Elliott gets warm reception from state’s coaches

By Jerry Ratcliffe

The first time Tony Elliott went recruiting taught him a valuable lesson that he’s never forgotten.

It was his first job at South Carolina State and he was sent out on his first solo recruiting mission. He was somewhat bushwhacked and wasn’t prepared for some severe backlash from a disgruntled high school coach.

“I remember I was so excited to go recruiting and I pulled up to a school, was a young coach, so excited,” Elliott said. “Nobody had told me that the relationship had been strained, so I went in and the coach just undressed me. He let me know how upset he was with my school.”

Caught by surprise, all Elliott could do was apologize to the coach and promise him that he hoped to do things differently over time.

Fast forward to the past two months, and Elliott visiting myriad of high schools in the state of Virginia. He was aware that some schools had been disappointed that UVA and Virginia Tech hadn’t managed to keep some of the state’s best players within the Commonwealth’s borders.

A handful or less of the high school coaches had a beef with Virginia because of a couple of incidents involving former assistants from Bronco Mendenhall’s staff.

So when Elliott dropped in on those schools, he didn’t know what to expect. His mind drifted back to that first recruiting trip at South Carolina State.

“To be honest, every school we went to was excited to see us,” Elliott said this week.

Still, he wanted to increase his odds of a warm welcome. It was a brilliant move on his part.

“I brought in reinforcements,” Elliott chuckled. “I was smart. So when we went down to the beach (the talent-rich 757 region of the state), I made sure Marques and Slade walked in there first. They were the celebrities and I was just a tag along.”

Marques is Marques Hagans, Virginia’s wide receivers coach and a former quarterback/receiver for George Welsh and Al Groh. Hagans hailed from Hampton High School where he was a prep star. Slade is Chris Slade, who starred at Tabb High School and became an All-American defensive end for Welsh before going on to a long NFL career.

Hagans has been a UVA assistant for quite some time, while Slade just returned to his alma mater after a successful decade of coaching high school ball in Atlanta. Both remain legendary in the Tidewater region of the state, if not the entire state, at least among UVA legions.

“I think [accompanying Hagans and Slade] helped, especially in the Tidewater,” Elliott said. “It was much better than I anticipated because I thought there would be a little bit of tension and that I would have to mend some relationships. I was prepared to stand there and take it like I did that first one.”

Elliott and his staff are trying to reconnect and renew relationships to gain the trust of the state’s high school coaches for the future.

None of that was too relative on Wednesday, the February national signing day, when Elliott officially introduced a 10-man addition to Virginia’s 2022 recruiting class, combined with 11 previous players who signed back in December’s national signing period. (See below for a complete list of the 21-man class and new bios).

There were only two signees from the state, both having signed two months ago, something that Elliott promised will not be the case going forward. This 21-man class is from a total of 14 states and includes five players from the transfer portal.

Virginia’s recruiting class was damaged by several players who decommitted after the coaching change. Elliott was playing from behind in recruiting in hoping to just find bodies to fill as many gaps in the class as he could, particularly along the offensive line, after his entire starting line exited via the transfer portal.

“I think we all know the situation,” Elliott said Wednesday. “With the transition, we lost several guys that really hurt our numbers, so [rebuilding the depleted offensive line] was the primary focus and we also wanted to supplement the defensive line with a couple of guys.”

The majority of the new signees were offensive linemen after O-Line coach Garett Tujague went on an intense recruiting spree the past few weeks, extending his work all the way to Utah in order to land some wide bodies for his position room.

Among the new grad transfers via the portal were offensive lineman John Paul Flores from Dartmouth, Mac Hollensteiner from Georgetown, along with defensive lineman Paul Akere from Columbia. UVA previously landed Michigan State defensive end Jack Camper, who has already enrolled, and Wisconsin wide receiver Devin Chandler.

While Wednesday was signing day, coaches can still add to their roster from high schools or the transfer portal going forward.

“I’m just really excited about how the staff went out and scrambled and worked hard,” Elliott said. “We were playing a little bit of catch-up, but we were able to fulfill some needs, particularly on the offensive line.”

Elliott said that future needs include edge rushers, possibly a running back, another tight end, at least one secondary player and “you can’t ever have enough defensive linemen.”

Virginia got a boost in that department when veteran D-lineman Aaron Faumui came back from the portal.

