The Virginia men’s basketball team entered March without a commitment from the class of 2025 as recruiting spent some time in limbo during a transition in coaches. Over the last two weeks, however, new coach Ryan Odom quickly landed two top 100 prospects to reset the cycle.

On Wednesday, Silas Barksdale made the call for the Cavaliers after originally committing to Coach Odom at Virginia Commonwealth University. He joined Chance Mallory in making the decision to join the new staff in Charlottesville.

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The 6’8”, 225-pound forward received a wide range of interest during his recruiting process. He picked up offers from Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Miami, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, Richmond, Hampton, Butler, and many others along the way before he chose VCU. Once Odom accepted the Virginia job, however, he reached out to Barksdale to re-recruit him at his new school and Barksdale decided to follow him.

Barksdale rates as a 4-star recruit on 247 Sports, while Rivals and On3 had him as a 3-star recruit in those rankings. 247 Sports placed him at No. 88 nationally in the class of 2025. With Mallory at No. 54, that gives Odom two top 100 prospects in the class.

Playing at Woodside High School in Newport News, he posted a 30-30 game of 30 points and 30 rebounds against Bethel this season. The Wolverines went 26-2 this season before falling in the Virginia 5A State Semifinals. They won the state title in both 2023 and 2024. Barksdale also played for the Boo Williams EYBL team on the AAU circuit.

Recruiting analysts such as Adam Finklestein at 247 Sports singled out rebounding and a high motor as key traits for Barksdale as a recruit. Both should translate for Odom’s preferred style of play that focuses on high intensity defense. He showed an ability to catch and finish on well-timed cuts around the paint consistently in AAU highlights.

“Silas, he’s got a really bright future,” Odom said when Barksdale signed at VCU. “He’s young, he’s skilled, he’s everything you want in a big guy. A guy with size, can stretch you to the 3-point line, he can put it down, he can defend, he can really pass. Sometimes, he’s too unselfish. ... The winning speaks for itself. Their program has won and he’s a big reason why along with his teammate and coaches.”

AAU highlights for Barksdale can be seen in this YouTube video.

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