Round Robin: Deliberating on UVA Football, Tony Elliott, Anthony Colandrea

Aidan Baller, Henry Pallatroni, William Smythe | 7 Hours Ago

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An important offseason has arrived for the Virginia football program, which has many questions to answer in the coming days, weeks, and months. How does Anthony Colandrea's departure to the transfer portal change things for the Cavaliers? Should there be any big-time changes at the coaching staff level? What needs to be done to get the UVA football program pointed in the right direction?

Three members of the Virginia Cavaliers On SI staff - William Smythe, Aidan Baller, and Henry Pallatroni - are here to give their own takes on these offseason questions for Virginia football.

Q. What does Anthony Colandrea’s departure to the transfer portal mean for Virginia?

William Smythe: I don’t think it means too much, and, frankly, Colandrea’s departure left a bitter taste in my mouth. While he was perhaps hampered by questionable play-calling, the sophomore gunslinger’s last few games in a Virginia uniform called into question his ability to play consistently at a Power Four level. He failed to eclipse 160 yards passing in his last five games and threw four touchdowns as opposed to seven interceptions. That’s not a winning recipe, and the Notre Dame debacle confirmed his offensive drought. It’s possible he thrives on a team which allows him unlimited control over the offense, but who will give him the keys at this level? At least Elliott gave him a chance. In terms of replacements, the ‘Hoos will have to dip into the transfer portal with both Colandrea and graduate student Tony Muskett gone. There’s simply not enough proven quarterbacks on the roster to boost a program fighting for its life. While Virginia deals with questions around transfers, NIL, and revenue generated from the ACC, prized transfers will continue to pivot to other major-conference universities.

Aidan Baller: Colandrea’s departure to the portal is the perfect indication of what this season was, a failure. Whether or not you believe Colandrea had the potential to be a star in the blue and orange is irrelevant as Colandrea hitting the portal signifies that he feels the Virginia coaching staff failed him, forcing him to look elsewhere. What it means for Virginia is they are going to have to get busy in the portal and find a new quarterback for 2025, whether that is Thomas Castellanos of Boston College, Holden Geriner of Auburn, or some other quarterback. Colandrea leaves after throwing for less than 160 yards in each of his final five games for Virginia. Seeing that stat, optimistically, this allows the Hoos to find a fun prospect of the future. From a pessimistic perspective, fingers should be pointed at Tony Elliott, his coaching staff and the administration for failing a prospect and potentially setting him up for failure. Depending on how you view it, I think it's a combination of the two, but more on the latter.

Henry Pallatroni: The announcement that Anthony Colandrea opted for the transfer portal wasn’t particularly surprising, but it is still a disheartening reflection of the overall state of the Virginia football program after last Saturday’s loss in Blacksburg. It’s hard to think back two months to a time when the team was 4-1 and Colandrea was bolstering into the fresh face of an organization finally trending in the right direction. After a 1-6 stretch to end the 2024 campaign one win short of a bowl game, Colandrea’s entry into the portal is the culmination of this year’s fall from grace. A young quarterback that seemed poised to spend his Saturdays scrambling around Scott Stadium making plays in front of the Virginia faithful suddenly will never dawn the Cavalier jersey again. Though his play was subpar throughout the second half of the season, it’s hard to be excited about his exit, let alone the state of Virginia football.

Q. What should Virginia do with Tony Elliott?

William Smythe: I believe that Coach Tony Elliott should stay, so long as the University pledges to make some institutional changes and offensive coordinator Des Kitchings is fired. There’s no reason why he should remain in Charlottesville considering the abysmal offensive performances the ‘Hoos put together in the back end of the season; defensive coordinator John Rudzinski did an admirable job with a defense that made life difficult for Notre Dame and Pitt, notably, so he deserves more time. Virginia also needs to hire a special teams coordinator and remedy their woes on those two sides of the ball if Elliott is to stay. As much as it pains me to say this, Virginia is one of the least attractive Power Four jobs out there. Several Group of Five schools — Boise State, Memphis, and Tulane — would, unfortunately, be more desirable destinations for up-and-coming coaches looking to make an upward move. The College Football Playoff’s new format, which allows a designated spot for a G5 team, is an unfortunate addition for a school such as Virginia — stuck towards the bottom of a power conference. It would be unwise for the ‘Hoos to move on from Elliott at this point in time.

Aidan Baller: In the last three seasons, Virginia is the only team in the ACC with a losing record in each of the past three seasons. Further, Elliott has posted an 11-23 record in his tenure for the Cavaliers. These statistics don’t provide much optimism for the future of Virginia football, further, the Cavaliers are losing 43 players to exhausted eligibility. It’s never been a better time to hit the reset button. That said, athletic director Carla Williams’ contract is expiring this June with questions about if she will be retained or even resign for that matter. With that said, if Williams does depart it may be best to keep Elliott for the final year of his contract and then allow the new athletic director to pick their new coach. If Williams is here to stay, fire Elliott and let the coaching search begin. Either way, Elliott should not receive a new contract.

Henry Pallatroni: I’ll keep this one short and to the point; Tony Elliott has to go. Elliott’s time at the helm of the program is no longer a small sample size, and across his three years as the head coach he sits with the worst record of any Power 4 head coach across that period (11-23). Elliott deserves credit for making the tough decision to start Tony Muskett last weekend, but that will likely be the last important call he makes on behalf of the football program. With Colandrea leaving, it’s hard not to see the firing of Tony Elliott as the next domino to fall; many fans surely want it, and it would be a strong first step from the school in reestablishing a commitment to producing a competitive football team.

