Everything Tony Elliott had to say after Monday's fall camp practice

Fall camp rolled on for the Virginia Cavaliers on Monday and after practice, UVA head coach Tony Elliott talked to the media and here is everything that he had to say. Q: You have spoken a lot about the importance of competitive depth, particularly over the course of a long season. I know it's still early in camp, but how do you see your team in that regard thus far?TONY ELLIOTT: Physically, I think. We got a ton of guys that got ability. Now it's working through these next 20 more practices to figure out their ability to function in a game like situation. And then we'll start getting back some of the guys that were coming off of a postseason surgery.We'll add them back into the mix. So physically, you feel good about where the roster is. I think it's probably the deepest roster we've had. Just when you go out there, you see the lines like they're a little bit longer, right? There's more guys that look like each other, so to speak. Now it's just a function of managing the rest of camp the right way to make sure that we have the functional, competitive depth.Q: Yeah, Tony, with the court ruling that would allow guys who exhausted their eligibility last year, the fifth year guys to come back, are you guys in the mix to add and bring back some of your former players?TE: Yeah, so that was a crazy deal, wasn't it? It kind of came out of nowhere. I wasn't expecting that, wasn't planning for that, but I know we're going to do everything from an administration standpoint, from a program standpoint, to position Virginia to be successful in the future. I think the challenging thing is that came out that each day there's an update, right? There's more information, the intent.So I think you got to be very careful in the interpretation so that you get it right. But I know that our folks are looking into it. Man, (Justin) Speros is staying pretty busy working the phones along with our folks on administration style because it's legal, right? So you're asking the wrong guy, right? I mean, to be honest with you, like today, I don't even know what today is because we're in fall camp. So I know that they're working on it.There's been some communication, but I know there's a lot of details that got to be sorted out before there'll be any final decisions on that.Q: Just in general, like what would be the challenge of incorporating players to your team when you're already almost a week in a training camp?TE: Man, one, for the players' health and safety. Those guys that may have transitioned on to a different style of life from January, right? That didn't go through offseason training, spring ball, or the summer workout. So an individual like that, you'd have to get him in shape first and then you got to get them in football shape then you got to integrate them into the team.And again, you didn't plan on those guys being a part of your program, so you made decisions and went out and provided opportunities to guys that have been here putting in work. So you just would have to work through the dynamics of integrating those guys back into the team, especially with the newer guys that you have on the roster.Q: Ja’Maric Morris, he looks like he's gotten a lot bigger moving to safety. How have you seen from him coming back from injury and then working this offseason and developing a little bit more?TE: Yeah, he came in big. I think that's what we sometimes we forget. He was 200 plus pounds playing corner before he got hurt last spring.And so then having the offseason to really just focus on the total body as he's rehabbing. The knee. He looks really, really good. Probably about 218, 219 pounds.He’s worked really hard to gain his confidence in his knee. He plays a position where, man, it's a lot of change of direction, a lot of violent cuts that you have to make. And each day that goes by, you're just seeing more and more confidence. And so you're starting to see, right, flashes of what we saw before he got hurt. And this naturally, probably the nickel position, safety position, is a better fit for him just because of his size, his length, and his physicality.Now, last year when he came in, we really didn't have that luxury, right? We were down corners. We needed corners. He had to play corner for us, but just a credit to his versatility. So, I mean, I'm excited for him. And each day that goes by, I think tomorrow will be a big day. It'll be a big hurdle, too, because we put the full pads on and we get to go live for the first time in camp.So, that'll be another hurdle. But so far, he's been passing his tests with flying colors.Q: Sticking in the safety room, Brandyn Hillman, anytime you talk about anybody on the defensive side and you ask who stands out, they always talk about him. How far has he come just getting that chemistry with the other guys and just taking up, from what I hear, leadership role? A lot of people say he's really vocal in the back.TE: Yeah, his personality is full of leadership. I mean, he's a guy that always has a smile on his face. He's very engaging. He's not going to walk by anybody and not spark up a conversation. So he has that aspect to him. And then his play speaks for itself.He's a physical guy that flies around, loves contact. He