The Strategy Session is our big-picture outlook of University of Virginia football recruiting in the class of 2021, providing you the latest scholarship numbers and relative news on the recruiting trail. Though the Spring Evaluation Period has been canceled because of the coronavirus, class of 2021 recruiting continues on.

Since our last report in late February, Virginia football has seen attrition impacting its 2021 roster. Quarterback RJ Harvey (transferring to junior college), running back Seneca Milledge (transfer), offensive lineman Ja’Quay Hubbard (transferring to junior college), and cornerback Major Williams (transfer) have left the program.

Meanwhile, the Hoos have added three new commitments to its class of 2021 – linebacker Langston Long, local athlete (likely receiver) Malachi Fields, and wide receiver Jesiah Davis. UVA currently has five pledges from rising high school seniors.

Class Of 2021 Recruiting: The Numbers

The latest projected scholarship number stands at 68. This number includes current roster players, first-years expected to enroll in the summer of 2020, class of 2020 verbal commit Lorenz Terry, and five verbal commitments in the class of 2021. A Football Bowl Subdivision program is allotted 85 scholarship players in a given season. I believe Virginia’s 2021 Class will end up with at least 20 recruits in total.

Below is a scholarship rundown by position, but first here are some notes regarding these numbers.

- Luke Wentz is listed at quarterback, his position on the official roster. However, it’s more likely he’ll end up at another position with wide receiver as a probable destination.

- Prized class of 2020 recruit Andrew Gentry is not listed with the offensive linemen because he still plans on taking an LDS mission before enrolling on Grounds in the summer of 2022.

- I have slotted class of 2020 recruit Sam Brady as an inside linebacker, although he could play outside linebacker. Brady reminds me of Zane Zandier coming out of high school because of his versatility and athleticism. If Brady plays outside, though, look for one of the other outside linebackers to move inside for more depth.

- Lorenz Terry, who committed to UVA in the class of 2020, plans to attend FUMA this fall with the hopes of enrolling on Grounds in January of 2021. I have included him as a scholarship player on the roster.

Quarterbacks (5 scholarship players) – Lindell Stone (R-Sr), Brennan Armstrong (R-Jr), Luke Wentz (R-Soph), Ira Armstead (Soph or R-Fr), Jay Woolfolk (Fr)

Running Backs (3) – Wayne Taulapapa (Sr), Mike Hollins (Jr), Amaad Foston (Fr)

Wide Receivers (including H-Backs) (10) – Tavares Kelly Jr. (Sr), Billy Kemp IV (Sr), Ugo Obasi (R-Jr), Dontavyion Wicks (Jr), Nathaniel Beal III (R-Soph), Dorien Goddard (R-Soph), Lavel Davis Jr. (Soph or R-Fr), Demick Starling (Soph or R-Fr), Jesiah Davis (Fr), Malachi Fields (Fr)

Tight Ends (2) – Grant Misch (R-Jr), Joshua Rawlings (Soph or R-Fr)

Offensive Linemen (15) – Tommy Christ (R-Sr), Tyler Fannin (R-Sr), Olusegun Oluwatimi (R-Sr), Ryan Swoboda (R-Sr), Gerrik Vollmer (R- Sr), Bobby Haskins (Sr), Ryan Nelson (Sr), Joe Bissinger (R-Jr), Derek Devine (R-Jr), Micah Mariteragi (R-Jr), Martin Weisz (R-Jr), Kariem Al Soufi (R-Soph), Jonathan Leech (R-Soph), Zachary Teter (R-Soph), Jestus Johnson (Soph or R-Fr)

Defensive Linemen (9) – Aaron Faumui (Sr), Jordan Redmond (R-Jr), Samson Reed (R-Jr), Jowon Briggs (Jr), Ben Smiley III (R-Soph), Su Agunloye (Soph or R-Fr), Jahmeer Carter (Soph or R-Fr), Nusi Malani (Soph or R-Fr), Lorenz Terry (Fr)

Inside Linebackers (4) – TC Harrison (R-Jr), Nick Jackson (Jr), Josh Ahern (R-Soph), Sam Brady (R-Fr or Soph)

Outside Linebackers (7) – Noah Taylor (Sr), Jairus Satiu (Jr), D’Sean Perry (R-Soph), Hunter Stewart (R-Soph), Jonathan Horton (Soph or R-Fr), Brandon Williams (Soph or R-Fr), Langston Long (Fr)

Defensive Backs (12) – Darius Bratton (R-Sr), Darnell Pratt (R-Sr), Heskin Smith (R-Sr), Jaylon Baker (R-Jr), Joseph White (R-Jr), Antonio Clary (Jr), Tenyeh Dixon (Jr), Chayce Chalmers (R-Soph), Fentrell Cypress II (R-Soph), Elijah Gaines (Soph or R-Fr), Dave Herard (Soph or R-Fr), Donovan Johnson (Soph or R-Fr)

Special Teams (1) – Hunter Pearson, PK (Jr)

Virginia’s Class of 2021

Jay Woolfolk, Quarterback/Athlete, Benedictine (Richmond, VA)
6’1”, 200 pounds
Rivals Ranking: 3 stars; No. 19 dual-threat quarterback; no. 19 Virginia
247Sports Ranking: 3 stars; No. 12 dual-threat quarterback; no. 14 Virginia

Quick Take: Good overall athlete with the arm strength to match. Fits the “Thorterback” mold Bronco Mendenhall wants at quarterback. Benedictine head coach Greg Lilly called it “crazy” that Woolfolk wasn’t more heavily recruited. I like Woolfolk’s potential as a defensive back. He plays physical, is a good athlete, and could translate well to either corner or safety. UVA likes him as a quarterback, though. A multisport star, he plans to play football and baseball at UVA. His father starred for the University of Richmond men’s basketball team in the 1980s.

