Damascus DB Brandon Phelps picks Virginia

Damascus senior Brandon Phelps and his parents took a trip down to Charlottesville last weekend to meet with first-year Virginia Coach Mike London and the rest of his staff. With about two dozen scholarship offers, Phelps was in no hurry to choose a school, and even had planned to wait until the end of the summer before making a decision.

So when London asked Phelps if he was ready to commit last weekend, the 6-foot defensive back politely declined, left the office and joined his parents Gary (who played at Virginia) and Kathy in the car ready to head home. But before Gary Phelps started the car, the three discussed the visit. After running through a list of factors, Brandon Phelps realized there were just too many reasons to delay the process.

"So I went back inside and committed," he said.

Despite the program's incredible on-field success, advancing to 12 straight Maryland postseasons and winning three state titles in that span, Phelps is the biggest Damascus recruit during this period.

And he's not the only standout recruit lured to Virginia by London. The Cavs have also picked up commitments from Good Counsel tight end-linebacker Vincent Croce, DeMatha offensive lineman Kelby Johnson and defensive back Jordan Lomax, and H.D. Woodson tight end Darius Redman.