CHARTLOTTESVILLE -- Whatever the future may hold for Virginia at quarterback, there should be no shortage of candidates.

On national letter-of-intent day, new Cavaliers coach Mike London introduced a 17-member class that included four QBs.

All four had committed to Virginia since the dismissal Nov. 29 of former coach Al Groh.

London noted there are three scholarships quarterbacks in the program -- Marc Verica, who will be a fifth-year senior, and two underclassmen who have not taken a snap.

"If you're going to be a quarterback in this program, now is the time to be one," London said Wednesday.

One of the quarterbacks, Michael Strauss from Key Biscayne, Fla., enrolled at UVa last month and will participate in spring practice.

Of the four quarterbacks listed on a UVa news release, only Strauss (6-foot-2, 204 pounds) was listed exclusively as a quarterback.

Prep League player of the year Jake McGee, Liberty Christian's Mike Rocco and Miles Gooch from Decatur, Ga., all were listed as combination quarterback-athletes.

McGee (6-5, 210) has been compared to another former high-school quarterback, Heath Miller, who became an All-America tight end for the Cavaliers.

"That's a stretch right there," London said. "I'm hesitant to make the jump that he's [a Miller] in waiting. I'd like for him to be that way, but only time will tell."

McGee was one of five Virginia signees who had made earlier commitments to other programs. In fact, McGee had committed to Richmond when London was the Spiders' coach.

"Jake McGee is a player whose family had deep ties to the university," London said. "His grandfather was on the [Virginia Athletics Foundation] board, I believe. I knew at the time that Jake committed to Richmond that this was a [Division] I-A player and was very pleased and happy.

"You can view it all different sort of ways. If I was at Richmond and he [decommitted] to go to William and Mary, then I'd perhaps be upset, but in going from an FCS school to an FBS school, you can't fault a young man for doing that."

Other players who signed with Virginia after committing elsewhere were Strauss (Tulane), Rocco (Louisville), Gooch (Toledo) and Katy, Texas, tight end Zach Swanson (Stanford).

London noted that Rocco's switch coincided with a coaching change at Louisville, where new Cardinals coach Charlie Strong is expected to install a new scheme.

Virginia had 13 commitments at the time of Groh's dismissal, one of whom, defensive back Kyrrel Latimer from DeMatha in Hyattsville, Md., did not sign.

London did not mention Latimer by name but said that the player who did not sign was prepared to attend prep school for a year and remained committed to the Cavaliers.

Virginia's class did not have a single recruit who was named to SuperPrep's 290-member All-America team, but the Cavaliers did sign a pair of Parade All-Americans, offensive lineman Morgan Moses from Fork Union Military Academy and running back Kevin "K.P." Parks.

Parks, whose March 27, 2009 commitment made him the first member of this class, set a national record with 1,370 rushing attempts at West Rowan (N.C.) High School. His 10,895 rushing yards rank third on the all-time career rushing list.

Parks (5-8, 195) received an award as the Old Spice Red Zone National Player of the Year.

"He's 5-8 ¹₂ on his tippy toes," London said, "but he plays like a giant. He can make a play that looks like 2 yards and go 22 yards or go 52 yards. He's a phenomenal talent with an infectious smile. He's one of those guys who people rally around because of his demeanor."

As for Parks' relatively short stature, London said, "I look at the Pro Bowl and I see a lot of 5-9 running backs. He's on a mission and we're going to give him a chance to prove his mission."

Moses was named to the Parade All-America team following the 2008 season and signed with Virginia for the first time last February. He spent last fall at Fork Union, where he played on the same offensive line as another 2009 signee and fellow 2010 UVa recruit, Cody Wallace.

Moses' 2009 letter-of-intent was no longer binding when he enrolled at Fork Union and he was recruited at the highest level again this season. He recommitted to the Cavaliers again last week, when it was announced that he would return to Fork Union when classes resume Feb. 10.

"I heard he had the hats out there again," London said of a Moses signing ceremony Wednesday. "Teams were still talking to him and trying to get him to change his mind until the last hour."