loves to compete. He's highly competitive. And so I think the guys gravitate towards that. Now that we're going through the installation again for like the third time, he's a lot more comfortable. And so now he can go beyond just getting himself lined up. Now he can get other guys lined up, which I think allows more leadership ability to come out of him. And then also, too, like he's, even though he's a fierce, competitive guy on the field, I mean, you can tell that he's got a big heart. And he's a sincere guy. He cares. He wants to engage with his teammates on more than just a football level.Q: Obviously, there's not a lot of questions with the offensive line per se and as far as talent, but what are the expectations like for them? How have they changed since you brought these five guys back and obviously you had to make sure you retained them, but what are the expectations like for them?TE: I think it's twofold. I think externally there's a ton of expectations and I don't go on social media, so I don't know exactly what all they are, but I know there's a lot of talk about those guys. I think internally the expectation is consistency in performance on the field and then leadership off the field, right? And so internally we're not looking at it from that standpoint because two of the five didn't play last year, right? And so now, and then you got one that's kind of transitioning to center (Drake Metcalf) for the first time, I mean full time for the first time, right?He played some guard and a little bit of center there. So it's like, ah, it's a, for us it's come together first right? And then we'll focus on all of the other stuff. But the biggest thing is the leadership is probably the biggest expectation from the people in the building, but also from that group internally. They want to lead, and now they kind of have the credibility to be able to do it.Q: And then with Beau (Pribula), you've had him on grounds for eight months now. Has there been a moment that kind of really sold you on kind of the direction that you're going at quarterback with him as your starter?TE: You know, I think there's just been several moments his poise, the way he engages with folks, how he handled himself at ACC Media Days, out at practice. I think after the kind of the determination that we're going to go in this direction, and I made that announcement to the team. Then you start to see him being a little more vocal with the guys in the locker room.Then I observe how he interacts with the guys in the dining room, and he sits with a lot of different people engaging with different position groups, which tells you that, hey, this guy understands as a quarterback, you've got to galvanize the entire team, not just one side of the ball or your skill guys. You've got to be able to sit down and talk to D-Linemen, you've got to be able to engage with defensive backs, right? So they'll all follow you.Q: The staff has prioritized production over potential in the transfer portal. Number 99, (Devon) Baxter, does not have a lot of that on his resume, but you look at him and he seems like a really intriguing athlete. What interested you guys in him and how is he doing so far?TE: Well, we went after him pretty hard coming out of high school. So he was a guy that we sought. So we knew there was a ton of potential coming out of high school. And then in the spring, we knew we weren't going to be able to get much out of him just because he was recovering from the shoulder. But the length, you can't coach that. The athleticism, you can't coach that. What you don't know and you hope is just the football mentality.And he's got that. I mean, he learns very, very quickly, and so each day you're seeing him get better with what we're asking him to do. So I'm really excited about his upside. Probably the guy that's caught my attention the most the first five days of practice. You know, some of it is I didn't get to see him go full speed in the spring, but you can't help but find him because of his size, but also his ability to be productive. You're seeing him be productive already in just five practices.Q: Another long D end with who's young, Evan Ward and I think he had some medical issues that kind of set him back last year. Where is he in his development right now?TE: Yeah, it looks really, really good. When you look at his physically, he's about 240 to 45 pounds, man, he looks the part. You're starting to see that things are slowing down a little bit for him.So he's functioning, kind of on his own without the coaches having to assist a ton. And then the next step is gonna be, Now when he can do that, then he'll be able to turn his athleticism loose. But in the drill work where we're doing special teams work or things where he doesn't have to think or focus on a scheme, you really, really see a jumbo athlete running around. Fleet running around.Q: As big as tthe jump was by the defense last year, what would you like to see from that group this year?TE: Yeah, so continue to build upon third down defense, but then also, you know, what I like to see is just winning the hidden yardage, you know, by consistency and execution from a tackling standpoint, right?I think, you know, schematically, we'll be similar, but we'll be different because we got