Andrew Devlin committed to the Cavaliers in early August and has followed UVa closely since. While acknowledging the struggles on the field thus far, he is anxious to help the program rebuild next fall.
Devlin plays both tight end and defensive end for Pittsburgh (Pa.) Mt. Lebanon but has been recruited to play on offense for Virginia.
“They’re going to start me out at tight end when I get up there,” said the 6-6, 250-pound high school senior. “Our school is 2-2 on the year and I’m playing both ways. I’ve only caught one pass for about ten yards on the season, but our team has only passed the ball like nine times so far. So it’s not really indicative of what I feel like I can do.
“On defense I probably have 25 or 30 tackles and three or four sacks. But they’re recruiting me to play tight end. I think most of my ability is as a blocker right now, but I’m anxious to show that I can get out and catch passes. Their offense involves the tight ends a lot, so I’ll need to be ready.”
What does Devlin think of the Cavaliers’ on-field struggles thus far?
“I’m not concerned by it,” he said. “People knew coming into this season that they were going to struggle some. They’re just a young team, especially on the offensive line. With the coaching staff they have I know they’re going to get things done.”
The UVa coaching staff has done a good job keeping tabs on Devlin since his commitment.
“I talked to Coach Price on Saturday, and I’ve probably been speaking to one coach or another two or three times a week. They’ve been really cool about everything all along.
“I’m going to go down for the Maryland game (October 14) and I think I’m going to try to make it to the Miami game (November 18) towards the end of the season.”
Despite describing himself as a “solid” verbal for UVa, several schools have been persistent in recruiting Devlin.
“There are a few schools that are still sending me letters pretty often. Michigan is still sending me invitations to games. I still hear from Pitt, UNC, Louisville and Rutgers too. But I told all the coaches at those schools that I was basically closing my recruitment after I committed to Virginia. So I’m still solid and I’ll be at UVa.”