ACC FOOTBALL COMPANION GUIDE • ALPHABETICAL 15 OF 17
2026 Season Snapshot • Charlottesville, Virginia
11–3
ACC
Live schedule, lines and results for Virginia.
Loading schedule…
HEAD COACH
Tony Elliott — 5th season at Virginia
LIFETIME COACHING RECORD
24–26 at Virginia
An 11-year Clemson assistant (offensive coordinator during the Tigers' national title runs) hired in Dec. 2021 to rebuild a struggling Virginia program. His first three seasons were rough (3-7, 3-9, 5-7) as the program lacked competitive NIL resources — but a genuine $35M investment increase transformed the roster in 2025, delivering an 11-3 season, the program's most wins in school history, and a trip to the ACC Championship Game.
VIRGINIA ATS RECORD
No single published career ATS figure
2025 finished 11-3, an all-time program-record win total, capped by an ACC Championship Game loss to Duke in overtime. A stunning, real, resource- driven turnaround directly following three losing seasons under the same coach.
HEAD COACH SALARY (2026)
Not fully disclosed
TEAM NIL VALUATION (EST.)
$35M+ (NIL + rev-share
PRIMARY NIL COLLECTIVE
Not publicly named
(extended through 2030) combined) Coach salary per CollegeNetWorth/beat reporting: Elliott's original deal (2021) included a $4.1M base with an $8M buyout declining $2M annually; a full extension through 2030 was finalized in April 2026 with complete terms still being sought via FOIA. Beat writer Streaking The Lawn cites $35M in combined NIL and revenue-sharing investment as the direct cause of Virginia's 2025 roster upgrade, most notably landing QB Chandler Morris.
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR
Des Kitchings • 3rd season • Multiple
Enters year three with Morris, who went 10-1 as a healthy starter in 2025 (2,586 yds, 14 TD, 7 INT) after Elliott's targeted portal pursuit. Real, proven system fit after the QB position was a revolving door in the program's first three seasons.
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR
John Rudzinski • 5th season • Multiple
The most tenured coordinator on staff, having stayed through Virginia's rebuild years to reach the breakthrough season; real defensive continuity that helped carry the program's historic 2025 turnaround.
2025 RECORD
11–3, ACC runner-up
ACC Championship: L (OT) vs. Duke. The most wins in Virginia football history, driven directly by the program's largest-ever NIL/revenue-sharing investment and Chandler Morris's arrival at quarterback.
HOME FIELD
Scott Stadium
Grass, Charlottesville. A program that endured three losing seasons before real financial investment produced the best year in school history — Virginia's clearest evidence yet that sustained NIL commitment can transform a rebuild into a real contender.
| SLOT | PLAYER | YEAR | HS Stars | NOTES / NFL OUTLOOK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB1 | Chandler Morris | Sr | ★★★★★ | TOP TRANSFER Three-star signee (Highland Park HS, Texas; son of Clemson OC Chad Morris); North Texas transfer who went 10-1 as a healthy starter in 2025 (2,586 yds, 14 TD, 7 INT), directly powering Virginia's historic turnaround. Currently in an active legal dispute in Charlottesville Circuit Court over a 7th season of eligibility — a real, ongoing 2026 availability question. |
Three-star signee (Highland Park HS, Texas; son of Clemson OC Chad Morris); North Texas transfer who went 10-1 as a healthy starter in 2025 (2,586 yds, 14 TD, 7 INT), directly powering Virginia's historic turnaround. Currently in an active legal dispute in Charlottesville Circuit Court over a 7th season of eligibility — a real, ongoing 2026 availability question.
| PLAYER | POS | YEAR | HS Stars | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noah Josey | OG | — | ★★★★★ | Three-star signee (Brentwood Academy, Tenn.; four-star per Rivals; father Bryan played OT at Vanderbilt). 2025 ACC Media Days attendee; posted the highest pass-blocking grade (80.9 PFF) among all Virginia linemen and was named an Offensive Impact Player, the clearest returning anchor up front. |
Three-star signee (Brentwood Academy, Tenn.; four-star per Rivals; father Bryan played OT at Vanderbilt). 2025 ACC Media Days attendee; posted the highest pass-blocking grade (80.9 PFF) among all Virginia linemen and was named an Offensive Impact Player, the clearest returning anchor up front.
| PLAYER | POS | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Jahmeer Carter | DT | 2025 ACC Media Days attendee; anchors a defensive front under 5th-year DC John Rudzinski's real, proven system continuity. |
| Mitchell Melton | DE | Also a 2025 ACC Media Days attendee, pairing with Carter to give Virginia real, decorated returning talent up front. |
2025 ACC Media Days attendee; anchors a defensive front under 5th-year DC John Rudzinski's real, proven system continuity.
Also a 2025 ACC Media Days attendee, pairing with Carter to give Virginia real, decorated returning talent up front.
| PLAYER | POS | HS Stars | NOTES / NFL OUTLOOK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Secondary under Rudzinski | DB | ★★★★★ | Benefits from fifth-year coordinator continuity; specific 2026 starters to be confirmed closer to Week 1. |
Benefits from fifth-year coordinator continuity; specific 2026 starters to be confirmed closer to Week 1.
2025 ATS
9-5
64.3% cover rate — 16th of 82
2025 Straight up
11-3
Point differential +157
Scoring environment
50.4
Combined points per game — 53rd highest of 82
Home / road ATS
5-2 · 3-2
Totals 4-10 O/U (3-4 home, 1-4 road)
Points scored / allowed
30.8 per game scored (27th) · 19.6 allowed (18th)
Margin & schedule
Margin of victory +11.2 (20th) · Strength of schedule -2
SRS power rating
+7.2
25th of 82 — projected points vs. a league-average team on a neutral field
Offensive SRS
+1.7
40th of 82
Defensive SRS
+7.4
20th of 82
Points (margin of victory)
+11.2 · 20th of 82
Against the spread
9-5 (64.3%) · 16th of 82
Totals (combined PPG)
50.4 · 53rd of 82
Computed from CollegeFootballData 2025 results and closing consensus lines.
Saved Just J research for Virginia.
Virginia's jump from 5-7 to an 11-3, ACC-title-game season came directly after a $35M combined NIL/revenue-sharing increase — among the clearest before-and-after case studies of modern roster spending in this guide.
Elliott specifically pursued Chandler Morris (3,774 yds, 31 TD at North Texas in 2024) in the portal; Morris went 10-1 as a healthy starter and publicly stated his goal was an ACC title, not just a bowl bid.
Morris was denied a preliminary injunction in Charlottesville Circuit Court in a case tied to his pursuit of a 7th season of eligibility — a genuine, ongoing storyline with real implications for his 2026 availability.
Notes are maintained in the Admin area — no code changes required.
