Virginia’s Class of ’22 recruits make it official on early signing day

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

The Virginia football program signed 10 student-athletes to National Letters of Intent (NLI) or Grants in Aid for the 2022-23 academic school year. The 10 student-athletes were part of the early signing period for football adopted by the NCAA in 2017.

The following is a list of individuals who have signed National Letters of Intent to attend the University of Virginia on football grant-in-aid. The next period for signing football student-athletes begins on Feb. 2, 2022. Below are bios for the entire class.

Will Bettridge • K
Gulliver Prep
Miami, FL

Played at Gulliver Prep, where he kicked for head coach and former UVA linebacker Earl Sims… ranked the No. 1 kicker in the country by Kornblue Kicking… ranked No. 3 kicker according to 247Sports … five-star kicker and ranked sixth in the nation by Kohl’s Kicking … made 31-of-43 career field goal attempts, including a career-best 54-yard attempt, and was 148-for-159 on PAT attempts according to Max Preps … also handled the punting duties at Gulliver Prep… attended Kohl’s National Scholarship Camp in 2021 … named to MaxPreps preseason All-State team … GP went 9-2 as a senior and reached the regional finals of state 4A tournament … Kicked a 51-yarder in his final season against Cardinal Newman… also played basketball and baseball at GP.

Stevie Bracey • LB
Lovett School
Atlanta, GA

Played linebacker, tight end and long snapper at The Lovett School for head coach Michael Muschamp … three-star rated linebacker according to Rivals and 247 Sports … No. 95 linebacker in the nation and No. 79 prospect in the state of Georgia according to 247 Sports … earned all-region honors his junior season … AJC all-state honorable mention … 2020 Atlanta/South Fulton All-Metro Team selection … 2020 first team all-region … helped the Lions to an 8-4 record and second round of state AA playoffs as a senior … Credited with 90 tackles and two interceptions and as a tight end had 13 catches for 174 yards and two scores as a senior … also played basketball for the Lovett School … his grandfather, Steve Bracey, played three seasons in the NBA with the Atlanta Hawks (1972-74) and the Golden State Warriors (1974-75).

Xavier Brown • RB
Lexington Christian
Lexington, KY

All-purpose back … three-star recruit according to Rivals.com, ESPN and 247Sports … ranked No. 20 in the nation for all-purpose backs and the eighth overall player by Rivals.com … Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year, the first ever at his high school … finalist for the Kentucky Football Association’s Mr. Football award … led his team to the state championship game in 2021 and a 14-1 record… as a senior, ran for 1,511 yards and 22 touchdowns on 117 carries (12.9 yards per carry) and caught 16 passes for 398 yards and six scores … 2A District 4 First Team All-District in 2021 … in his junior season finished with over 1,300 all-purpose yards and 17 touchdowns … also a standout prep track and field performer.

Devin Chandler • WR
Huntersville, NC

PREVIOUS SCHOOL (WISCONSIN) – 2021: Appeared in six games … returned a total of four kicks for 85 yards, 73 came on three returns against Notre Dame on Sept. 25. 2020: Earned first letter, playing in four games as a wide receiver and kickoff returner … had two catches for 28 yards (both at Iowa) … returned 6 kickoffs for 156 yards … had a 59-yard kickoff return and 18-yard rush in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl against Wake Forest.

High School: Three-star recruit by 247 Sports … first-team I-Meck Conference as a senior in 2019 … started his prep career at Arlington High School in Tennessee where he played wide receiver and defensive back before transferring to William Amos Hough High School in North Carolina for his senior season … hauled in 128 receptions for 2,391 yards during his prep career and caught 33 touchdowns and tallied 7 interceptions … scored 14 touchdowns his senior year while hauling in 50 catches for 905 yards … caught 28 passes for 728 yards and 8 touchdowns his junior season … caught 43 passes for 758 yards and 11 touchdowns his sophomore year while posting 5 interceptions … also competed in track and field where he was the Tennessee state runner-up in the 110 hurdles in 2019 … honor-roll student … high school coach was Matthew Jenkins.

Delaney Crawford • ATH
Corona Senior
Corona, CA

Played quarterback for Corona HS for head coach Ronnie Gueringer … three-star rated quarterback according to 247Sports … threw a 45-yard touchdown pass as time expired in 35-30 win over Vista Del Lago/Moreno Valley on Sept. 17, 2021… one of the top high school hurdlers in California, earning all-state recognition from MileStat in the 300-meter hurdles and the 100-meter dash … his 36.64 in the 300-meter hurdles was the best time in the state (and fifth nationally) in 2021 … he also ranked in the top 10 in California in the 110-meter hurdles and the 100-meter dash.

