CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – On the same day his rebuilt football team opened fall camp, and just minutes after the ACC announced his squad had been tapped to finish 14 out of 17 schools in the conference, Tony Elliott said to expect more from Virginia.

The fourth-year UVA coach declared that his program finally has the pieces to compete in the ACC, in terms of both depth and talent, making the 2025 season a put-up or shut-up moment for Elliott.

“I think we’ve got the best roster that we’ve had,” Elliott said Wednesday. “We’ve done some good things at times with less. I’m excited to see this group have a little bit more, to see what we can do. And then at the end of the day, if we’ve got more and we underachieve, I’ll be the first one to tell you that we underachieved.”

Elliott, of course, can’t afford to underachieve. He’s 11-23 in three seasons leading the Cavaliers, with just six conference wins and an 0-2 mark against rival Virginia Tech.

It’s hard to imagine anything less than a bowl appearance getting Elliott the chance to coach Year No. 5 in Charlottesville.

This challenge is one Elliott said he’d been seeking since he rose through the coaching ranks, becoming the offensive coordinator at league power Clemson before UVA picked him to succeed Bronco Mendenhall in 2021.

“I always said that when I transitioned to the head coaching seat, I wanted to build something,” Elliott said. “And I wanted to build it my way. The way that I believe that it should be built.”

That building took, perhaps, longer than many around Charlottesville had hoped.

Of course, no one could have foreseen the tragedy Elliott and his staff would have to navigate in 2022, when three of his players were shot to death on campus by a former team member.

Elliott and the rest of the coaches deserve immeasurable credit for shepherding the program through those unspeakably dark days, and only a fool would deny that tragedy set back efforts to turn around the Cavaliers.

Still, Elliott knows he works in a results-driven business. He may always be appreciated and respected on Grounds and by the UVA faithful for the way he handled the aftermath of the shooting, but his future will be determined by what happens on the field this season, starting with the Aug. 30 opener against Coastal Carolina.

And, as he boldly declared Wednesday, Virginia has the pieces to be markedly better.

Virginia had more name, image and likeness money to dole out for transfers – the college version of free agents – this offseason, and the program made a splash with some impressive pick-ups.

The offense has a clear starting quarterback in Chandler Morris, depth and size on the offensive line, and skilled and experienced options at running back and wide receiver.

The defense has proven veterans on the defensive line and at linebacker and UVA brought in nine transfers to rebuild the secondary.

Virginia has upgraded its facilities and support operations over the past year, giving the team a better chance at success but also upping the expectations on the 45-year-old Elliott.

“It’s taken time, obviously,” said senior running back Xavier Brown, who has been in the program since 2022. “I think we got a lot more of the resources we needed. I think there’s just guys that came in and are way more committed, and just want to win now.”

The Cavaliers could be set up for a potential break-through.

A favorable schedule comes at just the right time for Elliott, who is under contract through the 2027 season on a deal that pays him north of $4 million annually.

“I’m very, very grateful to be kind of on this side of it, where we are now,” Elliott said. “We’re starting to look the part. We’re starting to sound the part. And I think the guys are really believing that we are the part and that we belong.”

Virginia finally looks the part of an ACC program. Now, it’s up to Elliott to get it to play that way.