Virginia
Virginia Lands Star Wide Receiver, Former Florida Commit Josiah Abdullah
Virginia football won a major victory on the recruiting trail on Friday night, as highly-pursued wide receiver and former Florida commit Josiah Abdullah announced his commitment to UVA in an Instagram post. Virtually every major conference college football program offered Abdullah during the course of his recruitment, including the likes of Alabama, Texas, LSU, Michigan, and Tennessee, but it was the Virginia Cavaliers, and their recent success in developing wide receivers, who ultimately landed his commitment.
A 5’10” wideout from Woodward Academy in Atlanta, Georgia, Abdullah verbally committed to Florida earlier this year, but then decommitted in early June. In addition to the Gators and Cavaliers, more than 50 programs offered Abdullah, including Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida State, Duke, Colorado, Louisville, LSU, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, NC State, North Carolina, Ole Miss, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, West Virginia… you get the idea.
Though he is only considered a three-star prospect according to ESPN, 247Sports, and On3 (and a four-star on Rivals), it’s clear that most of the country views Abdullah as far more valuable than that. ESPN rates Abdullah as the No. 34 wide receiver in the country and Rivals has him at No. 44, while On3 and 247Sports have him just outside the top 100 in that category. Most of the recruiting services have Abdullah ranked as a top 75 prospect in the state of Georgia, perhaps the best football recruiting hotbed in the country.
Watch Abdullah’s junior season highlights here.
Abdullah visited Virginia last week and saw what he needed to see, announcing his commitment to the Cavaliers a week later. He becomes one of the highest-rated prospects in UVA’s 2025 recruiting class.
Virginia football now has 18 verbal commits in its 2025 recruiting class:
Tony Elliott: “Nobody’s Job is Safe” at Start of Virginia Football Fall Camp
Virginia Safety Jonas Sanker Named to 2024 All-ACC Preseason Football Team
Tony Elliott “Not Surprised” by Virginia Picked to Finish 16th in ACC
Virginia Football Fall Camp Injury Report: Four Cavaliers to Miss Season
Virginia Picked to Finish Second to Last in 2024 ACC Football Preseason Poll
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — West Virginia has plenty of state symbols, be it the black bear as the state animal, the cardinal as the state bird or the rhododendron as the state flower, but did you know that the Mountain State also has its own official gun?
The Hall Flintlock Model 1819 was first manufactured in Harpers Ferry by John H. Hall in 1811 and was adopted by the United States Army in 1819, making it the first breech-loading rifle ever adopted by a country’s military.
-
Model 1819 Hall Breechloading Rifle presented by Congress to Gustavous A. Bird for his participation in the Battle of Plattsburgh 9/11/1814 by John C. Bird via the Smithsonian Institution -
Model 1819 Hall Breechloading Rifle presented by Congress to Gustavous A. Bird for his participation in the Battle of Plattsburgh 9/11/1814 by John C. Bird via the Smithsonian Institution
All of this information is listed in Senate Concurrent Resolution 7, which was introduced and passed during the 2013 West Virginia Legislative session, and officially recognizes the Model 1819 as the official firearm of the State of West Virginia.
On top of being created in West Virginia, the resolution also points out that the rifle saw use during the Civil War, an event that directly led to West Virginia’s statehood.
While having an officially recognized state firearm may seem far-fetched, West Virginia is not the only state that has one. As a matter of fact, a fifth of the states in the country have officially designated a state firearm, including West Virginia’s neighbors in Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In this world of college football, with the transfer portal and recruiting battles, bad blood is present more than ever before between head coaches.
That’s not the case between the Virginia Tech head coach and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, however. In fact, Franklin revealed at ACC Kickoff on Thursday that the two are actually close friends, dating back to their time at the Nike trip that various coaches take over the summer.
“Dabo’s my guy,” Franklin said on Thursday. “We go way back. We’ve been on the Nike trip for a long time. His wife and my wife are friends.”
The long-time Penn State head coach is making the move to the ACC after being fired from the Nittany Lions in October. 12 seasons of being with the program had Franklin hold a 44-21 record against top 10 opponents, an impressive record for a new conference foe of Swinney’s.
But when that trip comes around, there’s a camaraderie between Swinney and Franklin and both of their wives. In fact, the two hang out with each other instead of the other coaches at times. It simply comes to an “edgy” time in college athletics that raises tempers.