Q. If UVA was to move on from Elliott, who is at the top of your coach wish list? 

William Smythe: I would say Tulane’s Jon Sumrall, who led Troy to a 23-4 record over two seasons before taking the Green Wave job this offseason. While they are out of playoff contention, Sumrall’s current roster (9-3) will play for the American Athletic Championship at Army before going bowling. Virginia — who would already have to pay $14 million-plus to Elliott if fired — would have to fork over a massive contract and demonstrate a commitment to football to land a coaching prospect such as Sumrall. If Elliott is fired, the coaching carousel will overlap with openings at North Carolina, West Virginia, and UCF — all better jobs. More positions will open, as well. There’s also Liberty’s Jamey Chadwell up the road in Lynchburg, but he’s probably content with a nice contract there. Also, Chadwell would likely wait to make a move if Carolina or West Virginia don’t come calling. 

Aidan Baller: The easy answer is Jon Sumrall of Tulane who has emerged as one of the top coaching candidates in 2024 after leading the Green Wave to a 9-3 record and AAC championship appearance. Sumrall is at the top of my wish list, but I’ve got a feeling he’s going to go to North Carolina. With Sumrall out, my pick is Oregon Ducks offensive coordinator Will Stein. Stein has played a massive role in the development of Bo Nix and Dillion Gabriel and is known for unlocking offensive potential and for his creative mind, something this program could use. I understand Stein could be young at only 35, but injecting a youthful and creative mind may be exactly what this program needs.

Henry Pallatroni: At the top of my list is UNLV’s Barry Odom. After a subpar stint as the coach at Missouri from 2016-2020, Odom has revitalized himself as a strong head coach in his two years with the Rebels. Over that span, he has led UNLV to its most successful two year stretch in the program’s history - a bowl game in 2023 and a 10-2 2024 season. The Rebels are set to face Boise State on Friday night with the winner receiving a bid into the College Football Playoff. Regardless of UNLV’s CFP future, Odom’s time in Las Vegas has been a success in more ways than one, with the 2024 team igniting a new level of excitement around Sin City’s college football team and pulling in a program-best 32,000 fans per contest.  If UNLV upsets the Broncos this week, it will be a tall task to get Odom to come to Charlottesville. However, the coach that has righted the ship for the Rebels may just be the foundational hire needed to energize a UVA rebuild.

Q. What needs to change for this program to turn the corner? 

William Smythe: Phew…well, first of all, Kitchings needs to go. That’s a short-term, FlexSeal fix that would at least reveal whether the blame ought to fall on Elliott or those with whom he surrounded himself in his first three years. While Virginia has never truly been a school crazy about football, I believe it’s unreasonable to blame fans completely for their apathy over these past few seasons. Why would people pay, travel, and worry about the chaos that is Charlottesville parking to see a failed product on the field? The athletics department needs to bring ticket prices down and offer promotions for local high schools, who would be happy to watch a Division I program play on beautiful Saturdays. There’s so many factors at play, but I’d hone into 1) immediate coaching staff changes, 2) increased NIL investment efforts, and 3) Scott Stadium-specific promotions. We’re one or two years away from stripping everything down and starting from scratch.   

Aidan Baller: The 60 credit transfer rule. Currently, Virginia requires undergraduate transfers to obtain 60 credits in Charlottesville, making it extremely difficult to take current Juniors and Seniors in the portal as you typically take about 15 credits a semester. According to a report by Jerry Ratcliffe, Virginia admissions has already rejected at least a dozen FCS players this recruiting cycle. Amongst demonstrating a full hearted commitment to NIL and finding a new head coach down the line, fixing this policy will allow the UVA football team to be able to thrive in the new era of college football. 

Henry Pallatroni: It’s difficult to see a path to prosperity for UVA football right now, but seeing Lane Stadium filled with 60,000 fans for a clash between two 5-6 teams on Saturday reminds one of what just may be possible. There’s no easy answer as to how to get the Cavaliers back to winning, or even just filling the hill at Scott Stadium, but it starts with new faces. In addition to Elliott, UVA offensive coordinator Des Kitchings should also go. The UVA offense was flat all year, glaringly so against Virginia Tech, and with a plethora of new faces sure to be coming to Charlottesville next year, it’s time for one to be that of a new OC. 

The state of college football in 2024 makes it even more of an uphill battle for UVA football. Whether you like it or not, it’s pay to play and the rich are getting richer. Last week’s developments with five-star QB Bryce Underwood’s commitment flip from LSU to Michigan serve as a stark reminder that big dollars are dictating the future of top talent. While UVA may not have a coalition of Dave Portnoy, billionaire wives, and Tom Brady to offer high-schoolers millions to play in Charlottesville, results compound, and the fastest way to right this ship will be marginal improvements on the field. It’s obvious, yes, but the path to a brighter future for Virginia starts with winning. No matter how much money is pumped into college athletics, winning will always talk louder than any NIL collective. With more wins, we will see more excitement around the program, which will lead to a larger pool of funds in the Cav Futures NIL collective, followed by stronger talent coming to Scott Stadium. The cycle is there. It’s going to take a miracle next year to get the ball rolling, but it starts with making the easy decision to let go of Tony Elliott. It’s the bare minimum, but bringing in a new coach at least emphasizes a commitment to turning the corner.

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