The fact that the new staff could land some players from the portal didn’t hurt, particularly that all of them have at least two years of eligibility remaining and college playing experience, which gives them an edge over incoming high school players.

“We prefer that, especially when they’re coming in at ground zero with a chance to help establish the foundation of the championship culture we want to establish going forward in the locker room,” Elliott said. “It wasn’t a prerequisite.

“First time recruiting in the portal was a challenge because we were on some guys that we thought we were going to have a good shot at and before we knew it, we were out of the ball game.

“Other guys popped up, so it wasn’t necessary that they had two years but it’s a great benefit to us because now, especially at the positions that they are coming in, they give us experience, the ability to bring some leadership and then on the field they have two years to produce.”

The following is a list of individuals who make up this year’s signing class, courtesy UVA Media Relations:

Name	POS	HT	WT	Hometown	HS/Previous School
Paul Akere*	DL	6-4	250	Carrollton, Texas	Hebron (TX)/Columbia
Dawson Alters*	OL	6-2	275	Miami, Fla.	St. Thomas Aquinas
Tapuvae “Snoop” Amaama*	OL	6-4	330	Lehi, Utah	Skyridge
Will Bettridge	K	5-10	156	Miami, Fla.	Gulliver Prep
Mckale Boley*	OL	6-6	305	Hattiesburg, Miss.	Oak Grove
Stevie Bracey	LB	6-0	219	Atlanta, Ga.	Lovett School
Xavier Brown	RB	5-11	175	Lexington, Ky.	Lexington Christian
Jack Camper	DE	6-5	250	Virginia Beach, Va.	IMG Academy/Michigan State
Devin Chandler	WR	6-0	178	Huntersville, N.C.	Hough/Wisconsin
Delaney Crawford	ATH	6-3	180	Corona, Calif.	Corona School
Houston Curry*	OL	6-7	265	Fountain Inn, S.C.	Hillcrest
Noah DeMeritt*	OL	6-6	345	Kingsland, Ga.	Camden County
John Paul Flores*	OL	6-5	300	Arlington, Texas	All Saints Episcopal (TX)/Dartmouth
Karson Gay	TE	6-6	226	Chattanooga, Tenn.	Boyd-Buchanan School
Mac Hollensteiner*	OL	6-6	310	Bethesda, Md.	Landon/Georgetown
TT Jones*	DL	6-5	260	Hoover, Ala.	Hoover
Davis Lane Jr.	QB	6-1	184	Lynchburg, Va.	Liberty Christian
Trey McDonald	LB	6-4	212	Chattanooga, Tenn.	Baylor School
Blake Steen*	OL	6-5	318	Miami, Fla.	St. Thomas Aquinas
Dakota Twitty	WR	6-5	213	Columbus, N.C.	Thomas Jefferson Classical
Sean Wilson	WR	6-5	214	Brooklyn, N.Y.	Canarsie

* February signee

Below are bios for the Tuesday’s signees:

Paul Akere • DL
Hebron (TX)/Columbia
Carrollton, Texas

CAREER: Played in 22 career games with 10 starts as a defensive end … In his three-year, 22-game career, registered 6.0 sacks for 41 yards, 10.0 tackles for loss for 53 yards, 49 total tackles (31 solo) with one forced fumble.

2021: Named an FCS ADA Academic All-Star … Second team All-Ivy League honoree as a defensive lineman … Named a CoSIDA Academic All-District selection … Earned second team All-Ivy League honors by Phil Steele Magazine … Started all 10 games as a senior defensive end … Ranked No. 9 in the Ivy League in sacks (5.0-39 yards), ranked No. 10 in the Ivy League in tackles for loss (9.0-51 yards), and finished the year ranked No. 5 on the squad in tackles, impressive for a defensive lineman, with 42 (27 solo) … Had a four-game stretch with at least one sack (Sept. 25-Oct. 22) … Finished with five tackles (two solo), 1.5 tackle for loss and 0.5 sack for six yards in season finale at Cornell (Nov. 20) … Made five tackles with 1.0 tackle for loss, 0.5 sack and forced a fumble at Brown (Nov. 13) … Finisehd with six tackles (six solo) at Dartmouth (Oct. 22) … Finished with six tackles (four solo) with 2.0 tackles for loss for nine yards and 1.0 sack for five yards vs. Penn (Oct. 16) … Registered four tackles (three solo) with 1.0 sack for nine yards at Central Connecticut State (Oct. 9) … Registered one sack for seven yards and three solo tackles at Princeton (Oct. 2) … Most productive performance came vs. Georgetown when he led the Lions with eight tackles (six solo), 2.5 tackles for loss, and a sack (Sept. 25) … Made first career start with one assisted tackle in season opener vs. Marist (Sept. 18). 2020: Season canceled due to COVID pandemic. 2019: Played in all 10 games as a sophomore defensive lineman … Listed all year on the depth chart as a backup defensive end … Earned varsity letter on year … Finished the year with six tackles (three solo) with 1.0 sack for two yards and 1.0 tackle for loss for two yards … Totaled at least one tackle in four consecutive games … Finished with one tackle at Yale (Nov. 2) … Registered first career sack for two yards and one tackle vs. Penn (Oct. 19) … Made one tackle vs. Central Connecticut State (Oct. 12) … Made one tackle at Princeton (Oct. 5) … Made a career-high two tackles vs. Georgetown (Sept. 28). 2018: As a first-year, saw action in the season’s first two games on the defensive line … Made one tackle in career debut at Central Connecticut State (Sept. 15).

