Everything From Tony Elliott's National Signing Day Press Conference

While it does not get the fanfare that it used to, national signing day came and went yesterday and it was the first time that Virginia head coach Tony Elliott spoke to the media since the Cavaliers beat Missouri in the Gator Bowl.

Here is everything that Elliott had to say yesterday.

1. On the lessons learned from last year's portal class...

"Yeah, great question. I think, one, the landscape changing kind of dictates the number and the size of the class. As I said before, with that last class, they made me a believer in terms of, okay, this can be done. Because there was some apprehension at first, because you're like, man, it's so different than how you were trained in this business to build a roster. And at that time, you brought in 54 new guys, and it's like, man, that's almost half your team.

But they were able to prove that it can be done. And so the key for us going into this cycle was making sure that we understood how we were able to do it and what it takes to be successful and try to replicate that formula as best we can considering that the landscape was going to change again. And I didn't anticipate losing as many guys from our roster as we did, but at the same time it made sense. Guys were looking for opportunities to go have a more significant role and get on the field a little bit quicker. So this class is not quite as big, but still there is a considerable number of transfer guys that we did bring in."

2. On if the elimination of the spring portal means they are done bringing in newcomers...

"Right, I think that there are a lot of guys that are still out there with the with the one window and and man it I don't know if flooded is the right word to use, but that's what it felt like. I mean, day one, there was 4 ,500 guys on day one, and by the end of it, there was, what, 10 ,000 plus? And so I think in a two -week window, you really don't have the time to be able to vet all those guys. So I imagine there's still some really, really good players that are out there that need homes. Really, it'll depend upon kind of how the roster shakes out through the spring and leading up into the season. But for us, right now we're rolling with what we got.

We got pretty much everybody here, with the exception of nine guys. We got seven high school guys that are coming in the summer, and then we got two transfers that are joining us. But the bulk of our squad is here."

3. On Beau Pribula and Eli Holstein...

"I think the credit goes to the staff all the way around, and then also those young men and their families and what they were looking for. And really, it was transparency. Because when we started, it was like, hey, we don't know what the situation is with Chandler (Morris). And if he's able to be reinstated, man, that's our guy. And so that's how we started. And we were very, very transparent, and we were patient.

But then as we got towards the end of it and we got a little bit of clarity of the direction that that situation with Chandler was headed, we just kind of put our cards on the table and it was what they were looking for. And I think having a chance to come in and visit and see it and feel it and understand the culture that we have established in our locker room sold the guys and their competitors and they were looking forward to it, the opportunity to go compete. And they're going to bet on themselves. And they trusted that we were being transparent and truly have an opportunity to compete. And I think that's how it came about."

4. On what intrigued him about Pribula and Holstein...

"Yeah, the first thing is that they can play football. They both started they started last last season as starters at the P4 level They both have shown the ability to be successful. I think when you look at Eli, obviously he came in at Pitt and tore it up for a little while and has a big arm, can make all the throws. He's also been in different programs, so kind of the DNA that he's bringing in the door. And then Beau is a guy that's, again, he's had success when he's been in there. He probably runs, can use his legs a little bit more. Also can make all the throws. And so kind of a similar situation to what we lost when you look at what we had in Danny (Kaelin) and what we had in Chandler (Morris)."

5. On bringing back starters on the offensive line...

"Man, it was critical, retention, because it's not just the player that you're keeping in your program, but you're keeping your program in your program, so to speak, right? So now the guys that have really helped build the culture, like when you look at on the offensive line, you got (McKale) Boley coming back, you got (Noah) Josey coming back, you got Monroe (Mills), Makilan (Thomas), man, we're hopeful that maybe we can get a couple other guys pending waivers to be able to come back. So you're keeping not just the talent, but you're keeping the culture in house. And so that was critical to make sure that all the guys that we could retain, that we were able to retain them. And then we really focused more on the defensive side of the ball in the trenches because that's where we had the biggest amount of natural attrition.

We lost some really, really good players that we couldn't get back because they were out of eligibility."

6. On how they had to recruit while waiting on the Chandler Morris waiver...

"Just transparency. You just got to be got to be transparent and tell them what the what the situation is and and then also same thing with Chandler and his camp just letting them know like a you know at some point we do have to make sure that we protect the program and go recruit quarterbacks for the for the future and you know hated to see that Danny (Kaelin) leave that was never the intent for Danny to to leave but we knew that we were going to have to protect the program and bring in at least one and then when when we did lose Danny and And then, Bjorn (Jurgenson) leaving, we knew that we were going to have to make sure that we protect the program and have guys at the position to compete."

7. On the wide receiver position...

"Yeah, I think that when you look at it, it made sense. The guys that transitioned on, you didn't want to see it. But it makes sense and for me as long as it makes sense then I can I can live with it. But then then once you find out what attrition you're gonna have then you got to go attack in and replace and so I feel like we brought in four really good players that are going to help us. Don't know exactly what we have until we get them out there in our system and watch them run around and in the in the schemes that we ask them, but I like the so far watching them work and watching them run these last couple of days, I like the skill set. Now we'll just have to see how it all plays out. Come together and then also it creates great opportunity for the young guys that are in our program. All of our first years played last year for us and we're excited about their their potential and then we were able to get Kam Courtney to stick around and come and come back and so I like the group as a whole. Now losing Trell (Harris), I think Trell was the most established guy and and and was an all -conference player but I'm excited about the opportunity for the other guys in the room."

8. On Peyton Lewis...

"Yeah so Peyton was a guy and and I told him, same thing with (Brandyn) Hillman, both of those Virginia guys coming back, the level at which they were being recruited and the caliber players that they are when we first started recruiting them back when we were just building the foundation to the program, we didn't have the things to make Virginia enticing, for them to stay in state. So it made sense for them to leave. But now that we've been able to lay that foundation and build and the investment in the program, now it makes sense. So I'm excited about him.

He’s a pro looking back right now when you look at him physically, I mean, he's a big, big guy. We know he's got documented track times, played as a freshman in the SEC. I think he scored seven touchdowns maybe last year in a backup role, battled some injury. So biggest thing is if he stays healthy, man, he'll have a chance to kind of look like a NFL style back in the backfield."

9. On the success of the running game...

"Right so when you when you look at the three that we that we brought in, I think they all complement each other very well. I think that you got some big some size and you got some speed, some elusiveness. So I think you were able to replace what you what you lost last year and then you still have X (Xavier Brown) coming back, you got Noah (Vaughn) coming back. So I think you got of ton of competition But I think you now have some versatility and some and some flexibility which allows you just to be more creative You know on offense with those guys on the field. With the depth, depending upon kind of where you are at other positions now you can even maybe explore some opportunities to have two backs on the field, which from a depth standpoint, I don't know if we were in a position to be able to do that in the past. So I just think you have more opportunity and that's the key. And then also, too, it protects you for just the lack of a better term, the brutality of the season at that position, it gets hard on those guys. So when you have multiple guys, you can disperse some of that workload, and then you help protect them.

And you look at last year, man, J’Mari (Taylor) down the stretch, you can start to see that it started to wear on his body a little bit down the stretch when he's having to carry the ball as many times as he did. And he didn't complain and he showed up and he played at a high level. But 200 plus carries or around 200 carries, man, that's a lot for one guy. And now you have an opportunity to offload that a little bit."

10. On if the portal has changed his message to high school recruits...

"Yeah, great question. I think the messaging inside the program is, man, best player's going to play. So it doesn't matter what your age level is. If you're the best player, you're going to play. I think when you look at it from a high school perspective, You have to take in consideration how quickly can that young man get to the field? How quickly can you project him to get on the field?

Because they all want to play, right? And there's only so many snaps, and you want to have adequate depth. So you do look at that a little bit. So I think from just a messaging standpoint when you're recruiting. I don't know if there's a different message and Internally as the best players are going to play and we've also proven over the last several years that we're not afraid to play first -year guys within our program. But I do think big picture for the high school recruiting, you do have to look a little bit at okay does he project to get on the field quickly? The consequence is, if not you may not be able to keep them around and as much as they want to be here, they want to play.

And that's what you want in competitors. And it is a developmental sport. That's what makes it a little bit tougher. And I know I got the question or the comment about when you look at the, like Indiana, their average age was 24. That's also different in college football. That's never really been the case.

It was designed to be 18 to 22. And then they move on to the pros. And a 24-year-old in the pros used to be old. 24-year-olds are in college. So you hope that, as we, we continue to have a couple more cycles, that that age will come back a little bit so that it is more conducive for the high school developmental guys to be able to, to have opportunities to get on the field quicker."

