What little suspense remained in Virginia football recruiting has been reduced greatly by developments of the past week.

Just days after offensive lineman Khamrone Kolb from Lake Braddock High School had committed to Penn State, Miami took a commitment from linebacker Travis Williams from Lake Taylor High School in Norfolk.

Williams and Kolb were rated Nos. 1 and 3 on a list of the state's uncommitted players that was published July 23 on roanoke.com.

The No. 2 player on that list, defensive back Nick Dew from First Colonial High School in Virginia Beach, committed to Virginia Tech on Sept. 26.

Williams had a final six that included Penn State, North Carolina, West Virginia, LSU and Tennessee.

Kolb had a final three of Penn State, Wisconsin and Connecticut before a visit to State College, Pa., this past Saturday, where he watched the Nittany Lions beat Minnesota 20-0.

Virginia had fallen off Kolb's list following an 0-3 start.

With the recent commitments, the most plentiful source of uncommitted players is Woodberry Forest School in Orange, where defensive back Ed Reynolds and defensive lineman Aramide Olaniyan have multiple offers.

Olaniyan, who has backed off an early commitment to Duke, has a visit planned for UCLA and also has Michigan on his list. Woodberry coach Clint Alexander said Reynolds is likely to choose from among North Carolina, Stanford and Duke.

Reynolds is the son of one-time UVa and New York Giants defensive end Ed Reynolds.

Alexander said that Buffalo has become the first Division I-A school to make a scholarship offer to Woodberry's Chad Kolumber, a 6-foot-8, 295-pound offensive lineman from King of Prussia, Pa.

Alexander said he wouldn't be surprised if Kolumber draws one or more ACC offers from a group that includes North Carolina, N.C. State, Clemson and Virginia.

Highlanders score

Radford has taken an oral commitment from Jareal Smith, a 6-foot-3, 190-pound combination guard from Savannah, Ga., who is described by AAU coach Curtis Wheeler as a potential Big South Conference rookie of the year.

Wheeler coaches Team Truth, a travel team based in North Augusta, Ga., whose annual schedule is close to 50-60 games. During the school year, Smith plays basketball at Johnson High School, where he also runs cross country and plays baseball.

"If he only played basketball, he'd be a lot more polished at this point," Wheeler said, "but I think coach [Brad] Greenberg will take care of that. He's [Smith] an excellent shooter -- 3-point shooter, free-throw shooter, mid-range shooter -- who can play both guard spots. He's a pretty good passer, which shows he's got high basketball IQ."

Tough critic

Within hours of Maryland's 20-9 loss to visiting Virginia, the father of Terrapins' quarterback Chris Turner had made his presence felt on a Maryland fans' site with a stinging indictment of Maryland athletic director Debbie Yow.

"Get rid of Yow," Turner's father, John, wrote on the Baltimore Sun's website, "and you might have a chance of being decent in football and basketball. Shes [sic] the absolute worst and will destroy your program. TRUST ME."

After being contacted by the Sun, Yow said she had not read the post but had always had "positive and pleasant" dealings with Turner's father, who entered the software business after a stint as drummer for the 1980's "hair" band RATT.

Firsts

North Carolina's football game tonight with Florida State will mark the first time that the Tar Heels have served as host to a Thursday night game televised by ESPN. What's more, Florida State has never been the host team for a Thursday night game, although the Tar Heels and Seminoles have made multiple Thursday night ESPN appearances as the road team.

"If we play a Thursday night game, I'd sure like to play in Tallahassee," Florida State coach Bobby Bowden said. "We have a policy here that we're not going to do it. It's administrative. It's because of the disruption of the academic community and facilities, [namely] parking spaces."

Connections

The quarterback for Presbyterian College, which plays host to VMI this coming Saturday, is north Roanoke County legacy Brandon Miley. Miley is the son of one-time Northside High School standout Rick Miley, who also played at Virginia Tech, and the grandson of longtime coach and administrator Dick Miley.

Miley, a sophomore from Hoggard High School in Wilmington, N.C., has passed for 1,069 yards and four touchdowns in six games this year after throwing for 1,712 yards while splitting time last season. The Blue Hose has lost nine straight games dating back to the 2008 season, including a 49-27 loss at VMI in the season finale.