HIGH SCHOOL: A 2018 graduate of Hebron High School in Lewisville, Texas, where he played four years of varsity football for head coach Brian Brazil … Two-time All-District 5-6A selection … Earned unanimous first team all-district honors as a defensive lineman in 2017 and second team all-district honors as a tight end in 2016 … Earned academic all-state honorable mention honors as a senior … Two-time football team captain … Totaled 70 tackles (35 solo), averaged 7.8 tackles per game, 4.5 sacks and recovered three fumbles in nine games played during senior year … Led the Hawks to an 8-3 overall record and 6-1 district record as a senior … Led the Hawks to an 8-4 overall record, 5-2 conference slate as a junior … Named a two-star recruit by 247sports.com … Also played three seasons on the Hawks basketball team … Served as team captain in basketball as a junior and guided the Hawks to an undefeated district record and district championship 2016-17 … Named All-District 5-6A selection in basketball and Defensive Player of the Year as a junior … Also competed in track and field as a junior and senior … Threw the discus (145-4) … Involved in community service activities including the Hands of Hope community mentorship program, visiting elementary schools and feeding the homeless. 

Dawson Alters • OL
St. Thomas Aquinas
Miami, Fla.

Three-star recruit according to 247Sports, Rivals.com and ESPN … ranked the 14th best center in the country by ESPN.com … named an UnderArmour All-American and invited to play in the 2022 UnderArmour All-American Game in Orlando … played his senior season at St. Thomas Aquinas for head coach Roger Harriott … Helped STA to the 2021 7A State Championship after going 14-1 … recipient of the Henry O. Langston 7A Scholar-Athlete Award presented to the student-athlete with the highest GPA on each of the qualifying teams at the annual FHSAA State Football Championships … played junior season (2020) for TRU Prep Academy after football season at University School was canceled …  played alongside fellow UVA commit Blake Steen at STA.

Tapuvae “Snoop” Amaama • OL
Skyridge
Lehi, Utah

Three-star recruit according to 247Sports and Rivals.com … No. 12 overall recruit in Utah according to 247Sports … First-team All Region 4 by Deseret News … second-team all-state for class 6A by the Deseret News … Helped Skyridge to an 11-2 record in 2021 and to semifinal round of state 6A playoffs Played in the 2021 Polynesian Bowl in Hawaii that puts the top high school players in the country on one field together to compete in an annual All-Star game.

Mckale Boley • OL
Oak Grove
Hattiesburg, Miss.

Three-star recruit according to 247Sports, Rivals and ESPN … Ranked the 34th best player in Mississippi according to ESPN … played for Drew Causey at Oakdale High School … helped Oakdale reach the 2020 state championship after posting a 13-0 record … reached the state championship game in 2019 … all-conference selection … Invited to play in the 2021 Benard Blackwell Classic All-Star Football game … played soccer all the way up until his junior year … his father Michael Boley played football at Southern Miss where he was a three-time All-Conference USA selection and 2004 C-USA Defensive Player of the Year as a linebacker … father played nine NFL seasons for the Falcons, Giants and Bengals and won Super Bowl XLVI with the New York Giants.

Houston Curry • OL
Hillcrest
Fountain Inn, S.C.

