Cavs’ Ogletree is NFL-bound

By Jay Jenkins

Published: January 8, 2009

The opportunity was just too good to pass up.

After filing paperwork with the NFL advisory committee to check on his stock for the upcoming NFL draft, Virginia wide receiver Kevin Ogletree was left with only one decision. On Wednesday, that decision was made public.

“I came up with this decision here recently with my family to enter the draft this year,” Ogletree said. “I am feeling comfortable about it. It is a decision that I have been thinking about for a while and I am happy with it.”

Ogletree, listed at 6-foot-1 and 189 pounds, had one year of eligibility remaining after he was sidelined in 2007 after knee surgery. Yet with his sociology degree and a pair of 50-catch seasons under his belt, the New York native elected to pass up an opportunity to play in new offensive coordinator Gregg Brandon’s spread offense.

“The fact that I graduated makes me feel so much more comfortable with this decision,” Ogletree said. “I have that to fall back on. That’s what I signed to come to school for. I wanted to get my degree and play with the top competition.

“Now, I feel like I am ready to be presented with some new challenges and try some new things. I am excited about the future, and having the degree did provide me with some extra enthusiasm going into this.”

This season, Ogletree amassed 58 catches for 723 yards and five touchdowns, which would have been the top figures for a returning receiver in the ACC.

Ogletree also hauled in 52 passes for 582 yards and four touchdowns in 2006. Both seasons that he played, however, finished without a postseason appearance for the Cavaliers.

“Hopefully the reason that we were 5-7 wasn’t because I was starting at receiver,” Ogletree joked.

After making his announcement and signing with an agent, Ogletree boarded a plane and flew to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He will train there and remains hopeful to land an invitation to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, something Virginia senior left tackle Eugene Monroe received earlier this week.

“I am going to be training in Davie, Florida, for six weeks leading up to the draft,” Ogletree said. “I am working out down here and hopefully this hard work for six weeks will pay off in Indianapolis.

“I am just trying to get ready and do my part.”

While the exact information from the advisory committee was not something Ogletree disclosed, he said that information, research he completed on his own and discussions with his family contributed to the decision.

“It was positive and it was enough for me to make this decision,” he said. “I wouldn’t be doing this if I got a grade back that said I would go in the seventh round. I would be back in school right now.

“They have a few grades that they give out. I am not going to go into too much detail about it, but it was what I wanted to hear. It was enough for me to feel comfortable about this decision. Obviously, it was a draftable grade and something that I am going to work on to make even better.”

Ogletree, who has been clocked as fast as 4.31 in the 40-yard dash in the past year, said he also talked extensively with Virginia coach Al Groh.

“Coach Groh told me he would love to have me on his team, but he would support any decision that I made,” he said. “We always had the relationship where we could sit down and talk about things or issues that were around. I told him before the season started about a four-year plan that I was thinking about after my injury when I came back, and he told me that we would sit down after the season and talk about it more in detail, which we did.

“When I got home I did some of my own work and research and sent that draft report in to that advisory committee. It was a combination of things to try and gather the best information and the best feedback so I would be making the right choice.”

Groh praised Ogletree for his performance as a Cavalier.

“Kevin has been a significant part of our team,” Groh said. “He was a strong performer and an excellent teammate. Kevin received his degree in December and feels this is the appropriate time for him to move on.

“We agree and support him in his decision and wish him much success.”

Ogletree’s departure is a crushing blow to Virginia’s offense. The Cavaliers — barring permission from the NCAA to grant Tulane transfer Cary Koch a fifth year of eligibility, a move he will have to explore on his own through an appeal — do not boast a wideout that hauled in more than 12 catches this season.

Virginia could, of course, employ cornerback Vic Hall in slot on offense, a move that could be bolstered by the return of cornerback Chris Cook to the secondary. Cook will return to classes next week, as will quarterback Jameel Sewell and linebacker Darnell Carter, all of whom were suspended from school for two semesters after receiving academic suspensions.

“I know what we have coming back. I love the guys on my team and they will always be friends of mine,” Ogletree said. “You have to look at situations like that but my situation is different. I am looking at a bunch of things. It is not like there is any big instability at Virginia. They will be fine and have that ironed out.

“Having that new offensive coordinator and some new guys around there isn’t the worst thing, and it would have provided a little bit of change. Who knows what would have happened. That was big coming down the stretch as I was about to make my decision whether to go back and try it out with the new offensive coordinator and the new receiver coach, Latrell Scott. But the family decision at the end of the day was to go ahead and try to pursue this professional career.”