Almost every coach in the ACC talks about their teams being physical. They all want to be physical and tough. There’s no question about it, but how many truly do what it takes to get that way on both sides of the ball?
Virginia head coach Tony Elliot did. He had a vision from the first day he came to Virginia and stuck to it, and now Virginia is reaping the benefits of an 11-win season, fresh off a Gator Bowl win over a solid Missouri program that won 21 games over the last 2 years.
How about a soul sucking 10 minute 75 75-yard 2nd-half drive, combined with a defense that held Missouri to 260 yards.
Both the offense and defense are ranked in the top 35 in college football. That’s a balance that leads to a bunch of wins.
Every middle-tier ACC program looking for upward mobility needs to take notice of what Virginia did. This wasn’t a quick fix NIL handful of players’ transformation. Virginia didn’t start recruiting top 10 classes either. It was year 4 in this rebuild. That’s patience being rewarded.
This is as good a summary of how Virginia has been developed.
Elliott/GMs/scouts made a committed effort to build significant depth on both lines. He especially wanted to rotate 3-deep on the DL interior, depth/versatility on the edge and a playable 2-deep on the OL. Place maturity at QB/other key positions w/ guys that fit UVA’s culture &…
— Mike Lewis 1🕊️15🕊️41 (@Mikeysurf) December 28, 2025
Congrats to ACC COY Tony Elliot, that staff, players, and fans on a truly historic special season at Virginia.
If Duke can win the ACC, and Virginia can have a top 20 11-win season – what’s the excuse for a whole bunch of other ACC teams and coaches?
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