College football programs across the country were hustling today as they navigated the early signing period. Among the programs was, of course, UVA. Head coach Tony Elliott sat down with the media today to discuss the incoming players and where his program is heading. With the day quickly coming to an end, here are three takeaways from the early signing period.

Elliott Strives to Mix the Offensive Line

During his press conference this afternoon, Elliott explained the difficulty that comes with trying to develop the offensive line. As a result, he is aiming to mix the high school players while also utilizing the portal; this will likely put UVA in the best possible position ahead of their 2026 campaign.

“… I would love to have a bunch of high school guys that you’re developing. But you’re seeing it all across college football. What’s happening is, man, your depth really gets challenged, especially late in the season,” said Elliott. “And we all know that offensive line is the group that takes probably the longest to develop, just because it’s such a big transition going from the high school game to the college game, from a size standpoint, speed of game, strength, knowledge, execution, all of that. So we want to continue to identify high school guys and have them developing, but also we’re going to have to supplement with the portal.”

Quarterback Position Is in Question

As announced on Wednesday, Virginia’s star quarterback Chandler Morris is looking to gain an additional year of eligibility. While this is still in the works and remains unofficial, this could potentially result in excellent news for the Cavaliers. Morris has consistently served as one of UVA’s leaders — retaining him would be ideal, but the chances appear to be rather slim. However, Elliott feels confident that Ely Hamrick will be able to carry the weight in the case that Morris is out. As he stated:

“Yeah, there’s been some talks with Chandler of possibly, still that’s to be determined. So not going to say if that’s going to happen or not. So we’re planning as if it’s not. So we want to continue to bring in guys. I think the quarterback position, you’re going to have to recruit that position every single year…”

A Successful Football Season Brings a Successful Recruiting Season

Unsurprisingly, college football programs with a record as impressive as Virginia’s end up capturing quite a bit of attention. It’s no secret that UVA has had a spectacular 2025 campaign, and now Elliott is starting to see it translate into his recruitment. The Cavaliers have carved out a new name for themselves this year, and they’ve become an imposing team to face. UVA has been using this new footing to its advantage.

“… I’m very hopeful and optimistic that we’ll be able to get in a conversation with some guys that maybe in the past when you said Virginia, it’s like, okay, good academic school, but I’m focusing on bigger football,” Elliott stated. “I think now with what we’ve experienced this season, in Scott Stadium with with the fans filling up the seats and creating an unbelievable environment to play in the success on the field man. You’re in conversation for the postseason. So I think it’s going to get us to the table and we started to see that before like you look at some of the top players in the state, that are leaving the state.”

Although much of the college football world has been focused on the early signing period, it shouldn’t be forgotten that UVA’s ACC Championship Game is right around the corner. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. EST against the Duke Blue Devils in Charlotte.

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Kevin Brown’s recruitment was supposed to be settled last summer.

But for the Harrisburg star, fate intervened, and now the blue-chip offensive lineman has officially signed to play at a place that always made sense: his father’s alma mater of West Virginia.

Brown just wrapped up his senior season at Harrisburg, playing two ways to lead the Cougars to their fourth consecutive state semifinal, and now will head to Morgantown to lead a stellar WVU recruiting class.

“It’s surreal,” Brown said after he first announced his decision. “I still haven’t taken it all in.”

Maybe the dust has settled a little bit for the 6-foot-5, 270-pound lineman who ranks as the No. 122 player in the nation per 247.

And with his presence, the WVU recruiting class for 2026 has bolted all the way up to No. 31 in the nation, sitting ahead of schools like Mississippi State, Arizona, Pittsburgh and more.

Brown will be joining that group of Mountaineers in Morgantown, where he will wear the same uniform his father, Tim, wore from 1999 to 2004, playing for the same head football coach in Rich Rodriguez.

“I’m super excited to get on that uniform and be burning couches every Saturday with Rich Rod and my dad,” Brown said.

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The masked burglar broke into the closed Virginia liquor store early on Saturday and hit the bottom shelf, where the scotch and whisky were stored. The bandit was something of a nocturnal menace: bottles were smashed, a ceiling tile collapsed and alcohol pooled on the floor.

The suspect acted like an animal because, in fact, he’s a raccoon.

On Saturday morning, an employee at the Ashland-area liquor store found the trash panda passed out on the bathroom floor at the end of his drunken escapade.

“I personally like raccoons,” said Samantha Martin, an officer who works at the local animal control. “They are funny little critters. He fell through one of the ceiling tiles and went on a full-blown rampage, drinking everything.”

Martin said she took the raccoon back to the animal shelter, though she had her fair share of giggles along the way.

“Another day in the life of an animal control officer, I guess,” she said.

Raccoons are common in Virginia, according to the state’s Department of Wildlife Resources. They are found in forests, parks and sometimes in cities — and apparently, at a liquor store.

The Hanover County Animal Protection and Shelter commended Martin for handling the break-in, and confirmed the raccoon had sobered up.

“After a few hours of sleep and zero signs of injury (other than maybe a hangover and poor life choices), he was safely released back to the wild, hopefully having learned that breaking and entering is not the answer,” the agency said.

It’s not the first time this year that a raccoon was found in a place where it shouldn’t have been. In May, a raccoon was found with a glass methamphetamine pipe in its mouth and was sitting in the driver’s seat of a car in Ohio.

The vehicle was pulled over because its registered owner had an active warrant and a suspended driver’s license, the Springfield Township Police Department said.