Jennings talks UVA official, more trips

Rivals250 athlete Darius Jennings out of Baltimore (Md.) Gilman School took his first official visit this past weekend. The 6-foot-0, 180-pounder broke down the trip to Charlottesville and the rest of his upcoming trips.

"It went well," he said. "I went down with both of my parents and my younger brother. I talked to the coaches and some of the players. I got a chance to go out with some of the players, it was a good visit."

After numerous trips to Charlottesville, what was different about this visit to Virginia?

"You know, I just went more in-depth, talking to the coaches a lot and talking about the football program a lot," he said. "I got a chance to see the academic side and campus life, other components that'll play a part in my decision.

"I was hosted by Jeremiah Mathis who went to DeMatha. I was also with Tim Smith, a wide receiver and hung out with David Watford, a quarterback on his visit. It was good to know Jeremiah and I had some things in common, we got to sit down and talk."

Of course, Jennings got plenty of time with the staff as well.

"It went well," he said. "They kind of laid out the foundation and saw me in their program if I were to come," he said. "They talked to my parents and stressed how they'd take care of me and make them comfortable with me at Virginia. The coaches really stressed me being around the players to see if I'd fit in with the team.

"I had fun and I talked to a lot of the players. If I were to go there I feel I would have a high comfort level."

Prior to leaving, Jennings sat down with Mike London.

"That went well," he said. "He always preaches how they want me there and he said they definitely want me and are holding a spot for me."

Next up for Jennings is a trip this weekend to Ohio State for his second official.

"I have a flight in the morning to Ohio State," he said. "I head out there tomorrow and then in January I have three more visits, UCLA and Wake Forest aren't set yet. I had UCLA on January 16th and I may switch it with Wake Forest, which was January 7th. I'm in the process of working on that now. Then, I have Virginia Tech on January 28th."

With one official behind him, what does he hope to see on the remaining trips?

"You know, I said it before, football will take care of itself," he said. "It's that comfort level with the team and the campus and how my parents feel about it. Both of my parents went to Virginia, my dad and I are just going to Ohio State. That's going to play a part of it as well."

Meanwhile, is Maryland still in the picture?

"I am looking at Maryland, I'm not sure of the situation now with Coach Franklin leaving," he said. "He was my main recruiter. That's kind of a shift for me and it will hurt them. I was building a close relationship with him and I'm not sure I know how I'll be used at Maryland if I come."

Outside of recruiting, the four-star prospect has two all-star games coming up, the Chesapeake Bowl and the Under Armor game.

"I'm not really sure what position I'll be playing in college, but in the Chesapeake Bowl I'll play wide receiver and Under Armor cornerback," he said. "Hopefully I'll be able to showcase my talents on both sides of the ball and I can find out which position I prefer better."