Resetting Virginia's 2024 Recruiting Picture

Exam break is a good time to catch up on recruiting. The Virginia coaching staff will be on the road this weekend doing a little bit of that. We’ll reset the table of where things are with top 2024 targets, as well as a couple candidates to reclassify, and then get into this weekend's hot spots.

2024 Rundown

There are eight 2024 recruits with Virginia offers that are relevant right now. Two in each of four different slots they’re trying to fill. .

*all rankings are from the 247Sports composite.

Point Guard

Daniel Freitag 6’1 PG Jefferson (MN) Ranked: 53

Offered in October, he hasn’t visited yet. He’s taken unofficial visits to Minnesota, Baylor, and multiple trips to Wisconsin. Assistant coach Kyle Getter was up to see him earlier this Fall.

UVA and Wisconsin seem to be his top two right now. The Badgers have been recruiting him for a long time already. He’ll be a popular player for coaches to see this Spring. That’s the concern here. His recruitment probably has another rung to climb yet. Kansas State just offered. Kansas is lurking around too. He is a D1 football recruit, with an offer from Minnesota. But all signs point to him choosing basketball.

Travis Perry 6’2 PG Lyon County (KY) Ranked: 93

Offered in October, he hasn’t visited yet. He’s taken early official visits to Purdue and Michigan, along with unofficials to Kentucky and Vanderbilt. Assistant coach Kyle Getter has been to see him twice since the Fall.

The contenders in his recruitment are pretty solidified. Purdue is the top competition. Matt Painter has been to see him twice in recent months, so they’re really coming hard. The Boilermakers start two freshmen guards this year though, and both should be around all four years. UVA definitely has a more obvious early opportunity to sell. He does have an offer from Kentucky, but they haven’t pursued very hard so far.

Wing

Isaiah Abraham 6’7 SF Paul VI (VA) Ranked: 56

Abraham was offered in August. He’s visited unofficially several times, most recently for the home football opener. Villanova and Georgetown have gotten unofficials too. Coach Williford has been by Paul VI to see him a couple times.

He has a long list of early offers, but it’s not clear who’s really coming hard for him. And that’s common at this stage. UVA is probably in the best spot right now. His dad played at Marquette. That’s a real possibility. Obviously Villanova is a threat, as is Kansas State. This is going to come down to who prioritizes him from here.

Kon Knueppel 6’6 SF Wisconsin Lutheran (WI) Ranked: 44

UVA offered Knueppel in September. He has an official visit date set for February, the weekend of the Duke game. Stanford and Notre Dame have already received early official visits. And he’s been to Wisconsin and Illinois unofficially. Coach Bennett was in to see him in September.

I think Wisconsin and UVA are the top two for him as well. There are some Bennett connections. His uncle played for Dick at Green Bay. There’s a good chance he’ll draw blue-blood suitors this Spring. He’s as polished of an offensive player as it gets at this stage. In the end, if anybody can pull him out of Wisconsin it’ll be Bennett.

Forward

Jarin Stevenson 6’9 PF Seaforth (NC) Ranked: 13

Stevenson was the first player offered in the class, way back in January. He’s been to UVA on several unofficial visits, most recently in June. Georgetown just got his first official visit, and he has another planned to Missouri. He’s also visited NC State and North Carolina on multiple occasions. Coach Williford checked in with him in September.

There are three relevant teams here. North Carolina, UVA, and possibly Kentucky. He lives right outside Chapel Hill. It would be a near lock for the Tar Heels, except their frontcourt is getting a bit crowded. His recruitment has really slowed down in recent months, and gotten quiet. That usually indicates things are getting serious. He’s the most likely player on this list to decide before April’s live periods.

Caleb Williams 6’7 PF Sidwell Friends (DC) Ranked: 136

Williams received his offer in August on his second unofficial visit. He’s taken early officials to Michigan and Indiana. Villanova, Maryland, and VA Tech have gotten unofficial visits too. Coach Williford has been at Sidwell to see him multiple times.

This is another recruitment in which I think the field is already set. Michigan is one to watch I’ve heard. Certainly Villanova. And of course, the Hoos. He’s probably the recruit most impacted by the decisions to redshirt both Leon Bond and Isaac Traudt. That puts two competing players just a class ahead. Time will tell if that’s an issue. Otherwise, I think UVA and Michigan are the top two.

