CHARLOTTE – In three words, Virginia football coach Tony Elliott summed up the state of his program, and his career, during the annual ACC Kickoff preseason gathering of coaches and players:
“Year Five: Wow,” the former Clemson co-offensive coordinator said. Unsaid was that a year ago, there was no guarantee Elliott would be around for a fifth season.
What a difference a year like 2025 makes.
The Cavaliers, who had won 11 games total in Elliott’s first three seasons, matched that number en route to an 11-3 record and a first-place finish (7-1) in the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season. There wasn’t much not to like: a record number of victories capped by a 13-7 win over Missouri in the Gator Bowl; an explosive offense that averaged 30.8 points and 417.9 yards; a defense that allowed 19.6 points and only two games where opponents scored more than 35 points – one of those a 46-38 win over Florida State.
Even the 27-20 loss to underdog Duke in the ACC Championship game, which denied UVa the league title and, in all likelihood, a spot in the College Football Playoffs, couldn’t completely sour a special season – one that assured Elliott’s time in Charlottesville will continue.
A year ago, much of the preseason talk about Virginia still centered on Elliott’s first season, when the coach and team were rocked by the murders of three players and wounding of a fourth by a former player. “Immediately after the tragedy, progress was making sure these young men were mentally healthy enough not just go play football, but to cope with the daily rigors of being on the (UVa) grounds.
“Now we’re talking about kind of where we are as a program. I think you’ve got living, breathing examples of just how far the program has come.”
And while the jury remains out as to whether last season was a sign of more good things to come, or a fortuitous combination of luck and timeliness (four of those 11 wins came by one score or less, including a rousing 22-20 comeback vs. non-conference Washington State; all three losses were by a total of 18 points), the enthusiastic crowds at Scott Stadium were left hungry for more. That would be historic: the last time Virginia posted back-to-back winning seasons was 2018-19.
“The biggest challenge for us going forward is sustaining that excellence, right?” Elliott said. “From day one, I talked a lot (to his players) earlier on in their careers about handling success. Even when you couldn’t see the success, when there were only 11 wins in three seasons.
“I was talking about managing success because I wholeheartedly believed that one day we would be in a position where we’re coming off an historic season like we did last year. … My desire for this upcoming season is that what you see is who we are, what we say our identity is: a fit football team, fast, intelligent, tough.”
The Cavaliers have a number of elements that suggest another good season: a veteran offensive line anchored by senior McKale Boley, a seasoned defense anchored by linebacker Kam Robinson, one that had a plus-7 turnover margin, tied for 25th nationally; and an attack designed by offensive coordinator Des Kitchings (a South Carolina native) that needs only solid production at quarterback to duplicate last fall’s output.
A year ago, the job fell to Chandler Morris, whose link to Elliott was his father, former and now current Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris – who was succeeded by the tandem of Elliott and Jeff Scott, who in turn launched their own head-coaching careers.
Morris’ efforts to get another year of eligibility were unsuccessful, but in senior portal transfer Beau Pribula, the Cavaliers have a player coming off a 7-3 season as the starter at Missouri – ironically, Virginia’s victim in the Gator Bowl – after four seasons riding the bench at Penn State.
“I don’t know what the odds are (of playing for the team that beat his former team),” Pribula said, laughing. An injury cost him two games in 2025, and he chose to sit out the Gator Bowl. “I was in the portal (and) I had zero idea I would be headed to Virginia at that time.
“I think (the Cavaliers’ win) had a little bit more to do with (his move). Not just beating my previous institution, but that was a huge bowl win for a program like Virginia. I think just the general direction of the program, where it was going and where it’s headed under Coach E – I think that was something that definitely caught my eye.”
If Virginia’s success against his former team wasn’t a factor in where he landed, Pribula attributes his time at Missouri and, before that, at Penn State with helping shape his game at quarterback.
“Those were two different experiences,” he said. “At Penn State, my role was primarily as a backup, though I got to go in and play some big-time games, which was huge for experience – (playing in) the Peach Bowl, versus Ohio State, at (Southern Cal). Those prepared me to be a starter.”
Missouri put Pribula into a starter’s spot, succeeding NFL-bound Drew Lock.
“That was another notch that helped me with experience,” he said. “Now that I have that and have done that, I have confidence to take into this year.”
Some reputations die hard, and Virginia’s mediocre records pre-2025 are likely why preseason predictions place the Cavaliers in the middle of the ACC pack. Pribula, though, has loftier goals. “Absolutely, I expect us to win every game,” he said.
His true feelings or the role of a quarterback to boost his team’s morale? You decide.
McKale Boley, who led the offensive line that enabled Morris to thrive a year ago, has liked what he’s seen so far in his new guy.
“They’re both great quarterbacks,” he said, “but they’re two different types of leaders, though they’re both strong leaders, and their playing styles are different but they both excel in their differences.
“With Beau, it’s all about his legs; he’s hella fast, and people don’t understand how fast he is until you see him in a game. He’s also one of the strongest quarterbacks I’ve seen; like he says, he’s not afraid to put his face in the dirt and run through someone.
“What I think will shock people is his passing. I’ve watched him on film and he has an arm, and he’s accurate, too. He can throw the ball, command the offense, tell the receivers what to do. He’s just a smart quarterback.”
That combination, Boley said, has enabled Pribula to establish himself as a team leader already. “He came in and immediately gained the respect of everyone,” he said. “He may not be as focal (as Morris was), but the words he says have so much impact. Your quarterback is the leader of the offense, but he’s also the leader of the team. This team will go as far as the quarterback takes us.”
How far will that be?
Elliott has no simple answers, but he knows what he believes the answer can be. “I haven’t thought about the what-ifs” – if the Cavaliers had beaten Duke to capture the ACC crown, and if they’d gotten the CFP berth that eventually went to Miami and turned into a national runner-up spot, he said. “I knew that we had an opportunity to develop us as a program that night in Charlotte.
“I think the guys were able to quickly flush it, and that resulted in us being able to go out and win the last game of the season, which is one of our team goals. (Now) I’m focusing on the future. I’ve learned not to do the what-if, wish-I-would-have, because that agony and that regret will eat you up inside.”
Elliott has seen real tragedy in his time at Virginia. One game won’t derail him or his plans. After all, it’s Year Five, and he likes what he sees going forward.