Cavaliers Now

Top-10 In-State Cornerback Chris Spence Commits to Virginia Football

UVA won a key recruiting battle against Florida State, Michigan, Virginia Tech, South Carolina, Ole Miss and others for one of the top recruits in Virginia

Matt Newton

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Virginia football earned a massive recruiting victory in the class of 2025 as cornerback Chris 'CJ' Spence, one of the top ten recruits in the Commonwealth of Virginia, announced his commitment to UVA on Tuesday morning, choosing the Cavaliers over offers from Florida State, Michigan, Virginia Tech, South Carolina, Ole Miss, Duke, Georgia Tech, West Virginia, and others. 

A 6'4" athlete from Chesapeake Virginia, Spence has excelled on both sides of the ball for Mt. Zion Prep (Lanham, MD), proving himself as a playmaker as both a wide receiver and a defensive back, though he projects as a cornerback in college. His recruitment has been hotly-contested from the beginning, with Florida State extending an offer to the talented cornerback early in 2021. Offers from South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Duke, Michigan, Georgia Tech, and Ole Miss followed in 2022, and Virginia joined the fray with an offer in June of 2023. 

Spence took multiple visits to Charlottesville over the next several months, including one in early February that seems to have sealed the deal, as he made his verbal commitment to UVA this week. 

This is a significant recruiting win for Tony Elliott and the Cavaliers, as Spence is ranked the No. 7 overall recruit in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the class of 2025 as well as the No. 34 cornerback in the country, per 247Sports. Spence is Virginia's fifth commitment from the class of 2025. 

Watch some of Spence's highlights from the 2024 season below:

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Matt Newton
MATT NEWTON

Matt launched Virginia Cavaliers On SI in August of 2021 and has since served as the site's publisher and managing editor, covering all 23 NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. He is from Downingtown, Pennsylvania and graduated from UVA in May of 2021.

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