UVA Lands 2020 Commitment From QB Armstead

jerryratcliffe.com

Posted on Saturday, Jun. 22, 2019, 3:41 pm

Follow Jerry Ratcliffe on Twitter

Advertising inquiries: Connect with us

Email Jerry Ratcliffe: jratcliffe7000@gmail.com

 

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Photo courtesy MaxPreps

For a guy who once begged his coach not to make him play quarterback, Ira Armstead has come a long way.

In fact, Armstead has come so far that he committed to play quarterback at UVA. Armstead announced his decision via his Twitter account (@armstead_iraken) on Saturday morning.

The three-star prospect from Adams Central High in South Bend, Ind., chose the Cavaliers over Cincinnati, Miami (Ohio), Western Michigan, Youngstown State, Ball State, Kent State, Central Michigan, Toledo, Princeton, Dartmouth, and others. Armstead was offered by UVA earlier this month and scheduled a visit to Charlottesville this week, and announced his commitment upon his visit.

At 6-foot-4, 195 pounds, the dual-threat quarterback amassed 3,306 yards total offense last season as a junior, accounting for 30 touchdowns. He passed for more than 2,000 yards and rushed for another 1,100.

Armstead said that Virginia quarterbacks coach Jason Beck told him that he reminds him of current Cavaliers QB Bryce Perkins. Beck recruited Perkins out of Arizona Western Community College.

What is compelling about Armstead’s story is the fact he played so many other positions prior to arriving at Adams Central for his sophomore year of high school. He had played wide receiver and cornerback the year before.

However, when preseason camp arrived, his high school coach asked him to move over to quarterback and Armstead heavily resisted. He pleaded with his coach to play him anywhere but quarterback, but lost the case.

He complied with his coach’s wishes and went on to earn second-team, all-conference honors, completing 43 percent of his passes, throwing for 1,400 yards while rushing for 140, with 12 TDs (10 of those passing). He could easily throw the ball 50 yards in the air, but needed to refine his passing skills, something fixed under the tutelage of former Notre Dame QB Evan Sharpley, who operates his own training facility.

Armstead has worked his way into a commitment to Bronco Mendenhall’s ever-improving Virginia football program, which now has eight commitments for the recruiting class of 2020.