Virginia Football: Any Significance to Tony Muskett Attending ACC Media Days?

Matt Newton | Jul 21, 2024

Tony Elliott picked Tony Muskett, and not Anthony Colandrea, to represent Virginia at the 2024 ACC Football Kickoff event. / Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Is there any significance to Tony Muskett being chosen to represent the Virginia football team at the 2024 ACC Football Kickoff event this week in Charlotte?

The attendees for the ACC Football Kickoff were announced last week and joining UVA head coach Tony Elliott will be graduate defensive end Chico Bennett Jr., sixth year defensive end Kam Butler, and graduate quarterback Tony Muskett. Naturally, the question is being asked: why Tony Muskett and not Anthony Colandrea and does this decision at all reflect the current thinking as to who will be Virginia's starting quarterback when the season begins in less than six weeks?

Elliott maintained throughout the spring that a decision has not been made between the two candidates, who both started six games for the Cavaliers in 2023 as Muskett dealt with injuries over the course of the season. There's no doubt that Elliott did not intend for the decision to bring Muskett to ACC media days to imply that a starter had been named. In fact, Elliott has said multiple times that that decision won't be made until fall camp, which is set to begin on July 31st. But if it's any indication that Elliott and his staff are leaning Muskett's way ahead of fall camp, we're here to ask that question.

So, why was Muskett selected to represent Virginia if not because he's expected to start at quarterback this fall? As compared to the rising sophomore Colandrea, Muskett is significantly older and more experienced and thus, better at fielding questions from the media. And there will probably be a number of questions posed at media days regarding the quarterback situation. Muskett attended ACC Kickoff last year and knows what to expect.

That's not to say that Colandrea isn't good at handling the media, though he did have the memorable soundbite that included the quote "after we beat Virginia Tech" a few days before the Hokies dismantled the Cavaliers 55-17 in Colandrea's first bitter taste of the Commonwealth Clash. That moment comes to mind, but Colandrea has otherwise handled the media well.

READ MORE: Five Cavaliers Poised for Sophomore Leaps in 2024

Another reason Muskett might have been chosen is that this is his final season of college football and his last chance to experience events like this. Whether he ends up the starter or not, Muskett is one of the veteran leaders of the team and it makes sense that he's been chosen to be a voice to represent his teammates. Colandrea is undoubtedly the future of the program, though many UVA fans would hope that that future begins this season, but he'll probably get multiple chances in the future to experience ACC media days, while this is Muskett's last ride.

It should be noted, though, that four other ACC teams (Cal, Duke, North Carolina, SMU) have chosen to bring multiple quarterbacks with them to the ACC Kickoff. Virginia is only bringing three total players and there are other teams bringing four, or in the case of Duke and North Carolina, even five players in addition to their head coach to Charlotte. With that said, having both Muskett and Colandrea up at the podium likely would have done nothing but further encourage the media to ask questions about Virginia's quarterback situation, questions Tony Elliott would have had to answer with his two quarterbacks sitting right beside him.

Ultimately, our verdict is that the decision to bring Tony Muskett to the ACC Kickoff is not strong enough evidence that Muskett is expected to start or that he even has the lead in the race for the starting job.

The 2024 ACC Football Kickoff will take place from July 22nd to July 25th at the Hilton Charlotte Uptown in Charlotte, North Carolina. UVA is scheduled to appear at the event on Tuesday, July 23rd along with California, Pittsburgh, Stanford, and Virginia Tech. The ACC Network will have live coverage of the event on all four days.

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