Tony Elliott to Virginia ‘could accelerate today,’ national reports say
.JPG "Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott")
It was believed that Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott was out of the running for the University of Virginia’s vacant head football coach position. That changed Wednesday with multiple national reports indicating that he’s back in play.
“Sources: Virginia has returned its focus to Tony Elliott and the Clemson assistant would prefer that to interest from Duke,” Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde shared via Twitter on Wednesday. “Nothing done, but this could accelerate today.”
Elliott is also a finalist for the same job at Duke, though the Cavaliers could be moving quicker than the Blue Devils. Per Larry Williams of Rivals, Elliott and his family left for Charlottesville this afternoon.
“Clemson OC Tony Elliott is meeting with @UVAFootball officials today and has emerged as the top candidate for the Cavaliers’ head coaching job, sources tell ESPN,” according to ESPN’s Chris Low.
Penn State co-defensive coordinator Anthony Poindexter, the once-perceived UVa coaching front-runner, told ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg on Wednesday that he is staying with the Nittany Lions.
Said Richmond Times-Dispatch ACC beat writter Mike Barber on Twitter: “Coaching search intrigue: It now sounds like Clemson OC Tony Elliott is back in as a candidate for the #UVA coaching job. Former Hoo Anthony Poindexter appeared to be the guy just 24 hours ago. My advice? Stay tuned and buckle up.”
Should Virginia hire Elliott, it’ll leave the Tigers in search of two coordinators after defensive coordinator Brent Venables was announced as the University of Oklahoma’s head football coach on Sunday night.
It’s been reported that Tigers senior defensive assistant Wes Goodwin is a strong candidate to replace Venables as the Tigers’ defensive coordinator.
This story was originally published December 8, 2021 at 2:51 PM.
