Tony Elliott getting to know his assistant coaches

By Jerry Ratcliffe

They say you really don’t get to know someone until you travel with them, and Virginia coach Tony Elliott is finding out all the peccadilloes of his staff as they make whistlestop recruiting visits around the region.

“You learn which ones are gonna let you eat and which ones are not,” Elliott laughed.

The head coach was talking about what members of his coaching staff are insistent upon staying on schedule during their rounds of visits to numerous high schools each day, and which ones don’t mind straying from the itinerary in order to grab a snack or meal.

“You find out who’s trying to get to as many schools as they possibly can, and then the guy who’s going to make sure that he’s well-nourished while he’s on the road,” Elliott cracked.

In most cases, Elliott is meeting many of these state coaches for the first time, attempting to build a bond, gain trust, and in some cases repairing strained relations. Admittedly a guy who likes to talk, when he gets a chance to sit with the state’s high school coaches, Elliott can go on and on and on.

“Unless [his assistants] are trying to get me in and out, you know which ones are like, ‘Alright, we’ve got to stay on schedule,’” Elliott said. “I’m like, so make sure you give me a time warning or something. They’re nervous [about staying on schedule], because they don’t want to interrupt the head coach.

“I’m gonna talk if you put me in front of you. Put me in front of the [high school] head coach for the first time, I’m gonna talk, so I need somebody else to be my timekeeper.”

Elliott said he’s getting a feel for nuances among his staff, which ones can drive and which ones can’t.

“So you know if it’s just me and this guy together, I’ll do the driving,” the coach said.

If Elliott isn’t crazy about the way one of his assistants drives, he’ll give up the shotgun seat where the head coach usually sits during a trip and take over the wheel himself.

“You learn about the ones that are going to be up early and then the ones that are going to kind of roll in,” Elliott said. “You say 7:30 (a.m. for departure time) and they might roll in at 7:29.

“Then you might have one that’s gonna treat you like a taxi service, he’s got the car warmed up, biscuits in the back, he’s ready to go. So at least he fed me on the front end. You get to learn a lot about family situations and backgrounds, you get a chance to conversate and get to know each other on a personal level instead of in a stressful environment during the season when you’re talking football.”

So, once Elliott voluntarily threw all that out there, curious minds wanted to know. Who was the one assistant that had the car warmed up with biscuits in the back?

“Sintim,” Elliott smiled.

That’s linebackers coach Clint Sintim, who joined Bronco Mendenhall’s staff in 2021. Sintim was a standout for Al Groh and went on to a successful NFL career.

Obviously, Sintim has gained some brownie points with his new boss.

Not so much for a couple of other assistants.

“[Keith] Gaither (running backs and special teams) won’t stop to eat,” Elliott said.

And driving?

“I’m driving when it’s Chris Slade,” Elliott deadpanned, dropped the mike and headed off for another conference call.