Stalker makes Virginia pledge in-person

When West Chester (Ohio) Lakota West linebacker C.J. Stalker decided he was ready to commit to Virginia he made the six-hour drive to Charlottesville so he could tell the coaching staff in-person.

"I kind of had figured it out maybe a week ago, then discussed it amongst my family," Stalker said. "I wanted to make it that much more special, so I wanted to get out there and give it to them in-person."

Stalker and his parents arrived in Virginia on Tuesday, and had relayed his intentions to head coach Mike London and staff before he left Wednesday.

"Coach London was not supposed to be back from ACC media days until Wednesday, but he got back early," Stalker said. "My family and I were talking to Coach (Jon) Tenuta and one of the GA's came in and said Coach London would be able to meet with us in a few minutes.

"We were sitting in his office and talking about everything Virginia has to offer. As soon as he gave me a chance to speak I explained where I was at in the process and told him the best fit for me was Virginia. I told him I was happy to be committed to the University of Virginia and he more or less jumped out his seat and gave me a big hug and hugged my parents. It was a real cool experience."

Stalker had made several visits to Virginia prior to this week, and the academic opportunity leads his list of reasons for picking the Cavaliers.

"It was multiple things that came together that ultimately made for a perfect fit for me," Stalker said. "The University of Virginia is the No. 1 public university in the nation. They have one of the top medical programs and the degree from Virginia is globally recognized.

"Then, it was speaking with different players. Last night I stayed the night with another linebacker (Zach Bradshaw) and a couple other guys and spent time with them. Hearing them and their reasoning for picking Virginia was the same philosophies why I picked it. Overall it is just a great fit."

Stalker plans to major in Kinesiology or Biology in college with an eye on becoming an Orthopedic Surgeon.

On the football field, the Cavaliers plan to play the 6-foot-2, 223-pound Stalker at their middle linebacker position. He is ranked as the No. 11 prospect at that position in the 2015 class.