In this deep and emotional full interview, Trey Wingo sits down with Virginia Cavaliers head coach Tony Elliott to explore one of the most remarkable rebuilds in modern college football. Elliott opens up about the journey that transformed Virginia football from a program recovering from unimaginable tragedy into a confident, resilient ACC contender built on belief, culture, leadership, and an unwavering commitment to his players.

This conversation goes far beyond game plans or Saturday strategy. Tony Elliott shares how losing his mother at age nine, the loss of former players at Clemson, and the devastating events of the 2022 shooting at UVA shaped his understanding of adversity, purpose, and what it means to lead. He explains how those life-altering moments prepared him for the responsibility of guiding a locker room through grief, healing, and ultimately toward competitive growth and on-field success.

Trey and Coach Elliott dive into how the Cavaliers rebuilt their identity from the inside out, why belief became the foundational trait of the new Virginia culture, and how a team that once struggled to finish games is now finding ways to win late, string together fourth-quarter comebacks, and carry themselves like a program that expects to compete for championships. Elliott explains why alignment between him and the UVA administration mattered from day one, how he balanced the demands of rebuilding with the emotional weight of tragedy, and why patience, empathy, and resetting expectations were essential steps in establishing a stronger, healthier football program.

The interview explores what it truly means to flip a culture in the NIL and transfer portal era. Elliott discusses how he evaluates fit, character, and long-term development, why UVA cannot simply chase stars or dollar signs, and how the program’s identity rests on passion, accountability, and the pursuit of becoming the best version of oneself academically, athletically, and personally. He provides candid insight into how Virginia handles roster turnover, why chemistry matters more than hype, and how he ensures that players stay focused on the right things instead of the noise around them.

As Virginia sits near the top of the ACC standings with a roster that includes a top-tier transfer class and the backing of an $80 million operations center, this interview captures the complete story behind the rise. Tony Elliott explains how belief becomes action, how action becomes momentum, and how momentum becomes sustained success. The Cavaliers’ turnaround is one rooted in trust, preparation, emotional resilience, and a unified understanding of what it takes to compete in today’s college football landscape.

If you’re searching for insight into Tony Elliott’s leadership, the rebuilding of Virginia football, UVA’s response to tragedy, the evolution of the Cavaliers into an ACC contender, or college football’s modern era of roster building and culture change, this is the definitive conversation. It provides unmatched perspective on how a program heals, rebuilds, and rises again.

Full Interview with Tony Elliott. Virginia Cavaliers Football. College Football 2025.

Like, subscribe, and join the conversation as Virginia continues its climb — because this program is no longer just rebuilding; it’s becoming a problem for the entire ACC.

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Texas A&M football is experiencing one of the most dramatic and impressive program turnarounds in modern college football, and in this in-depth conversation, head coach Mike Elko joins Trey Wingo to explain exactly how it happened. In just two seasons, Elko has taken over a program that was directionless, inconsistent, and defined by chaos, and rebuilt it into a disciplined, connected, confident, undefeated national championship contender. This is the definitive deep dive into how Texas A&M went from underachieving potential to real national title aspirations under Mike Elko’s leadership. Elko walks through the true origins of his coaching journey, from sleeping in shared houses while coaching at Merchant Marine Academy to standing on top of a press box at Stony Brook because the stadium didn’t have a real coaching booth. Those early years shaped his understanding of culture, toughness, and maximizing whatever resources you have — lessons that later became the core of how he rebuilt Texas A&M. Trey and Mike revisit everything from his defensive coordinator years, to the first time he witnessed yell practice, to the exact moment he realized how passionate and powerful the A&M fan base really is. Elko explains why entitlement had crept into the program long before he arrived, and how Texas A&M’s success — the facilities, the resources, the brand — had created an illusion that results would happen simply because the school was “supposed” to win. Elko breaks down how he shattered that mindset and replaced it with a new internal standard focused on physicality, discipline, humility, and daily excellence. He discusses the moment he took over, how the roster responded, and the intentional approach he used to rebuild belief inside the locker room. This episode also explores the biggest cultural changes behind A&M’s rise. Trey and Elko dive into how leaders emerged, how the locker room bonded in completely organic ways, and why the summer months were the first real sign that this team might be different. Elko describes how he began seeing players spending more time together, developing relationships, and embracing the idea that football success comes from connection, not just talent. The conversation touches on the now-famous road win at Notre Dame, how that single game opened long-closed doors, and how that momentum carried into the rest of the season. Trey and Mike revisit the 31–30 comeback against South Carolina, when Texas A&M walked into halftime trailing 30–3. Elko breaks down how A&M has now erased multiple halftime deficits, and why true confidence reveals itself only when everything is going wrong. This conversation also dives deep into NIL, the transfer portal, roster construction, and modern player psychology, which is where Elko’s thinking is ahead of many coaches nationally. He explains how he targets players who love football rather than players who love recruiting, why some talented athletes aren’t worth what they cost the locker room, and how the wrong NIL structure can destroy a roster faster than a bad coaching hire. Then comes the segment that every Aggie will care about: Texas Rivalry Week. Mike Elko explains the magnitude of Texas A&M vs Texas, why this rivalry feels different than anything else in college sports, and how impossible it is to “downplay” the game even in a world with a 12-team playoff. Elko discusses the nonstop pressure, the intensity inside College Station during this week, what the win over Notre Dame proved to the locker room, and how the rivalry now feeds into national championship stakes. If you are an Aggie, an SEC fan, a college football diehard, or someone trying to understand why Texas A&M has skyrocketed into true national championship contention, this is the most comprehensive and insightful conversation you’ll find anywhere. Texas A&M is back — and they’re just getting started.

This week on Straight Facts Homie, Trey Wingo is joined by David Pollack to unpack the wildest college football landscape we have seen in years. They break down the current playoff picture, who is safely in, who still needs total chaos, and why names like Indiana, Vanderbilt, Texas Tech, Miami, BYU and Georgia Tech are suddenly part of the real conversation instead of punchlines.

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