Elliott believes UVA’s success depends on O-Line improvement

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Tony Elliott strongly believes that football games are won in the trenches, so it is no surprise that bringing Virginia’s veteran offensive line to the next level is a priority in training camp.

“As I like to say to the staff, it’s ‘Mission Critical,’” Elliott said in describing the emphasis on the O-Line. “I firmly believe that regardless of all the great skill players that I was fortunate enough to be around in my career, if you don’t have those guys up front …”

The coach didn’t finish his thought, but you get the picture. If the Wide Bodies don’t get it right, then there are no holes for the running backs, and regardless of how good the quarterbacks are, they can’t function properly if they’re running for their lives.

So it is Mission Critical, and the offensive line must develop cohesion.

“For us to get to where we want to go, the offensive line and the defensive line — in my opinion — have to lead the way, because that’s really where the game is really won,” Elliott said. “If you can win in the trenches, then you have an opportunity on the perimeter to do the things that the skill guys can do. They have a bunch of potential and talent, but they can’t perform unless the big guys up front don’t give them a chance.”

Cohesion is one of the objectives of offensive line coach Terry Heffernan, who came to UVA last season from Stanford and inherited a group of linemen without much experience. As returning center Brian Stevens pointed out, Heffernan uses the analogy of a clinched fist, the five fingers each representing a lineman. If one finger is sticking out, the fist isn’t effective.

Heffernan is elated over the fact that the O-Line essentially returns intact from last season. Now, that could be a good thing or a bad thing, considering that in ‘23, that same line struggled to win the line of scrimmage, gave up way too many sacks, experienced enough leaks that the quarterbacks were chased from the pocket, forced to run for their lives and failed to punch holes in the defense in order for the Cavaliers to develop a reliable ground game.

All that has to change, and Heffernan believes it will.

While some of the starting positions are up for grabs, this is what Virginia returns:

Left tackle McKale Boley, third year; left guard Noah Josey, fourth year; center Brian Stevens, sixth year; right guard Ty Furnish, fourth year; right guard Ugonna Nnanna, fifth year; right tackle Blake Steen, third year; right tackle Jimmy Christ, fifth year; guard/tackle Houston Curry, third year.

Stevens, by the way, is considered one of the top centers, one of the top NFL prospects in the nation.

With that type of experience returning, teaching should be easier, and the fact that each player is bigger, faster, stronger can only help. The cohesion that Elliott wants should become reality.

“As an offensive line, we’ve got to be able to see the defense with the same set of eyes and work together on that same page,” Heffernan said. “We start by having a much better picture of where everybody will be successful. Training camp is always going to have an element of competition, and guys are going to have to play some different spots.

“But, yeah, if I’m being honest, we’re so far ahead in me knowing what to expect from guys and hopefully them from me, in this training camp, that it’s leaps and bounds from a year ago.”

Heffernan said his linemen are keenly aware of Elliott’s comments about the skilled players unable to do their job if the O-Line breaks down.

While several of the linemen missed portions of winter workouts or spring drills (or both) due to recovery and rehab from offseason surgery, Heffernan said the line still made strides.

“We had a group of guys that worked their tail off to get back to football,” the coach said. “There’s huge gains that you can make mentally with football or your body physically in your development, and those guys did those things. And that gave a lot of our younger guys the opportunity to get a ton of reps in the spring.

“So we had guys that might have been behind Noah Josey that got 450 reps in spring, so it’s not like those reps disappear as we go into training camp. I’m going to have a higher level of expectation having coached those guys all spring, and so when somebody is needed — and we’re going to need more than five for sure, right? — you feel a lot better about those guys who are coming along from the spring.”

While Heffernan wasn’t asked specifically about each lineman, he provided great insight into several of his linemen.

On Blake Steen: “Blake’s just been an impressive story of having a great work ethic and that’s important, because when I got here — I’ll just start there, my first spring, my first impulse was that this guy will never play here — ever. Strength-wise, he was deficient, movement-wise, deficient and he struggled mightily. To his credit, he’s worked his way into where he starts six games for us a year ago.

“The work he has put in since then, just reshaping his body, understanding the offense, changing his attitude in certain ways, I couldn’t be more proud of him. Now he’s got to go out and do it, and that’s what I’m excited to see in training camp.”

How rare is it for a coach to believe a guy had absolutely no chance of playing, instead seeing the player do a complete reversal?

“I don’t say things like that frequently, so it’s pretty rare,” Heffernan said of Steen. “Blake has a huge frame and a lot of ability, and it was just buried under the fact that he was so athletically underdeveloped. Usually if you’re saying I don’t think this guy’s ever going to help us, that’s usually how that one ends. It’s a great reminder to never quit on a puppy in the offensive line. We’re the most developmental position in sports, in my opinion. If a kid can get it in his last two years, that’s a success.”

On Brian Stevens: “Brian has played a ton of football and played every snap for us on offense a year ago, so we know what we have in Brian. So part of my job, as much as I want him to be out there with us with the first unit, is to make sure we have him healthy and ready to go for the opener.”

Stevens appears to be good to go and could be in store for a banner year, already named to the Remington Trophy watch list and garnering preseason recognition in the ACC.

On McKale Boley: Has missed the last few practices, wearing a boot, but is expected to rejoin his teammates soon.

“McKale played for us a year ago, but he’s just scraping the surface of his ability. He’s an immensely talented athlete, is a really smart, diligent kid, and I think he’s going to make a massive jump this year. It’s not every year that you feel good about your left tackle, so having a returning starter, and especially one with such a high ceiling and desire to be good as McKale, that’s really exciting.”

On Ugonna Nnanna: “He’s had an incredible summer. He’s changed his body. He’s one of the most conditioned athletes we have. He’s running like a deer. He’s been here for two springs and a season and I really think it’s clicking for him.

“The big conversation I’m having with him is just playing with confidence. He’s done everything right. I told him — and I’m not afraid to say this — is that he just hasn’t played good enough football, right? He agrees, but he’s done everything that should allow him to play really good football, so that’s what I’m expecting from him in training camp.”

On Ethan Sipe (tackle, fifth year, transfer): “Ethan’s a kid we identified in December, knowing he was a later grad. I think the first week in January, I went up to New Hampshire and saw him at Dartmouth and we stayed in touch, and when a spot became available, I loved his athleticism, loved his length. He’s a kid who started 22 football games, so actual playing experience is a huge commodity and a tough commodity to acquire via the transfer portal. He has fit right into the group. I don’t know where it will help us, but I know he’ll get a ton of opportunity in camp.”

On Houston Curry: “Had a really good spring and had an ankle injury. He’s got a ton of ability, and we’re going to need Houston to help us this year. He just struggled to stay healthy and be consistently available, and so that’s something that he needs to get addressed. If he does, he’s going to help this team on the field this season.”

On Grant Ellinger (freshman): “Was a mid-year, early enrollee. Man, he got about 500 reps this spring. He played tackle, he played guard and he’s played center this summer, so he’s played. He’s been here five months. He’s played all five spots. He’s a kid who’s already put on 13 pounds and he’s way stronger and more athletic than when he got here.”

So, with three weeks until the season opener against Richmond (Aug. 31), it truly is “Mission Critical” for this offensive line to collectively take its game up a level if Virginia is going to make progress this season.