Center

Raleigh Burgess 6’10 C Sycamore (OH) Ranked: 133

Burgess was offered on his unofficial visit last weekend for the Florida State game. He’s taken a bunch of visits already. Indiana, Purdue, Ohio State, Iowa, Wisconsin, Xavier. Coach Bennett was by his school in September.

He doesn’t talk a lot. We don’t know all the activity around him like the others, making it a tough recruitment to read. Purdue and Indiana are considered the teams to beat. It seems like a tough one for UVA to crack, but it’s encouraging that he came down for the visit. He and Travis Perry are AAU teammates. UVA and Purdue are both going for the package deal there.

Thomas Sorber 6’9 C Archbishop Ryan (PA) Ranked: 64

Sorber was just recently offered as well, in November. No visit yet. He’s taken unofficials to St. John’s, Penn State, Maryland, and Syracuse. Coach Williford stopped by to see him in the Fall.

His recruitment has not caught up to where it should be yet. There will be more big brands to join the list. Penn State probably has the early edge because they’ve recruited him hard. It’s still new for UVA. They’ll need to crank things up to have a shot.

Reclass Candidates

Virginia needs help at guard for next season, someone that can play the point. The transfer portal will be an option to address that. But all things even, Bennett would prefer to find the right high school recruit who blends into the long term roster construction.

There are two 2024 recruits to keep and eye on as candidates to potentially reclassify up to 2023. Worcester (MA) combo guard Kayvaun Mulready and Dontae Russo-Nance at Oak Hill Academy. They both fit the mold UVA is looking for. Guys that can run the point but also would fit alongside the 2024 point guard they’ll bring in.

They’re very familiar with Mulready. He was an AAU teammate of UVA commit Elijah Gertrude. A high school senior who’s planning to do a prep year, he’s resisted the idea of returning to his original class so far. But players in his situation often change their mind on that when the time draws near. He just took his first official to Marquette. Providence, UConn, and VA Tech are all in the mix.

And Russo-Nance is a New Zealander who came over to Oak Hill this year. Same kind of situation in that he was set to graduate in 2023 back home. UVA hasn’t really seen him play yet. Other than Coach Vandross at an open gym. He’s a pretty big time prospect though. His recruitment will really take off once more college coaches see him this season.

Neither of them has a scholarship offer yet.

Weekend Hot Spots

The Virginia assistant coaches will be out this weekend, and I expect we'll see Bennett pop up somewhere.

DC

The DC area will be a major center of action this weekend. There are two events that UVA coaches will definitely attend.

The Gonzaga DC Classic runs from Friday through Sunday. 2024 ‘Sidwell (DC) forward Caleb Williams is the main draw for Virginia. Several of the 2025 prospects who’ve visited recently are there as well, most notably Gonzaga guard Nyk Lewis.

And Coach Williford is guaranteed to be at the National Hoopfest at DeMatha. STAB with 2025 Austin Williford plays on Saturday. The lineup on Sunday evening is particularly interesting. UVA targets play back to back in the last two games of the event. Paul VI with Isaiah Abraham goes up against Patrick (NJ), then DeMatha plays Thomas Sorber and his Archbishop Ryan squad. If I were betting on where Bennett might pop up, that would be my pick.

There’s a big event at Bishop Walsh in Cumberland, MD too. Several of the top teams in the country will be there this weekend. Oak Hill Academy being the most interesting to UVA. I mentioned Dontae Russo-Nance. 2024 forward Micah Robinson has also mentioned interest of late.

Minnesota

UVA is expected to attend the Tip Off Classic in Minnesota on Saturday. The main reason is 2024 point guard Daniel Freitag. I assume that’ll be Coach Getter, the second time he’s gone to see Freitag. He’s also visited Travis Perry twice. It’ll be interesting to keep track of the activity around those two to see if either gets more attention. So far, it’s been even.

Another player of interest there is 2024 Wayzata (MN) forward Jackson McAndrew. He and Freitag are AAU teammates and good friends. Wisconsin is trying to work that package deal. Iowa and Creighton have offered as well