different pieces that we're working with. So it may not look exactly the same, but I think from a core standpoint, we'll have the same DNA if that makes sense. But I want to see them be able to go out and really continue to force people to point and get off the field by eliminating the missed tackles or the tackles where we're not knocking them back, where we got guys wrapped up. And then really just have a have a the next evolution is like go be a defense that that can win football game, right? And not wait on the offense, we going to stop them and we got a mentality where we want to try and go score on defense. So if I have my wish list, that's kind of the message I'm communicating to the guys, hey, go win it on defense.Q: And even though it's first week of camp, going into the second week, I guess, do you feel like this defense is ahead already from this time last year?TE: Oh, it's hard to tell just because everything has been so controlled. We'll get some live work tomorrow and then Saturday we'll get everybody off the field and see. But now, physically, like when you look at where we are, I think depth wise, and like all of our linebackers, Man, we got all those guys rocking and rolling with more experience, so we're faster at linebacker, we're longer, we're more athletic at linebacker, and that's not with Kam (Robinson) in there. So you throw Kam back in the mix, and now you got a veteran group there that's going to give us a ton of depth and then some more versatility and flexibility in some of our different packages and in certain down and distance situations. And then also on special teams, that's going to make an impact.I think we're bigger in the interior of the D-line, you know, just collectively with all of the guys that we have that are over 300 pounds. We're probably longer at defensive end collectively than we were last year. And then we're definitely faster on the back end. So I think physically, when you look at us, like we're different and improved. Now, the question is collectively, when it's time to go play, do we have the chemistry, the communication, the cohesion to be able to go and execute at a high level like we did last year?Q: Just along those lines with the defense, what did you like about the way Rud (John Rudzinski) and the defensive staff last year managed to get many different players on the field in different packages? And how do you think they did going about that to highlight the skill sets of guys?TE: So I'm not going to say that, I'm not going to take credit for that. But one thing that I've been just really, really harping to those guys defensively is depth. Specially on the D line. Is like depth, especially on the D line, right? Especially on the D line because when you have depth on the D line, then you can have some versatility in the packages, right, that you have.And then, one, you're playing a lot more guys, right, which you're fresher up front, so now you kind of wear on the offense as opposed to the offense wearing on you over the course of the game. And then when you have guys, you know, like a Cazeem (Moore), you can bring them in on second down and long and put them in a three technique over the guard that creates a matchup advantage. Or if you're playing a team that's going to go with some heavy personnel, you can get even bigger when you need to get bigger. So I thought they did a really good job of being able to add in some of the second down stuff, you know, that we did with the versatility of the packages there. And we lost a little bit too with Kam (Robinson). So we had some plans to do some things with cam and then he had the collarbone to start the season and so then we just didn't really get the time and distance invested in it and so we kind of went in a different direction. Which I think that that injury to cam with the collarbone forced us defensively to kind of think outside the box and develop some new packages.And so that that's created a train of thought for us. And then you throw Kam back in the mix. And so now you got another element. And then the depth that linebacker now gives you the ability with whatever packages you do put in for Kam, you got guys similar to him that you can continue to do it because you got depth. And so I thought they did a really good job and it'll be interesting to see what those packages become with the body types and the skill sets that we have and the depth that we have with this defensive unit.Q: And then one on Xavier Brown, seeing him and he looks healthy. How is he doing and can he help you this year with all the running backs that you guys have added?TE: He's helped us every year. We're not here without old X-Brown and so he's out there in limited situations still protecting him. He's not quite fully just turned loose yet, but he can pretty much do most all of the segments. It's just the stuff when we're going good on good. We're just not putting them in that line of fire yet.Later in camp, we will. But absolutely he can help us. I think he was doing a great job on special teams before the injury. He was making plays out of the backfield. I think the depth helps him, so that he doesn't have to carry so much of a load, right?With I think his skill set is better served when you have him in the position to