11. On if this team is forming its identity...

"That'll, that'll take place probably over the next, about six weeks. And the reason I say that is because I had one team meeting and half my team wasn't here. It was crazy. That's the first time I've ever had a team meeting where I got a bunch of guys on Zoom, and literally some of them committed like the day before. And so they're back home in their respective areas on Zoom.

As soon as we done with the portal so to speak, we're out on the road recruiting high school kids, so the coaches aren't here. But the report so far is that the group of guys that have come in, have been a good group of guys, that are that are quickly assimilating to the way we do things here. We'll be identifying more of our leadership teams over the next couple weeks as we get to know these guys a little bit better so true identity, I think will start to happen as we get into our match drills at the end of the month and then we start spring practice. Now it's really just kind of everybody getting to know each other and getting an understanding of just the mode of operation that we have within the building and in here on grounds. So the true identity I think will start to form once we as coaches are able to stress them a little bit when we get to mat drills."

12. On incorporating the new guys...

"Yeah, great question. Like It's stressful as a coach, because as coaches, the way we're trained is to have a plan. for a plan.

And you're always planning. And you've got a calendar. You've got a schedule. And then it's like, OK, all of that is blown up with the way the calendar is right now. So you try to do the best you can just through as much communication as possible, and then trying to get them here as quickly as possible. And then even when you get them here, there's several days of transition to get them fully processed through the system to be able to work out.

We had guys that were here that couldn't work out and so it's a challenge, but I think kudos to the staff with understanding what our culture is about and the players as well having just open arms and welcoming them in, welcoming the guys into and that just tells you that the guys that are on our roster that we retained and they're enjoying their experience here because they're willing to say, hey boys, y'all come on in. This is how we do things. Welcome to the family. Let's go, let's go to work."

13. On the transfers that have multiple years of eligibility remaining and if that was by design...

"I don't know if it was necessarily by design saying that, okay, if we sign 29, that 14 of them are going to have multiple years. I think that it's just a credit to, one, the university for their willingness to work with us, to be able to allow us to target some more undergrad guys.

And then the staff having a better understanding of which undergrad guys have a shot to be able, because the big thing for me is, one, I don't want to bring a young man to the University of Virginia without a clear path to graduation.

And obviously we know what the academic requirements, there's a little bit more that has to be done here to be able to graduate from UVA. So I think it's second time through we have a better understanding. And then also, too, like you look at the guys that we were able to recruit in the past that have multiple years, it has a chance to impact your program and give you some continuity to help you establish and maintain a culture. So I don't know if it was a design, like saying we're going in that same 50 % of our class is going to be multi-year guys. It just kind of worked out that way. But I think there are some potential benefits to that long term."

14. On Brandyn Hillman...

"Yeah, so I think the key was and I wanted him bad out of high school him and Peyton (Lewis) both like and but truth be told at the time It didn't make sense this building wasn't built, we hadn't had the success on the field to prove what we were capable of as a staff. So yeah, it made sense for those guys to look elsewhere. But I told them, I said, man, what I'm building is trying to build something to where you guys don't have to leave the state. So I think really the key was how we handle the recruiting on the front end. When we recruited him out of high school and they remembered that and then for them to see the tangible things that we said we were building towards really come to fruition, I think was I think was key and I mean he was an all-conference I think honorable mention guy in the in the Big Ten last year and man coming out of high school, he was a guy that I really, really wanted to stay in state, but just didn't have enough firepower, as I told him. But now I got a little bit more firepower.

And he can be a little bit closer to home. And I think just wanting to be closer to mom. And he's got a young daughter. And so I think it made sense this time around. Whereas for him and Peyton, the first time it probably didn't make sense."

15. On the safety room...

"Yeah, I think when you just look at the sheer numbers, I mean, what is it? I think I had it written down. Where is it? Yeah, I had a note that said the DB room you added 130 combined starts when you do the corners and the safeties, 10,000 plus snaps, right? And then five of the eight DB transfers have played over 1 ,000 career snaps.

So just on paper, you feel like, okay, you're bringing in some experience. Now we've got to get them adjusted to what we do schematically, but we feel much better about where we are this year as opposed to last year because all those guys are here for the most part. We got one guy in the secondary that's not coming until the summer, but the rest of those guys are here as opposed to last year. I think we, what, signed six in the second portal window after spring ball. So you love the fact that the guys have played a lot of football, which hopefully helps with the transition and then it's going to create competition and then hopefully the depth that you need on the back end because we do play with basically five secondary guys on the field all the time."

16. On Solomon Beebe...

"t's just his versatility. He's a guy that is a back, but you could see his ability in the slot, right? So that gives you, again, some creativity, some flexibility. And so now if you go into some empty sets, right, you're not worried about, you know, having a back on the field right because he can do all of the receiver stuff. So that's really what drew us to him is his versatility and then his explosiveness And you can see that that not only can he impact the passing game? He can also be a return guy for you to and help us in the return game because I think that's one area where (might) you overlook it, but Kam Ross leaving.

I mean we were what? I think tops in the country and kick return and we improved on part return. And so having those guys that have flexibility to be able to go impact the return game and then when you have backs back there in the return game, it can change things."

17. On how important last season was for in-state recruiting...

"It's huge because from day one we said we want to be inside out. So that's just a way that we think from a program standpoint and so it should be that way in in recruiting is as well. I believe that man, Virginia has some of the best high school football in the country and some of the best talent in the country. And if we can start there and keep the young men home, I think that also helps us maintain just the culture and the pride within the program."

18. On losing some players to the portal...

"Yeah, I'm trying to think if there's anything more like, okay, another target here, another target there. I think you can go back and nitpick and say yeah well, we might have, could have got two more targets for this guy, another target for that guy, but that's extremely hard to do when you're trying to win ball games, right? I think the challenge is going to be going forward because guys want to play Right? Guys want to play. And then there's also some influences outside the program that their voices are becoming louder for the young people.

Not just at the University of Virginia, but just holistically, when you look at, I think in a 23-24 cycle, there was a total of 4,500 that went in. The 24 -25, it was a total of 4,500, right? So that's 9,000 over two years. We had 10,000 in one year. We had 4,500 in one day.

And so I think that there's not a whole lot you can do with that. That's more the external influence saying and encouraging guys to move on. So I think when I said I lost some, that's what I felt more like. Because like, OK, they found homes. And that's what I was grateful for. Because that was the biggest concern with the guys that were leaving here because they're my guys. These are guys that have put it on the line for the University of Virginia. We have relationships with them. You care about them. I was just worried about them getting lost in the shuffle and then finding a better situation. And that's to be determined.

So I felt like I lost more guys just wanting to explore what was out there, but not necessarily knowing what was out there. And it's hard to know because you're not going to know until you get in the portal. But it'd be interesting to see. I think pretty much all of our guys found a spot with the exception of maybe, I'm not sure on two."

19. On Beau Pribula...

"Yeah, I think with what you saw as a first of a competitor. And the guy loves to compete, man. He's tough, tough as nails. You saw that he battled through some injuries. You saw leadership qualities on the field and dynamic when he takes off any runs. And then he can make all the throws.

He could throw it from the pocket. He can throw it on the run. So that's what you saw. You saw a guy that looked comfortable as a starter, looked like a guy that his teammates would follow. So that's what you saw on tape."

20. On the linebacker room...

"Yeah, I think when you look at where we are at linebacker with Kam coming back, then you got Maddox coming back as well And then you got Caleb Hardy who transitioned to the position which gives you there, then you got Landon (Danley).

You got Landon that started in place of Kam. And then you got Myles Brown. You got the two young freshmen that we brought in. So you feel good about the position from a depth standpoint. Still gotta work through some experience. I wouldn't say issues, but opportunities there, guys, to grow up on the field.

But athletically, you feel really good about the position. And then you got the first year linebacker that's here now in Dallas (Brannon). So athletically, you feel really good about the position, just some experience, some experienced guys that, or guys just got to gain experience, but got to play them for that to happen."

21. On Jahmal Edrine...

"Yeah, I think his ceiling is he can be an NFL guy. I think he can play on the next level. I think he's got the ability to be an all -conference caliber player. Now, I think last year he had a huge challenge because he was a guy that came in that really, really, really had to push it in the classroom because he had a path to graduation, but it was like, okay, there's a lot of work that has to be done. He had to hit a certain amount of hours in that first spring and summer to be eligible, which he did. But that also took a lot of his time.

I think now he's in a situation where he's got a little bit more balance. He's on track to graduate, but he doesn't have to hump it like he did last spring. So we can really focus on some of the developmental aspects. He's a guy that loves to train. He's also one of those guys that are over trained. So we kind of got to get that He loves it so much that so we got to make sure he doesn't get too big Alright, so there's some there's some things that we can help him with that I think we're in a position to do right now But I think you're stealing as he can be an all-conference caliber player and a pro prospect."