Virginia knew the areas they needed to attack: the trenches, quarterback, and secondary were the key ones – but it wasn’t just about bringing bodies in, it was about bringing the right people in.
So it all came down to relationships.
“For me and my wife, it was just different feel, there was a different vibe,” said Devin Neal Sr, father to Virginia safety Devin Neal Jr. “It wasn’t just them trying to go out and get the best guys they could find – it was none of that. It was about them going out and finding the guys that was going to be make this organic – building those relationships.
“It was everyone – starting with the gentleman that picked us up at the airport to coach Elliott,” he continued. “Everyone that I talked to, it felt more like I was talking to a parent than a coach… I can honestly say that my son was legitimately wanted, he just wasn’t there to fill a roster spot.”
The staff also had to answer some hard questions.
On December 11, Virginia defensive tackle coach Kevin Downing reached out to Hunter Osborne’s mother, Patricia Osborne – Downing was already talking to her son, Hunter, for a few days.
“He said, I wanted to talk because we really would like for you just to hear us out,” recounted Patricia Osborne. “We were like, Virginia? Who is Virginia? And my husband knew of coach Elliott just because of his affiliation with Clemson and the 2019 game against the University of Alabama – and knowing that that he was the OC at the time, so he knew he was a smart coach. He knew he was somebody that had won before. And so why not take the call?”
The Osborne family quickly saw the vision for the program but they still had concerns.
“They were good family men. They had great moral compass,” she said. “My husband is X’s and O’s – and he repeats this story to this day about Coach Elliott’s vision for the program and how he really wants to win. And was asked, ‘well, why haven’t you been relevant? What is going on up here?”
The Osbornes heard Elliott out. They heard about each step this program took – and each adversity they had to overcome – but this was the time to take the next step.
“He said, ‘I have an opportunity to build a roster and build it the right way,’” she said “He said, ‘I know we can win. I mean, he literally kept saying, ‘I know I can win. I need people like Hunter.’”
Hunter and his family were sold.
“We could have went back to the SEC,” she said. “Hunter made the decision that night while we were on another visit, he said, ‘it feels better at Virginia… I believe in coach Elliott.’”
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