Virginia
Virginia coach Tony Elliott answers questions from the media at the ACC Kickoff. ~ Photo by SportsWar

Thursday afternoon, Virginia participated in the ACC Football Kickoff in Charlotte. Coach Tony Elliott, Brennan Armstrong, Nick Jackson, and Keytaon Thompson all took the stage for the Hoos and visited throughout the day with the media. The Cavaliers had a clear message for the press: 2022 is the beginning of a new era for UVA football - one focused on new energy.

Jackson said it best.

“Getting Coach Elliott has been electric, honestly. You can feel the buzz around campus on the Grounds, and just having him, he has changed a lot,” Jackson said.

Much of this energy could be due to Elliot finding what Clemson coach Dabo Swinney called the “right fit” for his former assistant. In response to these comments, Elliott said that while his initial conversations with Virginia didn’t make this immediately apparent, his follow up conversations with Athletic Director Carla Williams sealed the deal. When searching for a relationship based program, he said that these off the record conversations were all he needed to know Virginia was the right place for him. 

In the months since his hire, he's repeatedly said his time on the job only provided affirmation for the decision.

"I was looking for alignment. That was the number one thing I was looking for," Elliott said. "We were able to have a couple of conversations off the record that solidified that UVA was the right place for me. It already fit the profile, what I was looking for, because you guys know that academics for me is the most important thing. I was a ballplayer just like these guys, and I had dreams of playing in the NFL, but it was my aunt's persistent and consistent messaging to me about my education. Now my life and the lives of my children has changed because of education. ... I wanted to be somewhere where I could build what I believe is the model program that shows you can win at the highest level but you don't have to compromise anything from a character standpoint, an academic standpoint, and player development standpoint." 

Energy But Accountability

While this energy has certainly created a quick shift in UVA’s football culture, Coach Elliott has been working to channel it on the field as well. One of the biggest recipients of this enthusiasm, as Coach Elliott sees it, is wide receiver Keytaon Thompson. During the press conference, when asked where Thompson has grown the most as a receiver since he arrived, Coach Elliott didn't hold back.

"He has grown the most in that he is understanding that Coach Elliott is going to be on him every single day. Every single day," Elliott said. "Now he is accepting that challenge."

Smiling while he said it, Coach Elliott gave a quick glance to Thompson during this quip. The senior receiver, in return, echoed these sentiments when he took the podium. In response to being asked about Coach Elliott being on him “every single day,” Thompson agreed.

"He is not lying about that. He is on me every day for sure," Thompson said. "Now, like he said, I really can appreciate it and see where it's coming from. The guys you've seen go to the NFL and have successful careers, you know that's something that I want to do. With him just pushing me to be great, it's really helped me, especially this past offseason throughout the summer. Just really focusing and trying to get better each and every day, and I think as long as I do that, everything else will take care of itself."

This is the exact mentality that Elliott hopes to bring to UVA. A self-proclaimed “blue-collar mentality” man, Elliott expects his team to work hard for themselves but most importantly, work hard for one another. By channeling the energy he has created within UVA’s football culture onto the field and into the locker room, he is creating a sense of accountability and self-respect that the Cavaliers need. 

Offensive Line Remains A Focus For Virginia

Elliott’s most important response, perhaps, came from a question in regard to Virginia’s offensive line. When asked about the state of the O-Line, he responded, “That is the biggest question.” He continued, “the only regret that I have is that I didn't do a good job of recruiting those guys that left when I first got to UVA.”

Those guys refers to the key rotation players last season. The Hoos lost their top six linemen following last year. While only two graduated, four Cavaliers decided to transfer out of the program: Ryan Swoboda, Olusegun Oluwatimi, Bobby Haskins, and Joe Bissinger, who chose to attend Central Florida, Michigan, Southern California, and SMU respectively. That left the offense with a lot of experience to replace up front.

While it certainly would have been good to retain the veteran talent the Cavaliers lost, Elliott is still hopeful about what the offensive line can do this season, and mentioned several players by name. 

"I'm excited about the opportunities that we have, so we have guys that have some experience. Just not a lot of it," Elliott said. "[Jonathan] Leech is a guy that we've been really, really counting on, and he had a great offseason, great spring. He showed some versatility. Logan Taylor is a big body that's very, very talented coming off of injury. He was limited in the spring. Then we have [Derek] Devine. Devine is an older guy. A veteran guy. He hasn't played as much, so there's three guys that have some experience. Just not a lot of it."

Elliott also said that Virginia put together a plan to address the depth for the unit. He noted some of the acquisitions the UVA was able to make, like grad transfer John Paul Flores. As he mentioned, though, Virginia’s biggest issue with regard to its offensive line this year will undoubtedly be depth. The Cavaliers are going to need some inexperienced players to get ready quickly.

"We brought in some ready-made guys that we believe can transition quickly, and we have some developmental guys on the offensive line that we think over time are going to be really good players," Elliott said. "So the key is can we get two or three of those guys that we brought in this summer to be ready to be depth guys, so that the guys that are starting don't have to play every single snap. But they're going to have to grow up fast."

Custom Shoes For Virginia

For the ACC Media Kickoff, Virginia was outfitted with sets of custom sneakers designed by Lindsay Huff, a University alum and wife of basketball star Jay Huff. The shoes told the life stories of the Hoos' attendees. Here’s a look at these sweet kicks:

The shoes gave a lot of attention to Huff's artwork, which can be seen here. During an interview with some ACC Network media members, Elliott joked that she better get ready to be busy because everyone loved the shoes.

Worth Quoting

When asked about what he wants people to know about him, Keytaon Thompson offered potentially the most heartfelt and impactful message of the conference: 

"One of the most important things, I guess I would have to say I'm just - I pride myself on being a really good teammate and being there for my guys and trying to make a play for them whenever need be. Also, off the field as student-athletes we go through a lot and a lot of people don't necessarily get it or understand it, but you know student-athletes are under stress a lot of times, and I try to be there for my guys off the field as much as possible just to try to make sure that they're having a good experience and that they're happy and in a good space mentally because I've been in college a long time, and I have seen a lot. I've been through a lot. I just really want to be there for my guys."