CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Virginia has named Tony Elliott as its new head football coach, ending a week of speculation about if he would be accepting a new job and leaving Clemson.
The school made the news official Friday afternoon, days after national media reports had said Elliott was the lead candidate for the Cavaliers' job.
"Coach Elliott is a winner, in every sense of the word," said Virginia Athletics Director Carla Williams in a statement. "He is known for his character, humility, work ethic, skillset, and passion for education. Coach Elliott is an exceptional leader of young men and he is highly regarded across college football as a talented teacher and coach."
Elliott had spent the last 11 years at Clemson, where's he'd been an integral part of that team's rise to become one of college football's elite programs. He had been the co-offensive coordinator since 2014 and was named the sole offensive coordinator in January of 2021.
During his tenure, Clemson won two national championships and seven ACC titles. Since he was elevated to co-offensive coordinator, the team's posted an 89-10 record and their offense has been ranked in the top two in the ACC in total offense in five of his seven seasons.
In 2017, he was the winner of the Frank Broyles Award, given annually to the nation's top assistant.
Elliott takes over for Bronco Mendenhall, who stepped down on December 2 after six seasons leading the Cavaliers. The team went 6-6 this season and was 36-38 overall under Mendenhall.
This is the third major departure for Clemson in the last week, with longtime defensive coordinator Brent Venables going to Oklahoma to be their head coach and Athletics Director Dan Radakovich going to Miami to take over the Hurricanes athletics department.