When it comes to football, there are few truths that can be assumed. However, one exception is the ultimate truth — everyone wants to win.
But winning is not easy, especially during the whirlwind of NIL and transfer portal chaos. Those circumstances have led to the death of the “middle class” in college football. Programs with an ample budget — and an intelligent managerial figure at the forefront —- can spend millions of dollars, while some smaller schools could never fathom offering seven figures to an individual player. The richer schools get richer, and the poor get poorer.
In particular, SEC powerhouse schools like Alabama and Georgia can spend oodles of money to essentially buy better players in the portal, while smaller schools that cannot afford to buy or retain high-end talent are left in the dust.
Virginia has to know this already. That overarching trend of pay-to-play is why Cavalier football needs a general manager. While previously exclusive to the NFL, that role has become a necessity in the college ranks. A general manager is responsible for several key tasks, including but not limited to handling player contracts and team finances, acquiring talent and resolving conflicts.
Marquee programs in the “rich get richer” category, such as Alabama, Ohio State, Texas and Michigan, all have general managers. Most of those general managers have even come directly from the NFL — such as Michigan’s Sean Magee, who was previously the chief of staff for the Chicago Bears.
Another legendary college program, Notre Dame, hired Mike Martin away from the up-and-coming Detroit Lions Feb. 14. Martin had been Detroit’s director of scouting advancement for four years and played a pivotal role in the Lions’ massively successful rebuild. Before Martin’s tenure, Detroit was a bottomfeeder. Now, the Lions are the belle of the ball in the NFL. And instead of sticking with them, Martin headed to South Bend, Ind. to help the Fighting Irish — and his treasure trove of football operations experience is coming with him.
As for Virginia, Coach Tony Elliott and company would seriously benefit from a dose of NFL experience. Elliott’s experience is valuable — 10 years at Clemson, to be exact — but a general manager could handle finances and player relationships in a business-first manner. That is something that simply cannot be done by a coach.
The Cavaliers are fighting tooth and nail to escape mediocrity, and they very well may not succeed. Adding a general manager could help them win some recruiting battles and join the upper class of college football. After all, Ellliott is well aware that it is common sense to follow the path of the true heavyweights in college football. In fact, others in the ACC are already doing it. North Carolina has rebuilt its entire program to follow the NFL way, bringing in Bill Belichick, inarguably the best NFL coach of the 21st century — as evidenced by his six Super Bowl rings.
After beginning his tenure in Chapel Hill, N.C., Belichick quickly tapped Mike Lombardi as general manager for North Carolina. Lombardi has more than 30 years of experience in the NFL — recently from 2014-2016 with the New England Patriots — and will surely elevate the success and efficiency of the Tar Heels’ business operations.
Even so, Lombardi is not well known outside of the tight-knit NFL community. Other schools have opted to take a different route and choose general managers who can serve as marquee attractions for a program. That is what Stanford did when it hired Andrew Luck in November. Luck, of course, helped lead Stanford to multiple bowl games and became one of the best NFL quarterbacks in the 2010s with the Indianapolis Colts.
Stanford may actually be the best case study for Virginia. Both schools have stellar athletic departments, although their football programs are undoubtedly on the weaker side compared to their Olympic sports. Both schools have yet to win a bowl game in the 2020s, and currently reside in the doldrums of the ACC. At the minimum, for Stanford, hiring Luck may help on the recruiting front. As for the Cavaliers, they also have some highly respected alumni who could provide that same Luck effect.
Chris Long, who played at Virginia from 2004-2007, is an obvious option — he was the first player in program history to have his number retired while still actively playing for the Cavaliers. Long, a two-time Super Bowl champion, currently hosts a podcast and lives in Charlottesville.
Another option is Rodney McLeod Jr., who just retired from the NFL after a 12-year career. McLeod has remained in contact with the University through occasional visits, and is widely regarded to be an exemplary leader.
Virginia could even consider promoting from within — by way of Justin Speros, who currently serves as director of recruiting and also the professional football liaison. Speros spent time at Clemson with Elliott and also dabbled with the Cleveland Browns for a few months back in 2019 as a coaching assistant.
Regardless of whoever the program would choose for the role of general manager, Elliott and company are under immense pressure to win in 2025. Last season, the Cavaliers started 4-1 only to lose six of their final seven games to narrowly miss out on a bowl game berth. Elliott is entering his fourth season at Virginia, and his Cavaliers have not met expectations.
There is a clear way to help Elliott and this program get a little bit better — hire a general manager to help win on the recruiting front. Virginia is already acquiring notable talent in the transfer portal, but if Elliott can start acquiring four-star or even five-star talent out of high school, then the program can truly soar to its highest potential.
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