UVa Football

Virginia athletic director Carla Williams told Greg Madia of The Daily Progress the NCAA granted the school's submitted request for an extra year for members of the football team who saw their eligibility expire after the 2022 season.

The NCAA granted the request in response to the November 13 shooting that killed wide receivers Devin Chandler and Lavel Davis Jr. and linebacker D'Sean Perry.

Running back Mike Hollins and student Marlee Morgan were also injured in the shooting.

Andrea Adelson of ESPN explained the ruling "only affects a handful of players," and that three of them—wide receivers Billy Kemp IV and Keytaon Thompson and cornerback Anthony Johnson—are headed to the NFL draft.

Virginia, which went 3-7 under first-year head coach Tony Elliott, canceled the season's final two games against Coastal Carolina and rival Virginia Tech following the shooting.

Madia noted the team attended a public memorial service honoring the three players who were killed and then traveled to their funerals instead of playing the final two games of the season.

Adelson noted Virginia student and former football player Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. was charged with three counts of second-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and two counts of malicious wounding and additional gun-related charges in connection with the shooting.

Jones is being held in jail without bail and has a case status hearing Thursday.

The University of Virginia granted football players Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D'Sean Perry posthumous degrees Tuesday. All three players were killed in an on-campus shooting in November.

According to ESPN's Andrea Adelson, University of Virginia Associate Dean for Undergraduate Academic Programs Rachel Most was the catalyst behind requesting that the players be honored with degrees.

Chandler, Davis and Perry were shot and killed on a charter bus on Nov. 13 after returning from a class trip to Washington, D.C.

Virginia student and former UVA football player Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., who was also on the trip, is alleged to have shot and killed the players. Two other Virginia students, Marlee Morgan and Cavaliers running back Mike Hollins, were also injured in the shooting.

Jones has been charged with three counts of second-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, as well as two counts of malicious wounding.

Chandler was a junior wide receiver from Huntersville, North Carolina, who transferred from Wisconsin. He had two catches for 28 yards for the Badgers in 2020 and was exclusively a special teams player in 2021.

Davis was also a junior wide receiver who hailed from Dorchester, South Carolina. He had 20 receptions for 515 yards and five touchdowns for the Cavs in 2020 and followed that up with 16 grabs for 371 yards and two touchdowns this season.

Perry was a junior linebacker from Miami, Florida, and had seven tackles this season. Back in 2020, Perry returned an interception 84 yards for a touchdown against Abilene Christian.

The Virginia football team finished 3-7 this season after cancelling its final two scheduled games against Coastal Carolina and Virginia Tech in the wake of the shooting.

The ACC announced that it will honor the lives of the three University of Virginia football players who were shot and killed on campus Sunday.

Adam Lichtenstein of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel relayed a press release outlining the conference's plans, which include helmet decals for all conference teams, a moment of silence for all ACC home games and the use of "UVA Strong" graphics across the league.

Emily Leiker of Syracuse.com tweeted the helmet decal, and Matt Fortuna of The Athletic shared the "UVA Strong" graphic:

Mike Barber of the Richmond Times-Dispatch also revealed the helmet decal that numerous Virginia college football teams will wear to honor UVA this weekend:

UVA football players Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D’Sean Perry were shot and killed after returning from a class field trip.

Another Cavalier player, Mike Hollins, was injured and is still in the hospital, per ESPN's Andrea Adelson. A fifth student, who is not a football player, was hospitalized but has since been released.

Former UVA football player and suspected shooter Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. has been arrested and charged with three counts of second-degree murder in addition to other charges.

UVA has canceled a previously scheduled home game against Coastal Carolina, which would have taken place Saturday. A decision on the team's final game, a Nov. 26 road matchup with Virginia Tech, has not yet been made.

University of Virginia running back Mike Hollins is "doing great" after his second surgery following a mass shooting at the school Sunday evening that killed three Cavalier football players and injured Hollins and another teammate.

Baton Rouge, Louisiana attorney Gordon McKernan, who is serving as the Hollins family spokesperson, relayed the news to Sports Illustrated's Ross Dellenger. Hollins' mother Brenda also provided updates to WRBZ.

Hollins suffered a gunshot wound to the back. He was on a ventilator, but that has since been removed and his critical status has been upgraded to stable condition, per WRBZ.

Earlier Tuesday, Brenda Hollins provided some updates on her son:

The junior running back out of University Lab High School in Baton Rouge has amassed 319 total yards and a pair of rushing scores this year. He notably rushed for a season-high 75 yards against UNC on Nov. 5.

His old high school head coach, Andy Martin, spoke to WBRZ about his character.

