By Jerry Ratcliffe
Somewhat overshadowed by Virginia’s thrilling, 22-20 win over Washington State on Saturday, the Cavaliers received two recruiting commitments from “757” prospects, making it a good weekend for UVA’s program.
Four-star quarterback Lonnie Andrews III from Oscar Smith H.S. in Chesapeake and defensive tackle Gene Jones of Hampton, both members of the 2027 recruiting class, announced they had committed to Virginia.
Andrews (6-foot, 185 pounds) is rated by the No. 22 quarterback in the country in his class and the No. 7 overall recruit in the state.
He chose UVA over Virginia Tech, Syracuse, South Florida, Boston College, JMU, ECU and ODU.
Andrews led Oscar Smith to an undefeated season in 2024 as a sophomore, taking the VHSL Class 6 State Championship. So far this season, he has thrown for 16 touchdown passes.
The prized QB recruit said that as soon as he committed to UVA on Saturday, just before the Cavaliers home game with Washington State, he began to recruit other players for Virginia.
Meanwhile, Jones is a 6-4, 275-pound defensive tackle for Hampton, who chose UVA over Virginia Tech, Syracuse, NC State, ODU, Liberty, Marshall and W&M.
The Crabber has not yet been evaluated by the major national recruiting services at this time.
