Cavs get commit from in-state WR

After losing an orginial commitment made by wide receiver Tyree Watkins last week, Virginia’s football team was in search of an additional pass-catching target.

That search produced a match Saturday.

Bobby Smith, a 6-foot-6, 200-pound wideout from Varina High in Richmond, verbally committed to Virginia during a recruiting trip to the school, sources confirmed to The Daily Progress.

Since Smith remained on his visit Saturday night, he was unavailable for comment.

As a senior at Varina, Smith stormed onto the national radar, catching 54 passes for 1,040 yards. He also hauled in 14 touchdowns.

Smith became the 24th player to verbally commit to the Cavaliers and the 22nd prospect that will count against the 2009 recruiting class (offensive lineman Hunter Steward, a verbal commitment, is slated to prep at Fork Union next year, and defensive end Will Hill enrolled earlier this month).

With Smith pacing the offensive attack with program-best numbers, Varina advanced to the VHSL Division 6 semifinals this season.

Smith’s recruitment picked up steam over the past month after Virginia was impressed with improvements that the prospect made in the classroom. Originally, Smith had announced his intentions to play at the University of Delaware.

Watkins followed a similar path, announcing that he would play at Virginia, but later changed his mind, selecting to play football at Duke.