Virginia Football Currently Ranks Last in the ACC in Football Recruiting

During the Tony Elliott era of Virginia football, it's been no secret that recruiting has been a struggle. Since Elliott arrived in 2022, the Hoos have secured one four-star, which was back in his first year, and has only been able to bring in three-star recruits. Although recruiting rankings do not mean everything, one would think by year four, Elliott would be able to raise the bar of Virginia's recruiting. So far, in 2026, that's failed to be the case. 

For context, in 2021, the year before Elliott's arrival, former Virginia head coach Bronco Mendenhall fielded a class of three four-stars and 22 three-stars, propelling Virginia to a sixth-best recruiting class in the ACC, according to 247Sports. The two years prior, Mendenhall had the Hoos also in the top ten, a testament to consistency and a proven formula for bringing talent to Charlottesville. 

It's important to acknowledge that recruiting rankings don't mean everything. Developing the talent you bring in and the results they produce is far more important than the talent alone. Despite this, it needs to be noted that after bringing in an 11th-ranked class in the ACC in 2022, it's been all downhill for Elliott. 

The year after, the Hoos ranked 13th before dropping to 15th in 2024. In 2025, Virginia ranked 14th, an improvement not worth much. Although it's early for 2026, Virginia sits dead last with only eight three-star recruits, which begs the question, is it time to panic? 

To answer that question, no, it is not time to panic, yet. 

A strong start and answering the bell in a pivotal fourth season in Charlottesville for Elliott has the potential to shoot Virginia up the ladder, a tall task considering an 11-23 record over the last three years. 

On a positive note for Elliott, he's proven his recruiting ability in the transfer portal. The Cavaliers boasted the 4th best transfer class in the ACC with 31 commits, four being four-stars, giving Virginia what it needs to deliver a breakthrough season this fall. 

The current recruiting problems ultimately stem from a lack of success on the field, so if the Hoos want to flip the narrative on being a mid-to-bottom-of-the-bunch ACC team with a loaded transfer class, this may be Virginia's best chance in a long time.