Elliott and Co. Building Momentum in Recruiting

By Jeff White (jwhite@virginia.edu)
VirginiaSports.com

CHARLOTTESVILLE – In 2021, the early signing day for football fell on Dec. 15, less than a week after the University of Virginia hired Tony Elliott to be its next head coach.

To say that was less than ideal for the Cavaliers’ 2022 recruiting class would be an understatement. In the wake of Bronco Mendenhall’s unexpected announcement on Dec. 2 that he would be stepping down as UVA’s head coach, more than a half-dozen players who had been committed to his program flipped to other schools.

On the early signing day, UVA’s initial class consisted of only 10 players: nine high school seniors and Devin Chandler, a transfer from the University of Wisconsin.

In the weeks that followed, however, Elliott assembled a staff that visited high schools around the Mid-Atlantic region, hosted prospects in Charlottesville, and worked diligently to make up ground.

The payoff came Wednesday. On the first day of the late signing period, Elliott announced the signings of 10 more players: seven high school seniors and three graduate transfers: defensive lineman Paul Akere (Columbia) and offensive linemen John Paul Flores (Dartmouth) and Mac Hollensteiner (Georgetown).

Another grad transfer, Jack Camper (Michigan State), enrolled at the University and joined Elliott’s program last month. In all, that makes 21 newcomers for the coming season, and the total may grow after this semester ends.

“Just really, really excited about how the staff went out and scrambled and worked hard,” Elliott said on a Zoom call Wednesday. “Obviously, we were playing a little bit of catch-up, but we were able to fulfill some needs, in particularly on the offensive line.”

The Wahoos lost their top six offensive linemen from last season, four of whom transferred to other schools.

“I think we all know the situation,” Elliott said. “With the transition, we lost several guys that really, really hurt our numbers. So [bolstering the O-line] was the primary focus, and we also wanted to supplement on the defensive line with a couple of guys.”

Four players enrolled at UVA last month and have been training with the team under the direction of strength and conditioning coach Adam Smotherman: Camper (defensive end), Chandler (wide receiver/return specialist), and freshmen Stevie Bracey (linebacker) and Davis Lane Jr. (quarterback).

“Jack is still coming off of an arm injury, so he’s a little bit limited,” Elliott said, “but his body looks good. Looks like he’s getting back into the playing shape and form that he wants to be in. Haven’t had a chance to see the other guys as much because they’ve been doing a lot of the onboarding process and then we’ve been away [recruiting].

“Bracey is a guy that you know he’s going to be a leader. He was a leader in recruiting and he’s a very serious and focused young man. Davis is a guy that I’m excited about. I think that he’s got some potential that he hasn’t tapped into. And then Devin was a guy that was targeted, from my understanding, kind of for a specific reason. He brings a great skill set from the return game and then also from a from a receiver standpoint.”

Of the five transfers, all have at least two years of eligibility remaining.

“We prefer that,” Elliott said, “especially when they’re kind of coming in at ground zero, with a chance to help establish the foundation of the championship culture we want to establish going forward in the locker room. It wasn’t a prerequisite. First time recruiting in the portal, it’s a challenge, because we were on some guys that we thought we were going to have a good shot at, and before we knew it, we were out of the ball game. Other guys popped up. So it wasn’t necessary that they have two years, but it’s a great benefit to us because now, especially at the positions that they’re coming in, they give us experience, they give us, in the locker room, the ability to bring some leadership, and then on the field they have two years to produce.”

Flores and Hollensteiner weren’t the only offensive linemen UVA added Wednesday. Six high school seniors also joined offensive line coach Garett Tujague’s group: Dawson Alters, Snoop Amaama, McKale Boley, Houston Curry, Noah DeMeritt and Blake Steen. Alters and Steen are classmates at St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

“We were hopeful that we could have retained a couple of [the O-linemen who entered the transfer portal],” Elliott said, “but at the end of the day, they made decisions that they felt like was best for them. We respect that, and they’re going to do well wherever they may be. But for us, it was a numbers situation.”

With so few returning offensive linemen, the Cavaliers “targeted some grad transfers to bring in some experience, because we did not have experience,” Elliott said, “but then we also wanted to have guys that we can bring into the program that possibly could be ready to play early, and then other guys that we knew were going to be developmental guys. Just trying to solidify the room and balance it out … So the message was: Let’s go hard, everybody jump on board, let’s identify the best guys that are available out there, let’s go recruit them, and let’s try to build this [position] room up to where it needs to be.”

Of the newcomers, only two grew up in Virginia: Camper (Virginia Beach) and Lane (Lynchburg). The makeup of future recruiting classes will be different, Elliott promised.

He grew up in Charleston, S.C., and played and coached at Clemson. Along the way, Elliott gained a full appreciation for his alma mater’s rivalry with the University of South Carolina, and he knows UVA and Virginia Tech have a similar relationship.

That’s one reason he wants Virginians to be well-represented on his roster. For those players, Elliott said, the Hoos’ rivalry with the Hokies “just means a little bit more … and then that resonates to the rest of the guys that you supplement on the roster.”

And so recruiting this state is a priority for the new staff. However, Elliott said, “I think with the [coaching] transition it was a little more difficult, because guys were making decisions in the early signing period. We’re definitely going to make sure we sign more than two guys from Virginia going forward, but considering the circumstances, we had to go where the availability was.”

This recruiting class includes players from 14 states. “I feel like we hit on some critical needs, but also still got some work to do,” Elliott said. “Hopefully our best job of recruiting will be recruiting the locker room as we go through the spring so we can maintain the guys that we’ve got, so we’re not in a situation where we’re trying to find more guys before fall camp starts.”

The Cavaliers will continue recruiting for the coming season, Elllott said, and they’re open to adding more depth on the defensive line, at running back, at tight end, and in the secondary.

“Hopefully we won’t have any attrition during the spring,” Elliott said, “but I’m pretty sure that once we come out of spring practice. we’re going to see another wave of guys [in the transfer portal] that are going to be looking for different opportunities.”

He came to UVA in December after 11 seasons on head coach Dabo Swinney’s staff at Clemson, where Elliott earned a reputation as an outstanding recruiter. It’s a part of his job he approaches with enthusiasm.

“Successful recruiting still hinges on relationships and being authentic,” Elliott said. “For me, it’s always trying to make sure I establish a relationship with the coach so he knows my intentions. He knows I’m there to recruit his players, but why do I want his players? Why do I believe they fit the program I’m representing? So, I think the authenticity and consistency strengthen that relationship.”

How long it takes to establish those relationships can vary.

“I think each coach is different and that you can go into some situations immediately and create a bond and have chemistry and cohesion,” Elliott said. “I think there are other situations that you’ll go in and you’ve got to earn that trust over years of dealing with that coach and make sure that any players they send to you, they have a great experience.”

The Hoos will open spring practice on March 22. The spring game is set for Saturday, April 23, at Scott Stadium.

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