeless. He’s set a bunch of fall visits, but no official list cut.   Briarcrest (TN) forward Fred Smith has one visit scheduled to hometown Memphis, that’s probably where he’ll end up.  Philly wing Luca Foster has led a quiet recruitment, and UVA didn’t see much of him after their spring offer.  

UVA clearly backed away from guard Christian Gibson this summer.  He set a visit to Central Florida, with no Wahoo mention in his latest interview.  After taking an early swing, Odom gave up on Paul VI (VA) guard Jordan Smith.  Duke and Arkansas are the favorites.  And there’s been no sign of involvement with Arizona guard Cameron Holmes in months. 

Several recruits have officially eliminated UVA.  Utah guard Junior County left the Hoos out of his top five.  Davidson Day (NC) center Will Stevens did the same.  UVA had cooled on him months ago.  The Hoos were also trimmed from the list put out by Texas big man Davion Adkins.   

What’s Ahead

The next few weeks are a recruiting dead period.  This time of year is all about these list cuts and getting official visits scheduled.  By the end of the month, we should have the table mostly set with visit dates.  Then recruiting goes full throttle in early September, with official visits and coaches back out on the road. 

Meanwhile, the current team wraps up summer practices at the end of this week.  After that, I plan to ask around and hopefully get some thoughts from eye witnesses on how the team is coming together.  That’ll be up next on the VIP itinerary, to fill the recruiting lull.  Appreciate you sticking with us.

Ryan Odom has Virginia involved with some heavyweight recruits in the class of 2026.  The summer evaluation periods ended over the weekend.  Odom and the Wahoo staff have spent a lot of time on the road in July, checking on key targets and evaluating new ones.  Along the way, we’re able to gain some insight on UVA’s recruiting picture. 

*All rankings from the On3 industry average 

Priority Combos

The two guys UVA head coach Ryan Odom has consistently shown up for all summer are probably being recruited for one spot, combo forwards Billy White III and Cole Cloer.  Both top 50 ranked recruits recently named Virginia as a finalist.  

Billy White III out of Corpus Christi, Texas is scheduled to be in Charlottesville for an official visit at the end of August on the weekend of the football opener.  It’ll be the first of six visits with scheduled trips to SMU, Oklahoma State, TCU, LSU, and Maryland running through mid-October.  It seems like anyone’s race right now.  

Odom started recruiting Cole Cloer while still at VCU.  From North Carolina, Cloer is transferring this year to powerhouse IMG Academy (FL).   There are fall visits already scheduled to Louisville, Florida, and Alabama.  UConn and the home-state Tar Heels are firmly in the mix as well.  And after a strong showing at Nike Peach Jam, new offers from Kentucky and Arkansas rolled in this week.  So, the Hoos have their work cut out for them. 

Landing either of those guys would be a massive statement by Odom.  He’s clearly trying hard to establish a Texas pipeline.  Pulling in a player of White’s status in year one would be incredible.  And Cloer’s recruitment has reached full blue-blood status now.  

Dreaming Big

Virginia has an obvious opening up front next season.  Odom is using that as an opportunity to go big-game hunting for an elite power forward or center in the 2026 class.   

Starting with Petersburg (VA) power forward Latrell Allmond, ranked 31st in the class and likely moving higher.  The new UVA staff have been recruiting him since they arrived.  Allmond visited Indiana in June, and the Hoosiers seem to be in a good spot. But there’s a long way to go, the plan is for an October decision with more fall visits ahead.  The Hoos should get one of those visits.  

Iowa United center Arafan Diane has said he intends to visit.  Odom jumped in the mix after eyeing him at Top 100 Camp last month. Ranked 21st, he’s considered by many as the best center in the class.  The Guinean has a long list of suitors as you’d imagine, Kentucky and Kansas among them.  Houston, where he has an upcoming visit scheduled, appears to be a serious contender. There’s no clear favorite though, giving the Hoos a fighting chance.   

After watching him at Peach Jam last week, Odom extended a new offer to Ethan Taylor. The Link Academy (MO) 7-footer is ranked as the 23rd player in the class.  His recruitment has had a regional flavor up until now.  He’s taken unofficial visits to Kansas and Kansas State, with Missouri and Oklahoma in the mix.  We’ll see if the Odom can lure him to Grounds for a visit this fall. 

If there’s another big man to keep an eye on, it’s Davidson Day (NC) power forward Cody Peck.  He was actually the first recruit to receive a UVA offer from Odom back in April.  The coaching staff has  continued to stay involved with him this summer.  Ranked 77th, Peck is a bit more of a developmental prospect than the names above but still very talented.  He may be the best shot blocker in the class.  

Messy Guard Board 

UVA would ideally like to add two guards in the class, one at minimum.  It’s a messy board right now. Lots of names, but hard to say yet in which races the Hoos will be a factor this fall.  

Westlake (TX) combo guard Bo Ogden, ranked 45th, has a visit locked in for the weekend of September 25th.  His dad is on the coaching staff at Texas, so it’s probably a very uphill battle for everyone else involved.  He’s going through the process, and giving UVA a chance.  Ogden and Billy White III are AAU teammates, so Odom can try to pitch the old package deal. 

The most relevant guard on the list might be the one offered this week, Principia (MO) shooting guard Quentin Coleman. Odom and the crew saw a lot of him at Peach Jam, where he led his team to the championship.  His recruitment is exploding now, making the jump from mid-major to pulling in half a dozen power conference offers in a couple days.  Expect the Hoos to make a strong push.  He’s unranked, but that’ll soon change. 

There’s a pair of guards in the big-game category. Five-star Long Island Lutheran (NY) PG Dylan Mingo said last week that he’ll probably visit.  And despite hope looking bleak, Odom was frequently courtside in July for 26th ranked Bryson Howard.  He’s the son of Josh Howard, who Odom’s dad coached at Wake Forest.  Mingo and Howard can choose almost any school they want. Just getting a visit would be an achievement. 

A surprise in July was that the UVA coaches didn’t turn out to see Mayde Creek (TX) SG Christian Gibson.  Up until then, he seemed to be the one guard the Hoos were well-positioned with.  We’re still getting a feel for how Odom does things, so it’s possible that doesn’t mean the end of a recruitment.  It’s certainly not a good sign though. 

Wasatch (UT) guard Junior County, ranked 37th, said he’ll name a top five soon.  UVA has stayed active in his recruitment since offering in May, but making the cut will be a close call if the list is that short.  And it’ll be interesting to see if UVA makes it past the list cut/visit scheduling stage with 57th ranked Newman (MA) wing Lucas Morillo.  The coaches have been around from time to time for both of those guys this summer.  

What’s Next

With the summer live periods over, the class of 2026 recruits will start moving forward in their decision-making process.  Over the next few weeks, a lot of them will announce finalists and they’ll all begin scheduling official visits.   UVA probably isn’t finished making scholarship offers either, more might trickle out in the days ahead.  

September and October are the busy months for official visits, and college decisions for that matter.  Odom has aimed high in his first recruiting class.  It’ll be exciting to see if he can get them to the signing table this fall. 

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