Virginia gets commitment from 2027 tight end prospect James Westervelt

Virginia gets commitment from 2027 tight end prospect James Westervelt

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Virginia gets commitment from 2027 tight end prospect James Westervelt
Several highly regarded high school prospects recently have announced their intention to play in Virginia's Scott Stadium.
Virginia has added several talented commitments to its 2027 high school recruiting class in the past week. | Virginia Athletic

Virginia's future tight ends room has gotten a potentially substantial upgrade in the past week.

On Wednesday, John Carroll (Md.) rising senior James Westervelt announced his commitment to the Cavaliers, just days after Watkinsville (Ga.) standout Mason Hall did the same.

Looking at the prospect

Westervelt (6-5, 230 pounds) was rated the No. 30 prospect in the state of Maryland and the nation's No. 99 tight end. He took an official visit to Charlottesville on May 28 before visiting Boston College last weekend. He also had visits scheduled to Georgia Tech and Maryland.

He caught 31 passes for 431 yards and two touchdowns as a junior last season, while also carrying six times for 59 yards and a score. As a defensive, end, he was credited with 42 tackles, including five sacks, and three forced fumbles. He reportedly turned heads with his workout at the recent Under Armour Baltimore Showcase.

West Virginia, Rutgers, N.C. State, Pittsburgh and Northwestern also offered him scholarships, but he told 247Sports that he felt at home at Virginia.

"Biggest thing that I didn't know was how giving the coaches are," Westervelt told the website after his official visit. " … And they're honest people … I think [coach Tony Elliott] is a great guy. I mean again, everything he says, he means it all. The connections from the players are great. I love seeing the way they interact with each other. You can tell that's a family."

Westervelt becomes Virginia's 10th commitment for the Class of 2027 and follows pledges from Hall and defensive back Semajay Robinson, who flipped his commitment from Penn State.

The recent spree has allowed the Cavaliers to close the recruiting gap somewhat on their Atlantic Coast Conference rivals. 247Sports ranks Virginia's Class of 2027 15th best among the 17 ACC teams and 55th nationally.

June is always a big month when it comes to high school football recruiting. The Cavaliers have become a more portal heavy team over the past couple of seasons, but they still want to be able to land developmental prospects that they like at the high school level. While these players might not be instant impact players (though you never can rule it out), UVA has done a solid job in getting the players they like on campus and getting commitments.

As you can see with the No. 55 ranking, there is still work to do for Elliott and UVA to move up, but Westervelt is a nice building block in the class and the Cavaliers will look to add to the momentum throughout the month.

This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/virginia as Virginia gets commitment from 2027 tight end prospect James Westervelt.

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