Virginia Football Makes Top Five for Four-Star DL Joel Starlings

UVA is in the running for a four-star defensive lineman along with Oklahoma, North Carolina, West Virginia, and South Carolina

Matt Newton | Apr 27, 2022

Tony Elliott has an opportunity for his first major recruiting victory in the class of 2023. Virginia football has made the top five for four-star defensive lineman Joel Starlings along with Oklahoma, North Carolina, West Virginia, and South Carolina.

Starlings, a 6'5", 310-pound defensive lineman from Benedictine College Prep in Richmond, is the No. 4-ranked player in the state of Virginia from the class of 2023 and the No. 32 defensive lineman in the country.

Originally committed to Michigan, Starlings reopened his commitment in January after Michigan defensive line coach Shaun Nua left to take a job at USC.

West Virginia, South Carolina, and North Carolina have been in hot pursuit of Starlings for some time, but Oklahoma joined the fray with an offer in February. It did not take long for the Sooners to make their way to the top of Starlings' list and new head coach Brent Venables' great track record of putting defensive linemen in the NFL certainly played a part in that.

Starlings has scheduled official visits to North Carolina, West Virginia, Oklahoma and South Carolina for this summer and fall. Virginia is working on setting an official visit for Starlings to come to Charlottesville, but he has visited UVA unofficially three times, including a visit this past weekend for the Virginia football spring game.

Starlings is not expected to make a decision anytime soon, as he has official visits scheduled well into the upcoming college football season.

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Published Apr 27, 2022

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.