Another great recruiting update from thesabre.com
Chris Horne:
The Week In Review is back for the 2014 season. This feature is a look at how University of Virginia commitments — both class of 2015 and class of 2016 — have performed on the gridiron so far this season. In most weeks we will have a “Player Spotlight”, and this week’s “Spotlight” is on defensive tackleJames Trucilla, who watched a regular season game inside Scott Stadium for the first time last Saturday.
The 6’1″, 265-pound Trucilla is an all-state defensive tackle at Cathedral Prep (Erie, PA). He has helped the Ramblers to a 6-0 start to the 2014 season, including a 35-8 win over Central Tech last week. Through six games, Trucilla has 14 tackles for loss and three sacks.
Cathedral travels to St. Francis of Athol Springs, New York, this Saturday.
TheSabre: How was your first ever regular season game experience at UVa?
James Trucilla: “That was awesome. The fans were great. They were loud and excited. The energy was great. The campus is great. It’s a beautiful campus. After the game I got to go to the locker room to see Coach London talk. That was cool.
“My parents were supposed to go with me, but they went on another recruiting thing to Michigan with my sister. I really wanted to go because of Pitt and James Conner. I played against him many times in high school. I asked one of my coaches and he brought me and a buddy of mine down. It was important for me to see a game, so I’m glad I was able to make it.”
TheSabre: Did you just relax and watch the game or were you studying the defensive tackles?
James Trucilla: “A little bit of both. The biggest thing I was doing was comparing the way I play with what they were doing. They hold the line pretty well. They stunt a lot. When they are double and tripled teamed, they hold the line. Sometimes they clogged holes for the linebackers to make plays. People always want flash, but the defensive line also holds up linemen for the linebackers to make plays. I feel like I do that well for our team. The biggest thing I need to work on is my hands.”
TheSabre: What was your favorite part of the game?
James Trucilla: “I loved it when [Anthony Harris] sacked the quarterback. He was grabbing his jersey like he didn’t know if he would get him. He kept pursuing him and got him down.”
TheSabre: You mentioned James Conner. How did you do against him in high school?
James Trucilla: “He was a beast. He was always a big kid. The funny thing is, when I was a sophomore, we played against them and they had a fourth and one. I think I was playing nose. If they score, they probably win. Our games are really competitive. There are like 10 or 12 [thousand fans] at our games. It was fourth down and we got the stop. I got a piece of him.”
TheSabre: What do you like most about being a senior?
James Trucilla: “I like knowing where I’m going to college and having a leadership role in the school, being someone the younger kids look up to. I love that I get to play one more season with my friends.”
TheSabre: In what ways do you feel you have improved from last year?
James Trucilla: “I feel like I got bigger than last year. Every year, I’ve played kind of light. This year I’m up around 265 or 270. I feel huskier, stronger, and faster off the ball. I feel good. I feel like I need to play with my hands a lot more.”
TheSabre: Any thoughts on the possibility of seeing some playing time as a true freshman next season?
James Trucilla: “I’m going to come in and compete. When I was a sophomore here, I thought I could play. The Virginia coaches told me that if I can play they will play me. They won’t hold off. I’m going to compete and we’ll see what happens.”