“Mike was a great kid," Martin said. "Was awesome to be around, had a great personality, always a smile on his face. It was just a pleasure to have him on the team and coach."

UVA President Jim Ryan confirmed Monday that football players D'Sean Perry, Devin Chandler and Lavel Davis Jr. were killed. The student-athletes were on a charter bus that had just returned from a class field trip.

Suspect Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., a former member of the football team, was arrested Monday after an hours-long manhunt.

According to Gun Violence Archive, there have now been 598 mass shootings in the United States in 2022.

University of Virginia football players D'Sean Perry, Devin Chandler and Lavel Davis Jr. were killed at the university Sunday night, UVA President Jim Ryan confirmed Monday.

Earlier in the day, Ryan said five people were shot at Culbreth Garage on the university's Central Grounds, three of whom had died. The names of the two who were shot and survived have not been released.

"This is a message any leader hopes never to have to send, and I am devastated that this violence has visited the University of Virginia," Ryan wrote in an email to students and faculty. "This is a traumatic incident for everyone in our community and we have cancelled classes for today."

Police have identified Christopher Darnell Jones as the suspect in the shootings. Jones is a former University of Virginia football player. Jones was later arrested, charged with murder and is in police custody, authorities confirmed at a press conference.

Perry, 22, was a junior linebacker who appeared in seven games this season for the Cavaliers. He recorded seven total tackles in 2022, including two in Saturday's game against Miami.

Chandler was a wide receiver in his first season at Viginia after transferring from Wisconsin. He had not made an appearance in 2022.

Davis was a junior wide receiver who made 16 catches for 371 yards and two touchdowns this season.

Virginia head coach Tony Elliott and athletic director Carla Williams each issued a statement:

Gun violence remains a harrowing issue in the United States. The U.S. ranks among the deadliest countries for gun violence, and gun ownership is higher than any other country in the world. Pushback from groups like the National Rifle Association and politicians have led to a lack of meaningful change in the country despite gun reform being overwhelmingly popular.

There is no official definition of a mass shooting, but there have been around 600 incidents where at least four people were shot in the United States this year. There have been 25 such incidents in the month of November, including three Sunday.

The Fenway Bowl will has been canceled amid a COVID-19 outbreak within the Virginia football program, the event announced Sunday:

Brett McMurphy of Action Network first reported the news.

The Cavaliers were scheduled to face SMU on Wednesday in a game at Fenway Park in Boston.

The Military Bowl between Boston College and East Carolina on Monday was also canceled.

According to ESPN, Boston College had been dealing with COVID-19 issues leading up to the game scheduled to take place in Annapolis, Maryland.

This marks three bowl games canceled this season after the Hawai'i Bowl was canceled Friday. Hawai'i was supposed to take on Memphis in that game, but the Rainbow Warriors reportedly had about 30 players and staff test positive for COVID.

Virginia had been dealing with excessive positive tests and pushed back its scheduled flight to Boston earlier Sunday, per Mike Barber of the Richmond Times-Dispatch. The team was awaiting another round of results before leaving, but the outbreak was too much to move forward.

The game was supposed to be the final one for head coach Bronco Mendenhall, who announced he was stepping down earlier this month.

The 55-year-old went 36-38 across six years in Virginia, including a 6-6 record in 2021. The squad started 6-2 this year before fading down the stretch with four straight losses.

SMU was 8-4 under head coach Sonny Dykes, who left the program to take the same job at TCU. Defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt was scheduled to be the interim coach for the Mustangs at the Fenway Bowl.

Boston College will end its season at 6-6, while ECU finished with a 7-5 record.

Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott has reportedly accepted an offer to become the new head football coach at Virginia.

ESPN's Chris Low reported Friday that Elliott informed the Cavaliers of his decision following "a day of deep thought."

It's the first head coaching opportunity for the 42-year-old California native, who won the Broyles Award in 2017 as college football's top assistant coach.

Elliott joined the Clemson football team as a walk-on freshman in 1999. He appeared in 44 games as a wide receiver and served as a co-captain for the Tigers as a senior in 2003.

His coaching career started as a wide receivers coach at South Carolina State in 2006. He also made a stop at Furman (2008-10) in the same role before returning to the Tigers as a running backs coach in 2011.

Elliott held various roles across his decade on the Clemson staff. Most recently, he'd been serving as the team's assistant head coach and tight ends coach in addition to his work as offensive coordinator.

He was courted by Tennessee during last year's coaching carousel before deciding to remain with the Tigers.

"But at the end of the day, it just wasn't the right time," Elliott told reporters in March. "Man, I'm just so happy to be here, you guys know I love it here. It's a special place."

Now he'll head to Virginia, where he'll be a direct competitor of Dabo Swinney and Co. in the ACC, though the programs are in opposite divisions.

