After Chance Mallory committed to the Virginia Cavaliers the day that Ryan Odom was announced as the program’s new head coach, UVA has picked up a commitment from four star high school big man Silas Barksdale. Originally a VCU commit recruited to Richmond by Odom, Barksdale now will follow him to Charlottesville.

Barksdale is listed as a 6-foot-8 center. His motor as a defender and a rebounder are his strengths. The Newport News native can shoot the ball a little bit and has nice touch around the rim. Whether he can man the five spot at 6-foot-8 in the ACC is to be determined. He’ll naturally need to put on some weight to do so. But he could also have some nice versatility in the frontcourt as a defender who could, ideally, handle a variety of matchups.

Before committing to VCU, Barksdale also fielded offers from Butler, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Miami, Pitt, Virginia Tech, and Tennessee. He is likely a bit of a project. 247 Sports lists him as a four star and the 88th ranked player in the 2025 class. Rivals ranks him 149th. The reality is probably some where in between.

More than anything, Barksdale joining Mallory as 2025 commits gives the Wahoos another body and more recruiting momentum. With only Elijah Saunders and Elijah Gertrude definitely staying at UVA, the team needs players. Now, it has two in both the backcourt and the frontcourt as Odom and his staff hit the transfer portal to lure a few VCU players (such as Brandon Jennings and/or Luke Bamgboye) and a few bigger fish including Nick Davidson.

Barksdale adds to Odom’s slowly-developing young core. Ideally, Virginia will also soon add guys who can provide immediate impact for next season in the coming days and weeks.