“I’m going to be honest, I wouldn’t say we’re necessarily like the type of people that love a lot of other coaches and a lot of other programs,” Franklin said. “It’s hard when you just compete year-round.”
On Swinney’s end, there are a few who could immediately come to mind among Clemson fans. Perhaps the most recent would be Ole Miss coach Pete Golding, who played the most significant role in the tampering of former linebacker Luke Ferrelli.
It’s a select list of coaches who make the good side of the Tigers’ head coach, and Franklin is certainly on that list. On the other hand, Hokies’ head coach has Swinney on his own shortlist.
“Obviously, tremendous respect for what he has built at Clemson and what he’s done at Clemson, and what he’s done for the ACC,” he said.
The two will see that close relationship face off at Memorial Stadium this upcoming season. Clemson will host the Hokies on Oct. 24 in what could be a potential title-eliminator for the ACC Championship.
Of course, the last game that we’ve seen the Tigers play in was against Franklin’s former team in Penn State at the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. That game ended in a 22-10 contest that saw a foundation of Franklin players end Clemson’s season in disappointment.
Swinney will see many of those players once again in October, including starting quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, in that contest. The anticipated Hokie starter recorded 260 yards and two passing touchdowns on the Tigers in the Bronx that day.
Although friends become foes, another ACC coach has given Swinney his flowers for what he’s been able to do for the conference. In the upcoming moments, Franklin will look to prepare his team to prove itself on one of the biggest stages in the ACC, while Swinney looks to put his team back at the top of a conference he’s dominated for over 15 years.
Follow
MARTINSVILLE, Va. (WSET) — Extreme drought conditions in parts of Virginia have prompted an emergency drought warning for a wide swath of the region, including Bedford, Campbell, Charlotte, Franklin, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Patrick, Pittsylvania and Roanoke counties, along with the cities of Danville, Roanoke, Salem and Martinsville.
The governor has warned that if conditions worsen, she will activate mandatory nonessential water-use restrictions.
In Martinsville, city leaders have issued a voluntary water conservation notice and are urging residents and businesses to cut back where they can. The request comes as local businesses that rely heavily on water say the drought is already affecting day-to-day operations.
SEE ALSO: Botetourt County residents adjust daily routines as voluntary water restriction continues
John Hughes, owner of John’s Car Wash, said the dry conditions have hit his business hard in recent weeks. “For the last 3 weeks, it’s been hitting pretty hard. We done three yesterday and haven’t done anything today with the drought and hot weather. Yeah, I’m really concerned about it,” Hughes said.
Restaurants are also feeling the strain. David Kitzmiller, an owner of Be Wiched, said water is essential for routine tasks such as washing dishes and preparing some menu items.
“We use a lot of water for washing dishes and some of our recipes if they limit us in anyway defiently can’t produce and its a scary aspect,” Kitzmiller said.
Kitzmiller added that cutting back is not always realistic for businesses that must meet sanitation needs. “Not really feasible for a business that depends solely relies on water to wash their dishes, so that can’t definitely be an impact there,” he said.
City leaders emphasized that the conservation request is voluntary for now, but they are encouraging everyone to do their part by taking shorter showers, turning off the faucet when it is not in use, washing only full loads of laundry, and limiting outdoor watering whenever possible.
-
Indiana3 minutes ago
Where to watch Seattle Storm vs Indiana Fever on July 17: TV channel, start time and streaming
-
Iowa9 minutes agoUS House Speaker campaigning in Iowa responds to President’s election fraud claims
-
Kentucky21 minutes agoJune unemployment rate shows slight increase in Kentucky Center for Statistics latest report
-
Louisiana27 minutes agoHow Louisiana football’s Lunch Winfield has embraced his QB1 role
-
Maryland39 minutes agoGreat nature trails for hiking, beachcombing on Maryland’s Lower Shore
-
Michigan45 minutes agoMichigan’s upcoming Aug. 4 primary: What’s on my ballot?
-
Massachusetts51 minutes agoNoah Kahan Backs Massachusetts Bill Limiting Ticket Resale Prices
-
Minnesota57 minutes agoMiinesota’s common loons are genetic cousins to penguins
