Tennessee football’s season opener against Virginia got a little more juice Monday night.
Virginia coach Tony Elliott is entering his second year with the Cavaliers but before that he was Dabo Swinney’s offensive coordinator and a candidate in the 2021 Tennessee coaching search.
Tennessee Director of Athletics Danny White interviewed Elliott during his search and there were reports that White offered Elliott the Volunteer head coaching job including this one from trusted ESPN reporter Chris Low.
Elliott added fuel to the reports months later when he discussed with the Clemson media why he decided not to accept the Tennessee job. The former Clemson receiver never explicitly stated that White offered the job but implied it heavily.
“At the end of the day, when I put everything on the table, it just wasn’t the right time,” Elliott said at the time. “I’m just so happy to be in an environment where people embrace me even though I was going through that. Showing me support one way or another.”
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With Elliott preparing to face Tennessee to open his second season as Virginia’s head coach, the story is back in the news. Virginia media asked Elliott about his interest in the Tennessee job Monday and the Cavaliers coach further implied that White offered him the job.
“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 wanted the Lord, your spirit lead me in the direction that he’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 Heupel. Excited for him and what he’s doing there.”
The most recent comments attracted White’s ire. The Vols’ athletic director quote tweeted an article about Elliott’s comments denying that he ever offered Elliott the job.
“Interesting… don’t remember offering,” White Tweeted. “Ignored this the first time, can’t do it again. An interview doesn’t constitute an offer. Interviewed several candidates, offered 1.”
Interesting… 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 1. https://t.co/eFAxNHZlx3
— Danny White (@AD_DannyWhite) August 22, 2023
Things have worked out exceptionally for Tennessee and White. The Vols ended up hiring UCF coach Josh Heupel and the rest is history. Tennessee overachieved with a 7-6 2021 season before breaking on to the national scene with a resurgent 11-2 2022 season that included wins over Alabama, Florida, LSU and Clemson in the Orange Bowl.
Elliott’s first season was extremely trying. Virginia posted just a 3-7 record but the biggest challenges came off the field when three players were killed during a campus shooting.
Tennessee is heavy favorites in its season opener against Virginia. The Vols and Cavaliers kick-off their 2023 season on Sept. 2 at noon ET inside Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
