'Don't remember offering': Vols AD Danny White calls out Virginia head coach Tony Elliott
The Tennessee football job was never Tony Elliott’s to turn down, according to athletic director Danny White. That’s how White addressed the matter on social media Monday night, after Elliott, now in his second season as Virginia’s head coach, discussed his candidacy for the job earlier in the day.
“Interesting…,” White wrote in response to Elliott, “don’t remember offering. Ignored this the first time, can’t do it again. An interview doesn’t constitute an offer. Interviewed several candidates, offered (one).”
White, the former Central Florida athletic director, was hired at Tennessee in January 2021 to replace Phillip Fulmer, who was out as athletic director of the Vols following the firing of Jeremy Pruitt and his staff with an NCAA investigation underway looking at multiple recruiting violations within the football program.
Elliott, who at the time was Clemson’s associate head coach, offensive coordinator and tight ends coach, was a candidate for the Tennessee job before White hired Josh Heupel, his former head football coach at UCF.
Elliott’s candidacy at Tennessee included interviewing with White and the Vols. Elliott on Monday, as Virginia closed its fall camp, was asked about being a candidate for the Tennessee opening two years ago.
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“First of all, obviously, Tennessee is, in my opinion, one of the Blue Bloods,” Elliott said. “One of the top-tier programs in the country. When I evaluated it, there were a lot of positive things about it. It just wasn’t the right time for me. So when it came down to it, I prayed about it and said I want the Lord to lead me in the direction that You’d have me to go. So, it was close. But at the end of the day, when I looked at the totality of everything, it just wasn’t the right time and the right fit for me. I’m happy for (Josh) Heupel. Excited for him and what he’s doing there. Obviously, an extremely passionate fan base. All the resources that you need to be a top-tier program.
“I’m excited about our matchup,” Elliott continued, “when we play them, to kind of see where we are as a program. I think you have to play games like this to get a barometer and to gauge where we’re at. It either tells us, okay, we’re ahead of where we need to be or you know what, we still got a good significant amount of work to do. But I’m excited about the opportunity to play these guys. It was close, but at the end of the day, it just wasn’t the right timing for me.”
Virginia hired Elliott as its new head coach in December 2021. He went 3-7 last season in his first year with the Cavaliers. Heupel is 18-8 in his first two seasons at Tennessee, leading to the Vols to 11 wins last fall, the program’s first 11-win season since 2001.
Tennessee faces Elliott and Virginia open the new season on September 2 with a Noon Eastern Time kickoff at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. The Vols opened in May as a 28-point favorite against the Cavaliers.