Meanwhile, the Cavs' search for a head coach began last week when Bronco Mendenhall announced he was stepping down after the team's bowl game. UVA has since been selected to face off with SMU in the Fenway Bowl on Dec. 29.

"I would love to say there's been this buildup and a long amount of epiphanies and thought, but clearly this week there was a sense of clarity to me that I needed to step back from college football and reassess, renew, reframe and reinvent, with my wife as a partner, our future and the next chapter of our lives," Mendenhall said.

Virginia has compiled a 36-38 record across Mendenhall's six-year tenure.

Elliott's first order of business after getting his staff in place will likely be trying to upgrade the Cavaliers' 2022 recruiting class, which currently ranks eighth in the ACC with no 5-star prospects and one 4-star recruit, according to 247Sports.

In the bigger picture, he represents a high-upside hire for the Cavs, but it may take a couple years to get the program back in contention for a conference title.

Virginia Cavaliers football head coach Bronco Mendenhall is set to step down after the team's bowl game, and the school has reportedly already identified its top candidate to replace him.

ESPN's Chris Low and Adam Rittenberg report that Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott has emerged as the leading choice to take the helm at Virginia.

Elliott met with Virginia athletic director Carla Williams on Wednesday, according to ESPN's Andrea Adelson. He also reportedly had a meeting with Duke this week to discuss the Blue Devils' opening for a head coach.

Virginia has already dealt with a rejection, as Penn State co-defensive coordinator Anthony Poindexter told ESPN he's no longer a candidate to become the Cavaliers' next head coach. Poindexter, who is a former assistant at Virginia, played for the Cavaliers and was an All-American safety.

Elliott has been a mainstay on Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney's offensive staff since 2011. He's been the Tigers' primary play-caller for the past seven seasons and was co-offensive coordinator for their 2016 and 2018 national championship teams. Elliott won the Broyles Award in 2017 as the nation's top assistant coach.

Clemson's offense is averaging 26.8 points and 362.8 total yards this season, a sharp drop-off from recent seasons. The Tigers averaged 43.5 points and 502.3 yards in 2020.

Swinney already lost one of his coordinators recently, as former Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables was hired as Oklahoma's head coach this week. Swinney is reportedly looking to promote from within to replace Venables, and would likely do the same if Elliott were to leave as well.

University of Virginia head football coach Bronco Mendenhall said a desire to "reinvent" himself led to his decision to step down from leading the Cavaliers' program at season's end.

Mendenhall explained Thursday's announcement came after a week of self-reflection, and he added he was not influenced by UVA athletic director Carla Williams or university president Jim Ryan, who both asked him to stay, per Hank Kurz Jr. of the Associated Press.

"I would love to say there's been this buildup and a long amount of epiphanies and thought, but clearly this week there was a sense of clarity to me that I needed to step back from college football and reassess, renew, reframe and reinvent, with my wife as a partner, our future and the next chapter of our lives," Mendenhall said.

He added: "It's just a chance after 31 years straight to step back ... and reinvent myself and our family and our purpose. Holly, my wife, is a little shocked, too."

Mendenhall took over at Virginia in 2016. It marked his second head-coaching job after spending the previous 11 years at BYU.

The 55-year-old overcame some early growing pains while rebuilding the program, including a 2-10 mark in his first season with the Cavs, but the team showed progress during a two-year stretch in 2018 and 2019, when it posted a 17-10 combined record.

Virginia's improvement stalled over the past two years, however, with a 5-5 record in 2020 being followed by a 6-6 mark so far this season. The Cavaliers are bowl-eligible, so they will have a chance to send their coach out out a high note.

Mendenhall's overall record with UVA stands at 36-38 after he compiled a 99-43 mark at BYU.

"The next journey will be uncovered as we go, and hard to uncover it if there's not a pause and contemplation and reflection, so that's what I'm choosing to do," Mendenhall said.

He didn't rule out a return to coaching, a profession he's worked in for more than three decades.

"This isn't to break and pause and then become irrelevant," he added. "This is actually to break and pause to then become hopefully more impactful in helping and developing and teaching and serving others is what I'm hopeful. So I'm excited about that. What is it going to look like? I don't know."

Meanwhile, Williams called it a "privilege" to have Mendenhall lead the program for the past six years.

"He has done an exceptional job of not just transforming the program, but elevating the expectations for the program," the Virginia AD said. "He has established the necessary foundation to propel our football team upward. He is more than a football coach, and the impact he has had on these young men will be a positive influence for the rest of their lives."

The Cavaliers will find out the final game of Mendenhall's tenure when the bowl matchups are announced Sunday.