Parham Decides

Virginia Beach (Va.) Princess Anne defensive end/linebacker Kai Parham has made his decision.

"I committed to Virginia," said the 6-foot-4, 230-pound superstar who is ranked as the top weakside defensive end in the country and is 11th on the Rivals 100. "I prayed on it for the longest time and I think God led me to the right decision. I really liked the reputation of the school, the coaching staff and I felt like I fit in better at UVA. I fit in at Tennessee as well, but UVA felt more like home to me."

Parham is looking forward to the challenge that lies ahead.

"I know it's going to be a great challenge to help bring the program to the level that I want it to be at and the level the coaches want," he said. "I look forward to that challenge and I think Virginia has done a great job putting together an outstanding recruiting class and the parts to have a great team very soon. It was a very hard decision for me and one I took seriously, but I thought about it and prayed on it for a long time and I feel I made the right choice."

Parham said he hopes that fellow Virginia standouts like running back Mike Johnson, linebacker Ahmad Brooks and quarterback Marcus Vick follow.

"We all said at the beginning of the process that if we all went to UVA it could be a great team," he said. "I'm hoping that's still the case but they have to do what is right for them."