Karson Gay • TE
Boyd-Buchanan School
Chattanooga, TN

Played tight end at Boyd Buchanan School for head coach Jeremy Bosken … three-star rated tight end according to Rivals and 247 Sports … No. 35 tight end in the nation No. 21 prospect in the state of Tennessee according to 247 Sports … as a sophomore, had 21 catches for 256 yards and three TDs in five games … Eagle Scout … Father, Kyle, was a defensive lineman at Middle Tennessee State.

Davis Lane Jr. • QB
Liberty Christian Academy
Lynchburg, VA

Dual-threat QB … three-star recruit according to Rivals.com, 247Sports and ESPN … ranked the No. 38 player in the state of Virginia by Rivals.com … listed as top QB prospect in Virginia for the Class of ’22 by 247Sports … led Liberty Christian to its first ever state championship game as a senior and a 13-1 overall record in the fall of 2021 … passed for over 1,500 yards and threw for 18 touchdowns as a senior… rushed for more than 600 yards and added 12 touchdowns on the ground … was not sacked during his senior season until state championship game … helped LCA reach semifinals of state championships as a junior … at the 2021 VHSL Indoor championships in March of 2021, recorded a 55-meter dash time of 6.41 seconds—the 15th fastest time set by any high school athlete during the 2021 indoor season… his mother, Kim, was a two-time All-American track star at Mary Washington, where she is a member of the school’s Hall of Fame. 

Trey McDonald • LB
Baylor School
Chattanooga, TN

Played linebacker and tight end at Baylor School (Chattanooga, Tenn.) for head coach Phil Massey … three-star rated linebacker according to Rivals and 247Sports … No. 39 prospect in the state of Tennessee according to Rivals and 247 Sports … TSSAA East/Middle all-region selection … Tennessee East-West All-Star game participant … Baylor reached the quarterfinals of TSSAA Division II Class AA playoffs after a 7-5 record in 2021…. also played lacrosse at Baylor School … grew up in Hartland, Wisconsin, where he played football, hockey and lacrosse.

Dakota Twitty • WR
Thomas Jefferson Classical
Columbus, N.C.

Four-star recruit according to 247Sports and ESPN … No. 9 overall recruit from North Carolina and the No. 50 WR in the nation according to 247Sports … selected to play in the North Carolina Shrine Bowl …  2021 Southern Piedmont 1A/2A All-Conference selection … amassed 2,200 yards receiving and caught 35 touchdown passes in four years at TJCA … as a senior had 10 touchdowns and 693 yards receiving and helped TJCA reach the second round of 1A playoffs in 2021 … averaged 14.7 yards per catch on 47 receptions as a senior … matched season high with eight catches for 130 yards and two scores in opening round of 1A state playoff win … caught a career-high 15 touchdowns as a sophomore (2019) … also a standout on TJCA’s basketball team.

Sean Wilson • WR
Canarsie
Brooklyn, N.Y.

Three-star recruit according to 247Sports and Rivals.com … No. 7 wide receiver in New York according to 247Sports … suffered an injury after three games of his junior season (spring of 2021) … began his career at Christ the King High School and finished his prep career at Canarsie.

Name	POS	HT	WT	Hometown	HS/Previous School
Will Bettridge	K	5-10	156	Miami, Fla.	Gulliver Prep
Stevie Bracey	LB	6-0	219	Atlanta, Ga.	Lovett School
Xavier Brown	RB	5-11	175	Lexington, Ky.	Lexington Christian
Devin Chandler	WR	6-0	178	Huntersville, N.C.	Hough/Wisconsin
Delaney Crawford	ATH	6-3	180	Corona, Calif.	Corona School
Karson Gay	TE	6-6	226	Chattanooga, Tenn.	Boyd-Buchanan School
Davis Lane Jr.	QB	6-1	184	Lynchburg, Va.	Liberty Christian
Trey McDonald	LB	6-4	212	Chattanooga, Tenn.	Baylor School
Dakota Twitty	WR	6-5	213	Columbus, N.C.	Thomas Jefferson Classical
Sean Wilson	WR	6-5	214	Brooklyn, N.Y.	Canarsie