do the things that. He's best at doing, and not asking him to have to do everything. Right, I think it takes a little bit of wear and tear off of his body, so that he can really excel at the things that he that he does well, and that's why it's important for us to have to. And then, worst case scenario, if need be, he's also prepared to go in there and do whatever the team asks of him.Q: You've raved about Sichan John a few times. And before fall camp, or actually after the first practice, you said he's in the best shape that you've seen him since arriving here. Now that he's seen him in a couple more practices, how much has that best shape helped him? And what have you seen from his development?TE: Yeah, so I think he was in the 320s last year, weighed in maybe at 311. So man, he looks lean, but he hasn't lost any explosiveness, any strength. And man, he's firing off the ball. He's disruptive.He's playing in the offense's backfield. And then his conditioning, right? You can see him playing at the high level consistently for more snaps because he's in, one, he's in better shape, but then too he's a year older so he knows a little bit more and you can leave him out there in pretty much all the situations that we've introduced so far.Q: And talking to Des (Kitchings) about the short yardage plays and packages that y'all have used over the past couple of years, you've kind of had these situations where you had an injury or something else where it kind of created these moments. What is the process of finding, okay, what's it going to be this year?TE: Great question. I think we, well, we introduce short yardage tomorrow. So we'll find out first and foremost, can the running backs tote it, right? Because you'd love for, that's their job. Like you'd love for them to be able to tote it. And I think we got some guys, most of our guys are over 200 pounds now. So we Those guys can carry a big load.I think you got some versatility with your quarterbacks, you know, and not just Beau (Pribula). I mean, Eli (Holstein) can move for a big fella, and he's 246 pounds. So that opens up some other possibilities, right? So I think in years past, it's been more so predicated on limited depth. Like, so we had a plan and then boom, you know, Grady's (Brosterhous) hurt. Now we got to figure out something else.I think this year, now you have the ability to truly be a little bit more creative, but also, too, I'd love to see that the backs carry some of that load. And then the offensive line kind of sets the tempo so that, man, you can go directly at people when you need to and when you have to.And then if you want to have some fun and be creative, then you've got some history, so to speak, of things to potentially pull from. And then with the depth, you got some opportunity to be creative as well.Q: And quickly to follow up on Greg's questions earlier, Cazeem Moore and Jacob Holmes, those are two guys that have said they're going to be potentially interested in another year. Have y'all or your staff had any contact with them just about that?TE: Yeah, there's been contact because, you know, as we learn more, there's more information that you have to be able to answer the questions that are arising on both sides, right?So there's been communication, but still, in terms of the direction, we're still just waiting on things to get ironed out. Like I've been trying to follow it the best I can with things that are being posted on ESPN and all this. Then also information from (Justin) Speros and Cody (Gougler) and the administration. And I think there's kind of like what we've learned going through all of this. There's a lot more layers to it than maybe what you initially think.It's like, oh, hey, this is the new rule. Well, there's unintended consequences, right? That I think now, because of the landscape, people have a little bit more caution when it comes to, right? And I don't know the whole situation with the young man in Alabama, but there was a basketball player, I believe, that was out, then he was in, then he was back out, and that's the last thing that I want to do to a young man. So we're going to position ourselves to be successful and competitive, but at the same time, we're going to make sure that we do things the right way.Q: Sorry, just one more on (Daniel) Sparks. Did you ever think he'd be here as long as he has?TE: Absolutely not.Q: What do you remember about initially recruiting him way back when, when he was part of your first transfer portal?TE: Yeah, one, well, I knew he was from Alabama, right?And I was like, okay, I like to try and get me some Southern boys up here to help me out. And then you see him, he's like, man, he's a good athlete. And really Drew (Meyer) was kind of handling the specialist recruiting. But no, I just knew that he came from a football background, good athlete, was honest and transparent, just wanted an opportunity, wasn't looking for anything to be handed to him, just wanted somewhere to come and compete and hopefully win the job. And so definitely didn't think that he'd be here. I think we make fun of him. We say he's like a 10th year senior. Because he's been here forever. But we're extremely grateful to have Sparky still on the squad.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow