BREAKING: Elliott retains assistant coaches Hagans, Tujague and Sintim

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Tony Elliott has retained three assistant coaches from Bronco Mendenhall’s staff, including wide receivers coach Marques Hagans, offensive line coach Garett Tujague and defensive line coach Clint Sintim. While those three have been retained, their job assignments are subject to change.

As previously learned, Elliott hired Adam Smotherman as football’s head strength and conditioning coach. Also Nate Pototschnik was promoted to associate strength and conditioning coach, moving up from his previous full-time role on the staff.

Hagans, one of the most popular members of the Virginia coaching staff after starring as a multi-purpose player for Al Groh, has developed a multitude of receivers for Groh, Mike London and Bronco Mendenhall. He has coached nine of the 15 Cavaliers wide receivers who appear on UVA’s top 20 all-time career receptions list.

This past season, four of Hagans’ receivers gained more than 600 yards, including All-ACC receivers Dontayvion Wicks and Keytaon Thompson.

Tujague’s offensive line boasted All-American center Olusegun Oluwatimi, the school’s first Rimington Trophy finalist and one of three UVA linemen to be named on an all-conference team. Tujague’s offensive lines have spearheaded more than 5,000 yards of total offense in three of the last four seasons. He came to Virginia with Mendenhall.

Sintim is also a former UVA standout (2009) under Groh. He joined Mendenhall’s season in 2020, when his defensive line finished No. 11 in the nation in sacks per game. Those 32 sacks are sixth all-time in a single season by the Cavaliers.

Smotherman was known as Clemson’s “get back” coach, as he was responsible for keeping Tigers’ coordinators on the sidelines during games. He was at Clemson for nine years (see related story in this site’s archives).