Amaad Foston, Running Back, John Milledge Academy (Milledgeville, GA)
6’0”, 200 pounds
Rivals: 3 stars; No. 29 running back; No. 48 Georgia
247Sports: 3 stars; No. 83 running back; No. 74 Georgia

Quick Take: Rugged, bruising back who reminds me in some ways of Jordan Ellis. Appears to have great work ethic, which is reminiscent of the former Cavalier star back.

Jesiah Davis, Wide Receiver, Hough (Cornelius, N.C.)
6’2”, 170 pounds
Rivals: 3 stars
247Sports: 3 stars; No. 90 wide receiver; No. 29 North Carolina

Quick Take: Davis is slender, but he has good height, shows good acceleration and based off his highlights shows ability to catch the ball in traffic. Could work very well as a slot receiver in UVA’s system.

Malachi Fields, Wide Receiver/Athlete, Monticello (Charlottesville, VA)
6’4”, 200 pounds
Rivals: 2 stars
247Sports: 3 stars; No. 108 athlete; No. 34 VIrginia

Quick Take: Fields has an intriguing combination of size and athleticism. He is Monticello’s starting quarterback, a role he says helps his ability as a receiver, which is the position he likely will start out playing at Virginia. The intriguing aspect of his game is his kick return ability. He earned all-region honors last season as a kick returner, giving you glimpse of his playmaking ability. With that size and athleticism combo, Fields could translate to multiple positions on the college level.

Langston Long, Linebacker, Christ School (Arden, N.C.)
6’3”, 205 pounds
Rivals: 3 stars
247Sports: 3 stars; No. 71 safety; No. 52 North Carolina

Quick Take: Lined up primarily at safety and occasionally at rush end for Christ School last season. Projects likely as a linebacker at UVA - either outside or inside - but could get a look at safety as well. Another rangy, versatile defender added to Mendenhall’s defense.

The Latest: UVA Still In Play For 5-Star Cornerback Grimes

Virginia made the top 12 for Mount St. Joseph (Baltimore, MD) Dont’e Thornton, a 4-star wide receiver. The Hoos join Arizona State, Florida State, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State, South Carolina, Tennessee, USC and West Virginia on the 6’5”, 190-pound rising senior wideout’s list.

Virginia made the cut with Loyola Blakefield (Towson, MD) athlete Jordan Moore, who announced a final 10 of Boston College, Duke, Harvard, Maryland, Princeton, Syracuse, UCLA, UVA, Wisconsin and Yale.

There was another announcement you may have heard of. On Wednesday (April 8), top cornerback prospect Tony Grimes revealed his top eight schools. Grimes is a rising senior at Princess Anne High School in Virginia Beach (VA). He’s also considered one of the nation’s best recruits in the class of 2021, earning a 5-star ranking by Rivals and a 4-star mark by 247Sports. Rivals ranks him as the no. 1 cornerback and the no. 13 overall prospect in the nation in his class. According to 247Sports, Grimes is the no. 2 cornerback and no. 17 overall in 2021.

Just over one week into a Contact Period last December, head coach Bronco Mendenhall and co-defensive coordinator/defensive backs coach Nick Howell traveled to Princess Anne and met with head coach James Yeager and assistant coach Deon Glover (Grimes’ father). That’s just one example of the effort Mendenhall is putting into this recruitment. Here’s another via Twitter, a took UVA has used creatively in the Mendenhall era.

Grimes included the Cavaliers in his top eight. Clemson, Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio State, Penn State, Tennessee and Texas A&M round out the list. That’s certainly steep competition. As of this writing, Georgia is considered the favorite by 247Sports and Rivals experts. Grimes doesn’t plan on committing until December 1, though, leaving Mendenhall and his staff more time to try and sway the star prospect to stay in the Commonwealth.

When we release our “Big Board” for Virginia football class of 2021 recruiting, Grimes will top the list. Mendenhall loves to have an aggressive defense and having lockdown cornerbacks is big part of that equation. If Grimes chooses the Hoos, he has a great chance to make an immediate impact.

Let’s not forget that he’s a top-flight in-state recruit as well. Landing a pledge from a prospect of this stature could jumpstart UVA’s in-state recruiting fortunes. Just a few weeks ago the Cavaliers missed out on top in-state junior running back TreVeyon Henderson to Ohio State, but the Hoos are in contention with Grimes, 4-star Robinson (Fairfax, VA) offensive lineman Tristan Leigh, and others.

New Tight End Offers Extended

Virginia appears intent on landing at least one tight end in this class, and rightfully so. The Hoos project to have only two scholarship tight ends on the roster in 2021.

Several offered targets, including Aaron Steinfeldt (Indiana), are off the board having committed elsewhere. A few others have released a favorites list that does not include UVA. This week the Cavaliers extended two new offers at tight end – Ohio standout Mitchell Evans and California native Christian Pedersen.

Pedersen attends the same school as UVA class of 2020 signee Nusi Malani.