Elliott Makes Initial Coaching and Strength Staff Announcements

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Fralin Family Head Football Coach Tony Elliott announced today (Dec. 27) he will retain three members of the 2021 Virginia football coaching staff as part of his first staff. That group includes wide receivers coach Marques Hagans, defensive line coach Clint Sintim and offensive line coach Garett Tujague. Their specific position assignments are subject to change as Elliott makes additional coaching staff announcements.

Hagans, a 2005 Virginia graduate, recently completed his ninth season at Virginia and oversaw a receiver’s group that saw four different players gain more than 600 yards during the season. That group included all-ACC receivers Dontayvion Wicks and Keytaon Thompson. During his time at Virginia, Hagans has coached nine of the 15 wide receivers who are on the school’s top-20 all-time career receptions list.

This past year Tujague’s offensive line featured All-American center Olusegun Oluwatimi, who was the program’s first Rimington Trophy finalist. He was one of three Cavalier offensive linemen to be named to an all-conference team. Tujague’s offensive lines have helped UVA to amass more than 5,000 yards of total offense in three of the team’s last four seasons. Prior to the 2018 season, UVA only surpassed 5,000 yards of total offense four times in program history. The 2021 season was Tujague’s sixth at Virginia.

Like Hagans, Sintim is also a UVA graduate (2009). He joined the UVA staff prior to the 2020 season. Sintim’s front line in 2020 helped the Cavaliers finish No. 11 in the nation with 3.2 sacks per game. UVA’s 32 sacks rank No. 6 all-time on UVA’s single-season list as 9.5 of those sacks were registered by defensive linemen.

Elliott also announced the hiring of Adam Smotherman as the football program’s head strength and conditioning coach.

Additionally, Nate Pototschnik will remain with the Cavalier program and has been promoted to associate strength and conditioning coach. He has been a full-time member of the Virginia strength and conditioning staff since 2017.

Adam Smotherman

Smotherman comes to UVA after spending the past nine seasons on the Clemson football strength and conditioning staff. His tenure at Clemson included nine seasons (2013-21) as a full-time coach and one year (2011-12) as a  graduate assistant. Smotherman previously worked as the assistant director of strength and conditioning at Furman from 2012-13. He interned in the weight room at his alma mater, Vanderbilt, in 2011.

A native of Smyrna, Tenn., Smotherman is Strength and Conditioning Coach Certified (SCCC) by the CSCCA, a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) by the NSCA, a Level 1 Sports Performance Coach (SPC) certified through USA Weightlifting, and a Specialist in Sports Nutrition (SSN) certified by the International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA).

Smotherman was a four-year letterman and multi-year starter at defensive tackle at Vanderbilt. He earned the team’s Ironman Lineman Award three times, the Lifter of the Year Award two times, the Dedication Award, and was elected team co-captain his senior year. A graduate of Smyrna (Tenn.) High School, he won the Tennessee 5A Mr. Football Lineman of the Year Award as a senior. In 1019 he was inducted into Smyrna High School’s hall of fame.

Smotherman earned a bachelor’s degree in secondary education and history from Vanderbilt and a master’s degree in youth development leadership from Clemson. He is married to the former Lindsey Whitworth of Columbia, S.C. The couple has a son, Jack, and a daughter, Caroline.