Wahoo Nation,
One of my favorite things about this time of year is welcoming everyone back to Grounds.
The sights, sounds, and traditions of football season remind us just how special this community is. They also remind us that Saturdays at Scott Stadium are about much more than football. They are a moment and opportunity for our University community to come together in support of our student-athletes and one another.
In just a few weeks, those moments return. And this season brings a rare opportunity, as Scott Stadium will host five ACC home games for the first time in more than 30 years, with seven opportunities for Wahoo Nation to come together and build on the momentum created last fall.
In 2025, Virginia Football delivered one of the most memorable seasons in program history with a historic 11-win campaign. Our community of fans, friends, and alumni embraced that momentum, producing Scott Stadium’s highest average attendance since 2008, including four consecutive crowds of more than 50,000 fans. No Power Four program saw a larger percentage increase in attendance, and only one FBS school added more fans per home game than Virginia.
That same spirit fueled one of the most successful years in Virginia Athletics history.
We captured a combined 10 conference championships, fielded 18 programs ranked among the nation's Top 10, and became just one of six universities nationally to finish the year ranked in the final AP Top 25 polls in football, men's basketball and women's basketball. It marked the first time in 31 years that all three programs accomplished that feat together. Those accomplishments culminated in Virginia finishing fifth nationally in the Learfield Directors' Cup standings, our third top-five finish in the last four years and another reflection of the comprehensive excellence that defines Virginia Athletics.
Those accomplishments reflect more than talent alone. They are the result of exceptional student-athletes, dedicated coaches and staff, as well as incredible support from Virginia Athletics Foundation members. The landscape of college athletics has changed, but one truth remains constant: continued excellence requires continued investment and today, that investment matters more than ever.
College athletics is in a new era where winning, national visibility and financial strength are more closely intertwined than ever before. Success drives visibility. Visibility generates resources. Those resources fuel future success. The ACC's new revenue distribution model is built around that reality.
Simply put, greater success and greater visibility create greater opportunity.
Football sits at the center of that opportunity.
It is our largest stage, our most visible platform and, in many ways, the front porch of both Virginia Athletics and the University itself. When Virginia Football thrives, it strengthens every corner of our athletics department while serving as a powerful first impression of the University of Virginia for prospective students, alumni and supporters across the country and globally. When that front porch is healthy and vibrant, the entire institution benefits.
Applications to the University increased by 27% this year to a record 82,118, while Virginia Athletics generated more than $1.1 billion in economic impact over the past three years. Those are reminders that at Virginia, success has a way of compounding. When we invest in Virginia Athletics – through our attendance, our philanthropy and our enthusiasm – we strengthen far more than a football program. We strengthen the University itself.
That is why sustaining our momentum matters. Our goal is to celebrate, but not linger on the amazing accomplishments of 2025. Our intention is to make sure 2025 is the standard.
Doing so requires continued investment, in our coaches, our student-athletes and our program. It requires philanthropic support through the Virginia Athletics Foundation that matches donor intent and ensures your dollars are being directed to what’s most meaningful to you. It requires adding new football season ticket holders and annual fund support to ensure financial stability for all 27 sports. It requires a sold-out Scott Stadium creating one of the best home-field advantages in college football. It requires more businesses and companies powered by Wahoos to partner with our global brand and student-athletes. Fans, donors, season ticket holders, and corporate partners make the difference, the lifeblood of the entire athletic department, and we will never waiver from our mission to enhance and support the intellectual purpose of the University and its exemplary standards and traditions.
As we begin this new season together, I invite you to join us and take your place in what comes next. Sell out Scott Stadium. Stand with our student-athletes. Invest in the future of Virginia Athletics. The next chapter of Virginia Football won't be written by chance. It will be written by choice.
To become a new season ticket holder, visit uvatix.com. To discuss your involvement and explore ways to philanthropically support Virginia Football, please contact the Virginia Athletics Foundation at 434-982-5555 or vafweb@virginia.edu. To connect with our corporate sponsorship team, contact Virginia Sports Properties.
There is no way we have come this far to stop. It’s our choice and that choice burns within all of us. Let’s GO HOOS!!
Carla Williams
Director of Athletics
University of Virginia