Cavaliers Now

Virginia Football Target Jacob Cruz to Announce Decision Friday

The Kennesaw native will likely commit to either UVA or Georgia Tech this week

Matt Newton

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UVA football target Jacob Cruz will make his college decision soon.
UVA target Jacob Cruz (Kennesaw, GA) is set to announce his college decision on Friday

The first UVA football class to be entirely recruited by Tony Elliott and his staff is beginning to take shape. The Cavaliers have secured verbal commitments from 12 players so far in the recruiting class of 2023. From here on out, the battle for the remaining key targets will only get tougher as schools desperately try to lock down missing pieces for their recruiting classes. 

Such is the case for Virginia in the fight for Jacob Cruz, a 6'5", 225-pound two-way athlete from Kennesaw, Georgia. Georgia Tech is considered the frontrunner to land the commitment from Cruz, who is set to announce his college decision on Friday, August 5th, but UVA is right there as well, having hosted Cruz on an official visit back in June. 

Cruz excels on both sides of the ball, playing both tight end and linebacker for North Cobb Christian School in Kennesaw. At tight end, Cruz caught 21 passes for 281 yards last season. As a linebacker, he recorded 99 solo tackles, 30 tackles for loss, three sacks, three forced fumbles, and an interception. He was ranked in the top 30 in tackles in the state of Georgia last season and was named the defensive player of the year in his region. 

READ MORE: In-State Three-Star TyLyric Coleman Commits to Virginia Football

With offers from a dozen programs, including Army, Air Force, Vanderbilt, and Liberty, his recruitment seems to be down to Georgia Tech and Virginia, the two schools who have hosted Cruz on official visits and who have been pursuing him the hardest. 

The Yellow Jackets are the favorite, but the Cavaliers are hoping Cruz will surprise everyone and become Virginia's 13th commit in the class of 2023 on Friday. 

Verbal commits in the Virginia football recruiting class of 2023:

  • April 29th: offensive lineman Cole Surber (Nokesville, VA)
  • May 29th: running back Donte Hawthorne (Stafford, VA)
  • June 5th: cornerback Jarvis Lee (Green Cove Springs, FL)
  • June 6th: defensive lineman Miles Greene (Highland Springs, VA)
  • June 17th: wide receiver Amare Thomas (Pinson, AL)
  • June 24th: tight end TeKai Kirby (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
  • June 24th: defensive lineman Rodney Lora (Woodberry Forest, VA)
  • June 27th: running back Noah Vaughn (Maryville, TN)
  • June 27th: cornerback Keandre Walker (Denver, VA)
  • July 1st: linebacker Kamren Robinson (Tappahannock, VA)
  • July 8th: quarterback Anthony Colandrea (Saint Petersburg, FL)
  • July 30th: athlete TyLyric Coleman (Ringgold, VA)

See more details on each of Virginia's class of 2023 football commits here.

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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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