A three-star recruit according to 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals.com … ranked the No. 25 overall recruit in South Carolina according to 247Sports … Played for Anthony Frate at Hillcrest High School … Two-sport standout at Hillcrest playing baseball and football … 2021 SFCA 5A All-State selection … SC Region 1 AAAAAA All-Region honoree as a senior in 2021… selected to play in the 2021 Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl, a north/south matchup of South Carolina’s top high school football players … named the Hilcrest Offensive Line MVP his senior season … Won 2021 5A State Baseball Championship … earned 2021 All-Region honors in baseball.

Noah DeMeritt • OL
Camden County
Kingsland, Ga.

Three-star recruit according to 247Sports, Rivals and ESPN … four-year letterwinner at Camden County, playing for Bob Spire (2018-2020) and Jeff Herron (2021) …  Earned all-state and all-area team honors … Four-time Region 1 7A All-Region selection, including three first team nods.

John Paul Flores • OL
All Saints Episcopal (TX)/Dartmouth
Arlington, Texas

PREVIOUS SCHOOL: CAREER: Started all 20 games in his final two seasons (2019 & 2021) in which Dartmouth led the Ivy League in rushing and won back-to-back league championships … Dartmouth lost three games in his four years in Hanover including an 18-2 mark as a starter. 2021: Second Team All-Ivy League selection … started all 10 games at left tackle … Dartmouth ranked No. 1 in the Ivy League and No. 21 in FCS with 193.7 rushing yards per game … Dartmouth went 9-1 on the season, captured the 20th Ivy League title in program history and ranked 23rd in the final FCS Coaches Poll. 2020: Season canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic … selected for a spot on the Phil Steele Preseason All-Ivy League Third Team. 2019: Earned the starting job at left tackle and kept it the entire season … played a big part in Dartmouth winning its 19th Ivy League title and ending the season ranked in the top 25 … helped pave the way for Dartmouth to lead the Ivy League in rushing yards per game (167.0) and rank second in scoring offense (33.3 points per game) … effective pass blocker as well, contributing to the ultra-efficient passing game that ranked second nationally in passing efficiency … part of the unit that allowed fewer sacks that any other Ivy League squad … the offense was also third in the FCS in third-down conversion percentage at over 50 percent.

HIGH SCHOOL: Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools all-state first team and academic all-state first team … three-sport athlete was also TAPPS Class 5A basketball all-state second team and academic all-state first team … threw the shot and discus at All Saints, earning all-state honors as a junior.

PERSONAL: Son of Eleazar and Clara Flores … one of four football-playing brothers, plus has a sister … born on Feb. 10, 1999 … oldest brother Jacob was an All-Ivy League center for Dartmouth and spent a year in the Green Bay Packers organization … brother Charlie played on the Columbia offensive line … youngest brother Michael will be a senior offensive lineman at Dartmouth in 2022 … sister attends Harvard … high school of 100 students was featured in a USA Today story for having no fewer than 10 seniors heading to DI college football teams in 2018.

Mac Hollensteiner • OL
Landon/Georgetown
Bethesda, Md.

PREVIOUS SCHOOL (GEORGETOWN) – A two-year starter for the Hoyas … appeared in 19 games, primarily at right tackle, including all 10 in 2021 … 2021 Phil Steele FCS All-Patriot League Fourth Team selection … Georgetown did not compete in 2020 due to COVID19 pandemic … member of the team’s leadership council and the Student Athlete Advisory Committee … listed on the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll in 2019 and 2020 … recipient Georgetown’s 2019 Robert Dahut Memorial Award for most improved.

HIGH SCHOOL: Was a two-year starter at Landon High School, serving as a team captain his senior year … Helped lead Landon to the Interstate Athletic Conference (IAC) Championship in 2017 … Named First Team All-IAC as a senior … Was also a member of the basketball team, serving as a team captain … In the classroom, was a four-year member of the honor roll.

TT Jones • DL
Hoover
Hoover, Ala.

Three-star recruit according to 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals.com …  three-year letterwinner at Hoover High School playing for Josh Niblett … Was a second team all-state and second team all-region selection as a senior … Hoover was a combined 34-5 in his final three season including a 12-1 mark in 2021.

Blake Steen • OL
St. Thomas Aquinas
Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

Three-star recruit according to 247Sports … went 39-10 and won three state championships at STA … played alongside fellow UVA commit Dawson Alters during his senior at STA.