By Jeff White (jwhite@virginia.edu)
VirginiaSports.com
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — He wore jersey No. 31 last season as a first-year in the University of Virginia football team. At the suggestion of head coach Tony Elliott, Montino Williams switched to No. 1 this year.
That’s one of the most revered jerseys in the UVA program, along with 15 and 41. Those were the numbers worn by Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler and D’Sean Perry, respectively, before their tragic deaths in an on-Grounds shooting in November 2022.
In Williams, Elliott sees many of the qualities that made Davis such a special person and player, and he believed Williams would appreciate the significance of the number.
Asked Tuesday about Williams, Elliott said he’s “about all the right things, both on and off the field. He's probably got one of the highest GPAs of all those guys on the back end. He's a guy that's fully committed, and he's been like that since the day he showed up.”
A graduate of Matoaca High School in the Richmond area, Williams appeared in 13 games for the Wahoos last season, playing primarily on special teams. His role has grown significantly this fall. Williams is expected to make his fourth start Friday night when UVA (4-3 overall, 2-2 ACC) hosts Duke (4-2, 1-2) at Scott Stadium.
“He’s an unbelievable student of the game,” UVA defensive coordinator John Rudzinski said. “He does a tremendous job as far as his preparation, as far as his body. He's one of those guys that [will be] in the weight room or here at 6 in the morning, part of that breakfast club. He wants to know the answers to the test and does the studying mentally to be ready. And then he's just a blessed athlete. You walk up on him and he's physically an imposing young man, and so it's fun to coach those guys that love to work, that have great intensity and ultimately want to go make plays on Saturday."
Fred Stoots was a Matoaca assistant in 2021, when Williams was a ninth-grader, and the Warriors’ head coach for the next three seasons. From day one, Stoots said, Williams stood out.
“Not just physically, the way he looked, but also his maturity,” Stoots said. “Montino just has a different mindset. It’s really refreshing for a young person to think the way Montino does. He’s very business-minded. He knows what he wants and he’s going to work to get there.
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“Somebody asked me last week about him, and I said you’re probably going to see him on Sundays, because he’s set his mind and that’s what he wants to do, and he’s going to do everything he’s supposed to do to get there.”
The 6-foot-3 Williams weighed 187 pounds when he arrived on Grounds last year. He’s added about 25 pounds since then without losing any of his speed.
“When you look at Montino, physically he has done a really, really good job with his body to get himself ready to play,” Elliott said.
Williams’ classmates in the Cavaliers’ program include wide receiver Dillon Newton-Short, another Matoaca graduate. After a promising 2025 season, Newton-Short has battled a hamstring injury that’s kept him out of games this fall.
“I know he's going through some tough times, but I understand,” Williams said. “I just told him to trust the process and you're going to get through it. I just make sure I encourage him, regardless of what's going on.”
Newton-Short committed to UVA in May 2024, then began trying persuade Williams to join him in Charlottesville.
“It definitely was one of the leading factors that made me come here and feel more comfortable,” said Williams, who committed to Virginia the next month. “But also, after coming up here for a couple more visits and really just sitting and spending my time alone in this area, knowing how close I was to home, that's what really made my decision final.”
Their high school has been good to UVA football. Matoaca alumni who have played at Virginia include former NFL standout James Farrior, Byron Thweatt and Kris Burd. Thweatt and Farrior rank Nos. 6 and 7 all-time, respectively, in career tackles at UVA. Burd ranks No. 5 in career receptions at Virginia.
Burd was a Matoaca assistant when Williams starred there. “He was one of the mentors in my area telling me right from wrong and telling me what to do on the field.
Willams played varsity football at Matoaca all four years. His final three seasons, “he didn’t come off the field,” Stoots said. “You talk about a phenomenal athlete. Complete game-changer.”
On offense, Williams played tailback and wideout. On defense, he lined up at a hybrid position: part linebacker, part strong safety.
“He played our Jack,” Stoots said, “which was the guy who had to help out in the run game but also help out in the pass game and do a little bit of everything.”
Williams made seven tackles as a UVA first-year in 2025. He’s recorded 25 tackles this season, but he’s still looking for his first interception as a Cavalier.
“Wait till you see him pick one off and get the ball in his hands,” Stoots said. “I joked with Coach Elliott when he was coming down [to recruit at Matoaca]. I said, ‘Coach, you’re going to have a hard time not putting the ball in his hands.’ Tino loves defense. That’s all he wants to do, but when the ball gets in his hands, something special is about to happen.”
Williams, who was a sprinter on Matoaca’s track & field team, is looking forward to that moment. “It's crazy,” he said, “because I played most of my high school career with the ball in my hands, and it's been a while since then. I just can't wait for the opportunity to come to just show the real me.”