Javanti Sparrow, the 6-foot, 195-pound three-star wide receiver/cornerback from Western Branch High School in Chesapeake, Va., committed to Virginia in early October over Virginia Tech and West Virginia. All of his favorites have offered as well as North Carolina, Penn State, Kentucky, Kent State and Louisville.
Sparrow, ranked as the No. 67 cornerback in the country by Scout.com, visited the Cavaliers on Oct. 4. "When I got there I felt at home," he said. "They are a great school and they were always showing me a lot of love. It just felt like the right place for me."
He says he's 100 percent committed to Virginia. "I was going to visit Virginia and West Virginia this month, but I cancelled those once I committed."
Growing up, Sparrow admits he favored Virginia Tech, but said he couldn't see himself playing for the Hokies. "I liked the team a lot, but I couldn't see myself there," he said. "I don't think they've been progressing enough."
And progression is one thing that he likes in Virginia. "The program has really been improving this year," Sparrow said. "I really like their offense and they said I could choose if I want to play corner or receiver and I told them I want to play receiver for them.
"I like how they throw the ball a lot," he said. "I think I'll be able to learn a lot from the coaches and progress as a player there. They are a good young team."
Sparrow also runs track and says he may participate in both sports in college. He runs the 200m (21.22), 400m (47.63) and 500m (1:04:61).
He finished his season with 37 receptions for over 700 yards and five touchdowns. Defensively, Sparrow had around 30 tackles and two interceptions. Western Branch finished the year at 9-2.
"I have good speed and the ability to break away from the defender," he said. "I have great agility and quickness to the ball.
"I'm athletic and I fight for the deep ball on defense," he said. "I'm very physical, but I want to improve my footwork and get up to the ball better. I also want to work on my hips when going up to find the ball."
Sparrow says he's thinking about majoring in engineering and reports a 2.9 core GPA and an 840 SAT, which he'll retake on Dec. 6.