Next Up with Adam Breneman Tony Elliott’s Mission to Build Champions at UVA
Virginia Head Coach Tony Elliott joins Next Up with Adam Breneman to talk culture, NIL, portal strategy, and what it really takes to get UVA to Charlotte. Elliott explains why he chose Virginia—elite academics, true alignment with AD Carla Williams and university leadership, and a faith-driven belief that he could build a program the right way. He details the foundation work most people don’t see: tiny standards (yes, flushing the toilets) that create accountability, consistency, and peer leadership in the locker room.
We get into the transfer-portal calculus and how NIL realities changed his roster math from a ~75/25 high school-to-portal split to more of a 50/50–60/40 approach. This offseason alone, UVA welcomed 54 newcomers (32 transfers, 22 high school), while still prioritizing academic and social fit in small classes with no “easy track.” Elliott shares how NIL has been a net positive putting players in the community, relieving pressure at home, and letting them focus on ball and school and why he keeps the program relationship-driven while the front office manages the transactional pieces.
Elliott also revisits the road win at North Carolina as a belief shift for the team and lays out the identity for 2025: a mission to “build champion men by serving their heart, not their talent,” core values of humility, effort, accountability, respect, and toughness, and a theme of TLC → CLT (team, leadership, commitment aimed at December in Charlotte). To get there, he says UVA needs full-program belief, better consistency in one-score games, and deeper competitive depth. He closes with his “why”: a faith-led calling to use football to help young people realize their God-given gifts.
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CHAPTERS:
0:00 - Intro
1:07 - Support from University
2:09 - First team meeting as Virginia Head Coach
4:20 - First month as Virginia Head Coach
5:45 - Deciding to take the Virginia job
8:46 - Alignment with Virginia Administration
10:49 - Advice to Coach Elliott Day 1 at Virginia
12:35 - Building a new culture as a Head Coach
15:25 - Building a CFB roster in 2025
18:04 - Evaluating players in high school and the transfer portal
20:16 - Being a players coach in a transactional era
22:12 - Positive part of NIL and Corner Media
23:35 - “Ah-ha” moment at Virginia
24:34 - Training camp message in 2025
27:10 - Tackling during fall camp
28:13 - What needs to happen to reach the top of CFB
29:02 - Coach Elliott’s why
On Next Up, college football analyst Adam Breneman sits down with the most influential names in college sports and lets them tell their stories unfiltered, direct to the fans.
Next Up is a Front Office Sports Network show featuring candid, open, and honest conversations with the most impactful figures in college sports including head coaches, athletes, athletic directors, commissioners, entrepreneurs, media personalities, agents, and executives shaping the business of college sports.
Adam is a former All-American, Penn State alum and media personality. Front Office Sports is the leading multi-platform media and news organization covering the intersection of sports, business and culture.