CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (CBS19 SPORTS) -- Anthony Colandrea should still be roaming the halls at Lakewood High School thinking about prom or graduation, instead he spent the spring learning a college offense and impressing his new Virginia teammates, coaches and fans alike.

"I've said it for awhile about Ant, he's a ball player. It seems like the bigger the stage, the brighter the lights and that's what you saw," UVA head coach Tony Elliott said, "Just tells you he's got that moxie to him and he's got that Florida swag."

While most of the attention this spring at quarterback has gone to Monmouth transfer Tony Muskett and dual-sport athlete Jay Woolfolk, Colandrea has shown some of the flair and potential coaches saw in him coming out of high school. In Saturday's spring game with Woolfolk on baseball duty, Colandrea went 18-29 for 218 yards a touchdown to fellow mid-year enrollee Jaden Gibson and one interception.

"It comes from just always being confident when I was younger and going into games confident, just having that swagger," Colandrea said afterwards, "That's just been me my whole life."

Colandrea has taken advantage of the extra reps this spring behind Muskett, while Woolfolk split his time between baseball and football. Elliott joked the young quarterback already has a handshake with every player on the team and has brought a lot of energy into his position room.

"He reminds me a lot of myself when I first came into college," Muskett said, "He's a fun loving kid, he can sling it out there. He's got a ton of arm talent, I love being around him on a daily basis, he makes things fun for me."

Originally committed to Middle Tennessee State, Colandrea flipped his commitment to Virginia after receiving interest from Kentucky and Washington State as well. At only 6'0", UVA coaches looked beyond the height and saw something more in the Florida product.

"What you've guys have seen is him and that's the thing that attracted to us in the recruiting process, just it's something as they say that 'it factor," offensive coordinator Des Kitchings said, "He sends us a text at night, 'hey I want the practice script for tomorrow, so I can get ready for the next day's practice."

Colandrea enrolled early for the opportunity to work under Tony Elliott and quarterbacks coach Taylor Lamb and says the extra time has allowed him to get some early rookie mistakes heading into the fall.

"I just wanted to be a sponge, just whatever the coaches were telling me," Colandrea said, "Just listen because it's just a whole new philosophy from high school, like a new pro-style system."

Colandrea still keeps in contact with his high school friends daily, but does not regret his decision to come to UVA early because of the lessons learned. While Muskett and Woolfolk will battle for the starting quarterback job into the fall, Colandrea showed the Cavaliers might be as healthy at the QB position in awhile with more potential down the line.

"He balled out today, he actually surprised me the plays and throws he made, the shots he took, with his arm talent there's no knowing what he could do," sophomore wide receiver JR Wilson said, "He really showed that he's going to be a great quarterback in the future."