Tony Elliott has spent his first three seasons at Virginia focused on building a long-term winner. He's hoping this year provides the return on that investment.

The Cavaliers (5-7) are still waiting for their first bowl appearance under Elliott, who took over for the 2022 season after working on Dabo Swinney's staff at Clemson. Elliott is banking on a reworked roster to offer better depth to help change that as pressure increases for a clear step forward, noting that the team held a lead in nine of its 12 games last year.

“I knew that we were trying to build something here and that it would take time,” Elliott said at the start of preseason camp.

Elliott has gone 11-23 in three seasons, including 6-17 in league play. Last year's team flirted with bowl eligibility and hit five wins in th

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