UVa looks north for new recruit

By Jay Jenkins

Published: May 24, 2008

Jim Dombrowski, Virginia’s newest addition to the college football Hall of Fame, may have a new favorite Cavalier.

Dombrowski, an accomplished hockey player growing up in New York, outgrew the ability to dominate on the ice before ultimately deciding to play football at Virginia.

Late Friday night, Virginia landed another hockey standout — defensive end Brent Urban, who hails from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, gave his verbal commitment to Virginia’s coaching staff for the Class of 2009. He became the eighth commitment for the class.

Urban, who stands at 6-foot-7 and 264 pounds, is considered the best college football prospect in Canada by several recruiting services.

The fact that Urban pursued football over hockey shocked many. He was, in fact, a left wing on the best junior hockey team in his age group in North America in 2006.

“I was pretty good,” Urban said. “I would just plant myself in front of the net, pretty much.”

After attending a Nike combine at Penn State after his sophomore year, Urban received widespread attention from numerous programs.

“I haven’t been playing football that long and it had just become a new sport,” he said, “and to get that kind of feedback was great.”

Urban landed verbal offers from numerous schools, including Maryland, Louisville, UConn and UVa.

After taking visits to Virginia and Maryland, Urban jumped at the chance to become a Cavalier.

“The coaches were great and I had a great connection with them,” he said. “I also like the 3-4 defense, which has bigger players at the ends, and the whole atmosphere there.

“It was everything I could ask for.”

Urban’s lead recruiter, assistant coach Bob Price, also made an impact. Price coached in the Canadian Football League from 1991 to 1996.

“He has a good connection with Canada,” Urban said, “and he has recruited other players from Canada.”

In fact, the class of 2008 included Fork Union offensive lineman Austin Pasztor, who also hails from Ontario.

Urban said he is eager to learn the finer details of the game once he arrives at Virginia.

“I think I am raw in some aspects of it with the coaching up here, but I feel like they can mold me,” he said. “I feel like the skills are there and I just need a better understanding of the game and I need to refine that.”