D.C.-area standout commits to Cavaliers

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- First came Hunter Steward, and then another offensive lineman, Oday Aboushi.

Yesterday, Jeremiah Mathis became the third high school football standout in the past week to commit to the University of Virginia.

Mathis is a 6-3, 240-pound senior at DeMatha Catholic High in Hyattsville, Md. His best friends include U.Va. cornerback Rodney McLeod, a former DeMatha teammate.

For the Stags, who last fall won their sixth consecutive Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title, Mathis starred at tight end and defensive end. Mathis, who's similar in size to Clint Sintim, is projected to play outside linebacker in U.Va.'s 3-4 defense.

Mathis said he also had scholarship offers from Maryland, Kansas State, Wake Forest, Clemson, N.C. State, New Mexico, Syracuse and Liberty. He arrived at Virginia with his parents for an official visit Friday and committed before heading home to Bowie, Md., yesterday.

"U.Va. was the perfect fit," Mathis said. "It just made sense. U.Va.'s not just building football players, they're building young men in their program."

Steward, a 6-7, 300-pound senior at Virginia Beach's Kellam High, is likely to spend next season in Fork Union Military Academy's postgraduate program before enrolling at U.Va. in 2010.

Aboushi is a 6-6, 300-pound senior at Xaverian High in Brooklyn, N.Y. He picked Virginia over Rutgers. -- Jeff White