We understand the importance of winning that game versus Virginia Tech, and a lot of respect for Coach Pry and the program and what they're doing over there.ДЇor us it's not focusing on Virginia Tech. In order to be a champion, and I tell these guys all the time, you have to become a champion before you ever get to a championship moment. My response to it is every game is the most important game on the schedule.

It was made very, very clear that that's the one we have to win. TONY ELLIOTT: Yeah, it happened before I stepped foot in Charlottesville. How long did it take from the first time you set foot in Charlottesville for someone to mention the importance of the Virginia Tech rivalry, and in your first year how quickly have you become immersed in that? I know that game is far into the future, but very important when it's in Charlottesville. Leech is a guy that we've been really, really counting on, and he had a great - he had a great offseason, great spring. I'm excited about the opportunities that we have, so we have guys that have some experience. That is the biggest question, and the only regret that I have is that I didn't do a good job of recruiting those guys that left when I first got to UVA. The million dollar question is, can you explain how the offensive line is going to develop this summer to get ready for the season? They've developed very quickly and very fast and there's a lot of promise there. You've got these incredible athletes on offense. Again, the objective is to be an old head coach, not just a head coach. You can enjoy the moment, be present where your feet are as you prepare, and then look for confirmation. He was instrumental in helping me develop, but he also taught me that, hey, you don't have to be in a rush. Then there was a transition, and I was asked to come back, and I already graduated from Clemson with an engineering degree. I was coming off of three years of playing for Rick Stockstill.

TONY ELLIOTT: Coach Swinney's relationship has kind of changed over the years, but it kind of started as father-son type of relationship, being that he was my position coach for my senior year. I know you've spoken about the why for Virginia, but just your relationship with Coach Swinney, what you can say about that and that connection with him that as much as he wanted you there, he respected you enough to say, hey, this is a good fit. That when he had the conversation with you, he felt like this was the one, and you had to take it. Dabo Swinney said yesterday that he felt this was the right fit for you. Then the last thing is I wanted to be somewhere where I could build what I believe is the model program that shows you can win at the highest level but you don't have to compromise anything from a character standpoint, an academic standpoint and player development standpoint. Now my life and the lives of my children has changed because of education. I was a ballplayer just like these guys, and I had dreams of playing in the NFL, but it was my aunt's persistent and consistent messaging to me about my education. It already fit the profile, what I was looking for, because you guys know that academics for me is the most important thing. We were able to have a couple of conversations off the record that solidified that UVA was the right place for me. That was the number one thing I was looking for. With Virginia, everybody knows it came down to Duke and Virginia from a decision standpoint, and I think for me it was really solidified with the - not the initial conversations with Carla, but it was the follow-up conversations with Carla because you know me, David, that I'm very intentional. Going through the experience with another school the previous year and getting close to possibly transition is when I knew I was really ready to be a head coach, but I just needed to find the right place. So in 2015 was when I really started to say, okay, I want to make this transition, but I knew there were things that I wanted to do.

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