For at least a month earlier this summer, reports persisted that Virginia was on the verge of an oral commitment from defensive end Jeffrey Fitzgerald.

"I don't know where that came from," Fitzgerald said Wednesday. "I never looked at it that way." In recruiting, where there's smoke, generally there's fire. Just as the rumors were starting to die down, Fitzgerald said Wednesday that he had chosen the Cavaliers.

Fitzgerald, rated the No.6 prospect in Virginia by The Roanoke Times, said he picked UVa over Maryland and Virginia Tech and that the Hokies "probably" were his second choice.

Fitzgerald's teammate at Hermitage High School in Richmond, quarterback Jameel Sewell became the 22nd player to commit to Virginia on July26. Fitzgerald is the 23rd.

Fitzgerald (6-foot-4, 245 pounds) is the seventh preseason SuperPrep All-American to commit to Virginia. SuperPrep rated him the No.29 defensive lineman in the country after a junior year in which he had 16 tackles for loss and 11 sacks.

"Really, I felt the most comfortable at Virginia," Fitzgerald said. "My family really liked it."

Mistaken identity

At 11:10 a.m. Wednesday, callers to the ACC's first football teleconference of the season were advised that they would be joined by "Virginia coach" Frank Beamer.

Virginia, Virginia Tech. No big deal.

Mostly, Beamer discussed topics raised in a teleconference Monday with Tech beat reporters, but he did share his thinking on the "five-for-five" proposal that the ACC has made to the NCAA.

Until now, student-athletes at the Division I level have had five years in which to play four, except in the rare instances where an athlete has made a successful "hardship" appeal for a sixth year.

"I think it's going to happen," Beamer said. "It makes sense. Across the country, everybody sees the pluses."

If ratified, the five-for-five proposal would be retroactive, meaning that freshmen used this season would be able to play four more seasons.

"If it's close, I say 'let's play the guy,'" said Beamer, who traditionally has redshirted most of his true freshmen.

The Hokies used five true freshmen last Saturday against Southern California but none was a close enough call to be influenced by the five-for-five possibility, Beamer said.

Lukewarm reviews

In its annual rating of the quarterback "situation" at the 117 programs that play Division I-A football, the Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel has Virginia Tech at No.31 and Virginia at No.55 going into the season.

Only an astute college football fan could name Arizona State's starting quarterback, Andrew Walter, but the Sun Devils were judged to have the best quarterback situation in the country, one spot ahead of Southern California and Heisman Trophy candidate Matt Leinart.

Clemson, with Charlie Whitehurst and his backups, was rated ahead of any other ACC team at No.7. Also in the top 20 were No.14 Florida State and No.18 North Carolina. Quarterback obviously is a key issue for recent ACC powers N.C. State and Maryland, who came in 65th and 74th.

On the court

Georgia Tech has received an oral commitment from Lewis Clinch, a 6-foot-3 guard from Cordele, Ga., who is rated the No.27 prospect in the country by TheInsiders.Com. Prep Stars had Clinch at No.76 in its presummer report.

Virginia had unofficial visits this past weekend from two of its top targets, 6-7 Uche Echefu from Montrose Christian in Rockville, Md., and 6-5 Mamadi Diane from DeMatha in Hyattsville, Md. Echefu and UVa freshman Tunji Soroye were teammates last year at Montrose Christian.

Local update

Former Jefferson Forest linebacker Chris Owen, who has suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament twice during his Wake Forest career, has surfaced as the Deacons' backup fullback as a redshirt sophomore. In the Wake media guide, Owen said he expects to be racing in 10 years, with eight children, living in the hills of North Carolina.

Owen's one-time Jefferson Forest teammate, Jon Hamlett is listed as a co-starter at tight end for North Carolina as a sophomore. Hamlett is expected to share time with senior Scott Brumett, a transfer from East Tennessee State, who was not required to sit out because ETSU is giving up football.