With great resources come great expectations. That has been the most relevant theme for Virginia football over the past few years.
Those expectations expanded even further when, in June 2024, University and Virginia Athletics leaders opened the doors to the program’s new $80 million practice facility. The Hardie Football Operations Center awarded Cavalier football 93,000 square feet of pristine strength and conditioning, locker room and meeting space.
The FOC represents a University-wide commitment to football — one that has given rise to lofty expectations, both internally and externally. But will results follow? That question will shadow the Cavaliers throughout this 2025 season.
To the players, with an unwavering belief in the program, the answer is a resounding yes. Perhaps, this excitement radiating from these Cavaliers is the greatest differentiator between this season of Virginia football and those in years past.
“This group is coming with a full steam of energy,” junior cornerback Ja’Son Prevard said. “There’s going to be a lot of exciting plays, and it's going to be very fun.”
This season will be the fourth year of Coach Tony Elliott’s tenure, who is now in the second half of his six-year contract. During his time at Virginia, Elliott has finished third, second and fifth from last in the ACC over his three years at the helm.
But those close to Cavalier football have not lost faith in the head coach. Former Virginia quarterback Bryce Perkins, who played for the program from 2018-2019, praised Elliott’s leadership amidst an ever-changing college football landscape.
Though the quarterback departed Charlottesville before Elliott took over, the two have spoken about the current state of Virginia football. The main subject of those conversations? Building a program culture, which includes support and education around NIL.
“The big thing of it is getting the culture right — getting guys to buy into the culture,” Perkins said. “Especially now, even more so with NIL … And every time I come and talk to [Elliott], he talks about ‘Man, we want to do it the right way.’”
Part of that culture is to believe in your ability to be the best. In fact, some of the attitudes from the Cavalier program are suggestive of a team that went 9-3 last year, not 5-7. Junior defensive tackle Jason Hammond — a 2024 starter in four games before suffering a season-ending injury — outlined those high expectations in a video aired by Virginia’s NIL collective, Cav Futures.
“We’re not here to just accept going to a bowl game,” Hammond said. “We’re trying to go win a [national championship].”
It is a high bar, one surely scoffed at by many. But the objective is one Elliott supports in full force.
“Why would you play this game if you don’t believe that you can go compete for a championship?” Elliott said at the beginning of fall camp.
Aspirations to make an impact on the national level could be more realistic than they seem. In Virginia’s favor is an era of collegiate athletics defined by volatility. The ever-pervasive transfer portal allows programs to make platoon swaps on entire rosters. Indiana and Arizona State turned 3-9 records into College Football Playoff berths within a year, driving their respective turnarounds through intense portal usage.
The Cavaliers sought out a similarly large crew of reinforcements, bringing in 31 transfers. Including true freshmen, Virginia’s roster boasts 54 new faces. This includes an experienced quarterback, a crop of successful rushers and more depth on both lines — and in the secondary — than the Cavaliers have seen in years.
Per recruiting sites 247 and On3, Virginia’s portal class ranks 26th and 27th, respectively, among all FBS schools. Such statistics represent marked improvements — and more consistency — than the program’s No. 54 and No. 35 rankings just last year.
But, according to Elliott, it is difficult to know just how impactful those additions will be.
“It’s really hard to tell,” Elliott said. “Because pretty much everybody has got a new team.”
Many national reports have looked upon Virginia’s “new team” less favorably than those in Charlottesville. The Athletic’s ACC football predictions place the Cavaliers second-last of 17 teams, at an unimpressive 4-8 overall and 1-7 in the ACC. The ACC’s preseason media poll has Virginia 14th in the conference, while ESPN — the kindest of these three — places Elliott and company at 11th in its preseason power rankings.
This comes despite Virginia’s portal rankings and weak schedule — per ESPN’s strength of schedule metric, the Cavaliers have the easiest 2025 slate of all Power Four teams. When asked about the 2025 ACC media poll, Elliott smiled.
“At least they didn’t put us in the same spot [16th] they had us last year,” Elliott said. “So, at least they acknowledge some progress that we’re making.”
Interestingly, just about every media outlet aside from ESPN predicted a less favorable conference finish for the Cavaliers than their 2024 13th-place result. Elliott and company are not affected by the rankings, whether positive or negative.
“This team knows that nothing externally is going to get us to where we want to go,” Elliott said.
That internal focus, while preached by just about every coach across all high-level athletics, may be just the piece the Cavaliers need in 2025. And at least right now, it has players eager for the season to come.
“I'm feeling great,” senior receiver Trell Harris said. “The vibes are very high. We’ve got a bunch of good players, a bunch of new players, so everyone's excited to just get up, get around each other and play ball.”
Players across the roster have put behind them the woes of losing seasons before — after all, many were not even wearing orange and blue then. And those that were are determined to right the ship.
“One thing we talked about — the seniors — is we just want to finish,” senior tight end Sage Ennis said. “And when we finish, it’s not just about self-preservation and getting through the line. It’s about, ‘I’m going to dominate this and I’m actually going to finish.’”
At such a crucial juncture for Virginia football, Ennis and his fellow seniors hold in their hands the fate of a floundering program. Should the Cavaliers live up to expectations, Virginia Athletics gains proof of concept for its investments in facilities, the transfer portal and its personnel, both on the field and on the sideline. If not, the program grows ever closer to hitting a reset button over which it has long hovered.
“It's going to be a show,” senior linebacker Trey McDonald said. “We're going to go out there and we're going to play our a—s off.”
Xander Tilock contributed reporting.
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