Virginia Releases Initial Availability Report For Saturday's ACC Championship vs Duke

Virginia is set to face Duke on Saturday for a spot in the College Football Playoff

Oct 25, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Virginia Cavaliers head coach Tony Elliott runs off the field after defeating the North Carolina Tar Heels in overtime at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

One of the biggest games in recent Virginia history is less than 48 hours away.

Virginia is setting up to face Duke in the ACC Championship and with a win, the Cavaliers would clinch a spot in the College Football Playoff. This has been the game that Tony Elliott has been building towards since he has been at Virginia.

There are some injury questions for the Cavaliers though.

Left tackle McKale Boley and wide receiver Cam Ross are questionable for Saturday's game. Ross is one of the best weapons on this UVA offense and they would not be as explosive if he were to miss the game.

UVA left tackle McKale Boley and WR Cam Ross both listed as questionable for the ACC Championship Game against Duke. pic.twitter.com/DiuZI7siGU

— Preston Willett (@PrestonWillett) December 5, 2025

Coach of the Year

Nov 15, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Virginia Cavaliers head coach Tony Elliott during the fourth quarter against the Duke Blue Devils at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

Because of the success that Elliott has had this year, he was named the ACC Coach of the Year today.

In his fourth year at helm, Elliott has guided Virginia to its second-ever 10-win season, which earned a spot in Saturday’s ACC Championship game for only the second time in program history and is ranked No. 16 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. A Broyles Award winner as an assistant in 2017 at Clemson, it marks the first ACC Coach of the Year honor for Elliott and the first by a UVA head coach since 2011.

In steering UVA to one of its the best seasons program history, Elliott has been recognized nationally a semifinalist for the Munger Award, Bobby Dodd Trophy and Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Awards.

In the regular-season finale, the Cavaliers ended a four-game skid against commonwealth foe Virginia Tech last Saturday with a decisive 27-7 victory at Scott Stadium. Virginia finished alone atop the ACC standings for the first time ever and tied the program record for ACC wins with seven. The win over the Hokies clinched a berth in the ACC Championship for the first time since 2019.

The Cavaliers were picked 14th in the ACC Preseason media poll after a 5-7 mark in 2024. Virginia’s five-win improvement from 2023-24 is tied for the best in program history (1892-93 & 1986-87) and fourth best in FBS this season. UVA has been featured in CFP rankings for five-straight weeks and currently sits at No. 17. Prior to 2025, UVA had only been included in the CFP rankings three times, once in 2018 and twice in 2019.

Virginia is set to take on Duke in the 2025 ACC Championship game on Saturday (Dec. 6) at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. on ABC, the Virginia Sports Radio Network and ESPN Radio.

Here is how the voting shook out for the award:

ACC Coach of the Year Voting

Tony Elliott, Virginia – 57

Jake Dickert, Wake Forest – 13

Brent Key, Georgia Tech – 5

Manny Diaz, Duke – 2

Mario Cristobal, Miami – 1

Dave Doeren, NC State – 1

Pat Narduzzi, Pitt – 1

Rhett Lashlee, SMU – 1

UVA ACC Coaches of the Year (All-Time)

1961 Bill Elias

1968 – George Blackburn

1983 – George Welsh

1984 – George Welsh

1989 – George Welsh

1991 – George Welsh

1995 – George Welsh

2002 – Al Groh

2007 – Al Groh

2011 – Mike London

2025 – Tony Elliott