Hollins to Receive 2025 NCAA Inspiration Award

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Current Virginia football graduate assistant and former Cavalier running back Mike Hollins has been named the recipient of the 2025 NCAA Inspiration Award. The honor will be presented to Hollins on January 14 at the NCAA Honors Celebration in Nashville, Tenn.

The award is given to a coach or administrator currently associated with intercollegiate athletics or to a current or former varsity letter winner at an NCAA school. It honors those who used perseverance, dedication and determination to overcome a life-altering situation and become role models, giving hope and inspiration to others.

Hollins played at UVA from 2019-2023. He was voted a team captain following the conclusion of the 2023 season. That year saw Hollins honored by multiple organizations when he returned to the team after suffering two gunshot wounds during a campus incident that cost three of his teammates lives in November of 2022.

He completed his first season on Fralin Family Head Football Coach Tony Elliott’s staff as a graduate assistant in 2024 working primarily with the offensive staff. Over the course of his playing career at UVA, he appeared 42 games and rushed for 814 yards and 14 touchdowns, including seven during the 2023 campaign. He totaled 1250 all-purpose yards during his career. Hollins was an All-ACC Academic pick in both 2022 and 2023.

After the 2023 season he was the recipient of the ACC’s Brian Piccolo Award, annually given to the league’s most courageous football player, the Capital One Orange Bowl-FWAA Courage Award, 2023 Comeback Player of the Year given out by CSC, Associated Press and the Fiesta Bowl and the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award.

The ceremony will be streamed live on the NCAA YouTube channel beginning at 6 p.m.