Staff continuity plays a big role in Virginia's success under Tony Elliott

Elliott managed to retain his staff through adversity and is now reaping the results

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- It may seem counterintuitive for a program that has invested heavily in the NCAA transfer portal in each of the past two seasons. But for Virginia head football coach Tony Elliott, stability is important.

His roster may have changed dramatically -- this year's features 46 newcomers from high school and the NCAA transfer portal -- but his coaching staff has remained remarkably consistent since Elliott arrived from Clemson before the 2022 season. Both of his coordinators, Des Kitchings on offense and John Rudzinski on defense, have been with him from the start.

So has Adam Mims, who worked his way up from senior offensive analyst to wide receivers coach. SIix other key assistants -- Chris Slade (defensive ends), Keith Gaither (running backs/special teams), Kevin Downing (defensive tackles), Mike Adams (linebackers), Curome Cox (defensive backs), and Taylor Lamb (quarterbacks) -- are beginning their third seasons on Grounds.

The only significant defection during that time was well-respected former offensive line coach Terry Heffernan, who took a similar position at Stanford with Elliott's blessing because of of his West Coast ties.

Even that departure didn't hurt as much as it might have.

Coaching staff continuity paying dividends

Jul 15, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Virginia head coach Tony Elliott speaks to the media during ACC Media Days at Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

At Wednesday's ACC Kickoff preseason media day, Elliott gestured toward McKale Boley, one of five senior or graduate students expected to start on Virginia's offensive line this fall.

"The guy comes back because of the continuity of the staff," Elliott said. "His position coach left, and he easily could have ben a high-value, high dollar commodity on the market."

Instead of making a new start with an unfamiliar program, Boley eschewed the portal and returned to a team that won a school-record 11 games last season. Elliott believes that avoided a potential ripple effect.

"Without that continuity, you may have to bring in a whole new piece, which might upset the apple cart," Elliott said. "Now you have the five linemen we're talking about, they're gone because you don't have the continuity."

Elliott, who spent 11 seasons as an assistant at Clemson before taking the Virginia job, compares program building to constructing a house. He cited four stages: laying the foundation, construction, showcase and championship. Coaching continuity means the foundation is already laid. Without it, he said, "you don't have time to build a house."

Elliot's first three seasons in Charlottesville featured 23 losses in 34 games, as well as the gut-wrenching shooting deaths of Lavell Davis Jr., Devin Chandler and D'Sean Perry.

Many coaches with an 11-23 record don't get a fourth season, but Elliott won praise for the way he handled that situation and kept his team together. That made last season's ACC regular-season title all the more gratifying, with optimism for further success.

And assistants from winning programs become hot commodities for rival programs, as Elliott once was. He doesn't mind his staff cashing in on success; he simply counsels them to seek the right opportunities.

"The reason we were able to persevere through the tragedy and the tough times after that was the continuity of staff," he said. "Everybody stayed, for the most part, and locked arms, and we were able to lay the foundation despite the adversity,

"So it's only fitting that when we have success, we can stay together and enjoy it."