Tony Elliott took some time in deciding on Virginia. Why that was no surprise at all
Tony Elliott had just wrapped up his playing career at Clemson in 2003 when he went to head football coach Tommy Bowden’s office.
He sat in the chair across from his coach and began to ask question after question about the coaching profession. Bowden was as honest as possible with his former walk-on wide receiver, letting him know how much time the job takes as well as how it can affect such things as one’s marriage and family.
Bowden can’t remember exactly how long the two talked that day in 2003 nor how many questions Elliott asked, but it was enough for the latter to mull over.
“He wasn’t sold on the profession coming right out of college,” Bowden told The State this week. “When he left my office, he chose another direction.”
Elliott went into engineering for a while and worked at Michelin, which gave him enough time to think about being a coach — three years to be exact. In 2006, S.C. State coach Buddy Pough hired the California native as an assistant coach.
Fast forward to Wednesday when Elliott and his family got off a plane at the Oconee Regional Airport after a trip to Charlottesville, Virginia. While some thought that bringing his family along to the University of Virginia meant he’d become the Cavaliers’ head football coach, Elliott needed more time to think. His family had to be included in the decision and, as strong Christians, so did prayer.
“He’s very deliberate,” Bowden said.
Two days later, Elliott officially accepted the job and became Virginia’s head football coach.
“It’s about time,” Pough said, later adding, “I really thought Tony would’ve done it (become a head coach) a year or two sooner. Everybody knows the story about him having had opportunities, then he decided that he wanted to stay at Clemson.”
Elliott has been linked to five jobs in the past year and three over the last month, including TCU and Duke. He was mentioned for Auburn’s head coaching job in December and turned down Tennessee’s opening during the last offseason.
“He finally decided that he wanted to get out of the rocking chair and jump out of the chair,” Pough said. “… He’s got his shot now, so let’s see what happens.”
It couldn’t have been a better fit, considering Virginia’s academic standard along with Elliott’s background in the Air Force and being an engineer. He went to the academy in 1997, though not for long, and he received an honorable discharge. In the fall of 1999, he walked on at Clemson.
Elliott, who endured a traumatic childhood, played in 44 games during his college career with four starts, but he earned the respect of his teammates. As a senior, he was elected a captain and deemed the team’s “most respected player” by Clemson players in a survey conducted by the Anderson Independent Mail.
“To me, that says everything about his ability to communicate with other people, and then of course the impression that he left on his superiors like myself and his position coaches like Dabo,” Bowden said.
Even as a coach, Elliott was able to establish positive relationships with players and connect with them even if they weren’t part of his position group. When Brandon Ford was at Hanahan High School in North Charleston, he recalls having conversations with Elliott, who was at S.C. State at the time in 2008.
Elliott knew Ford was committed to Clemson and joked that the tight end was too big-time to play for the Bulldogs. Ford laughed it off and downplayed his status. Three years later when Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney hired Elliott as the tight ends coach and co-offensive coordinator, Elliott reminded Ford of the conversation.
“He was like, ‘Remember that time I told you to come play for me?’ ” Ford recalled. “He’s like, ‘Look at God, man, look at God. We’re both here now, man.’ ”
Just like Ford was learning how to tackle life as a college athlete, Elliott was learning how to tackle life as both a position coach and a playcaller. He studied under guys like Chad Morris and Jeff Scott until taking over as the sole offensive coordinator after Scott left for South Florida in December 2019.
Gathering from each year of experience gained with Clemson, Bowden has no doubt Elliott will continue to flourish in the next step of his career, much like he has up to this point.
“You’ve seen him grow as an observer,” Bowden said, “a guy that can make suggestions instead of decisions to a guy that makes decisions instead of suggestions.”
Elliott’s come a long way from the nearly 20-year-old conversation he had in Bowden’s office. He’s had time to truly consider what a career as a coach would look like and has been careful in the kinds of opportunities he takes, which now includes his first-ever head coaching job at Virginia. The time he took to consider the position and everything it entails was on par with who he’s always been, never letting go of the critical thinking skills he used as an engineer.
Pough called Elliott a hardworking guy who will “do the best he can by his players” and knows he’ll succeed because “his heart’s in the right place, he knows the game, all that kind of stuff.”
Ford said the Cavaliers are getting a coach who’s smart and will bring plenty of energy and passion to the squad.
“He’s going to do things the right way, always been that type of person,” Ford said. “Also, that says a lot for young African Americans these days who are seeking jobs like that. I know the LSU coach mentioned that earlier this year. ... That’s a big thing for kids to see because there’s a lack (of diversity) in sports today of those guys but that’s big. That’s really big. They’re getting a tremendous guy, a good father, a great husband and a good leader.”
