When the team gathered to weigh in on the day before training began, encouragement was everywhere. Coach Elliott’s guiding principle—HEART, an acronym for humility, effort, accountability, respect, and toughness—is printed on the team’s shirts. “COMPETITIVE STAMINA,” reads a sign above the doors leading to the practice fields.But the ultimate motivator comes in the form of Coach Smo. “Coach Elliott wants us to be a FIT team—fast, intelligent, and tough,” he said. “But as important as that is coming together as a team and being unified. And the beauty of the weight room, the beauty of a training program, is it allows us to do that.”“We’re so thankful to have this facility. We’ve got beautiful natural light. We’ve got 20 double-sided racks. We’ve got a huge space in the middle of the weight room where we can do movements and we can do mobility. We’ve got custom weights, we’ve got custom racks, we’ve got technology everywhere,” said Smotherman.The racks are equipped with a camera-based system to measure velocity. Players are outfitted with Catapult, a wearable system that uses GPS to track performance. The staff analyzes the data with the help of Jace Peeler, football performance applied science coordinator. “It’s one thing to track data, it’s another thing to actually use it,” said Smotherman. “We want to dig into that data and let it inform our training, so we’re looking at distances. We’re looking at velocities. We’re looking at the demand of practices so that we can design our conditioning based on what the guys are going to go through in practice.”Smotherman said he especially enjoys being around the players each day and watching them grow.“They’re 18- to 22-years-old. So they’re full of energy. They’re excited. They’ve got big goals in their life,” he said. “It’s really cool to just come alongside them on their journey and be able to be part of that and to help them achieve their goals.”There are over 53,000 pounds of free weights in the Hardie Center weight room.
Ross Ferrell came from the UK to Charlottesville in 2022 to join the football program as a fellow. The program has since expanded to include two full-time nutritionists and up to 38 student employees.“Our goal is to build champion men,” said Ferrell. “That’s an extension of coach’s vision for the program.” The nutrition team creates custom programs for the players, whose needs vary by person and position. “It’s important to first keep the guys healthy and keep them on the field. We say that their best ability is their availability.”Ferrell also wants to provide information and skills the players can take with them beyond the gridiron. His team hosted cooking workshops over the summer and leads weekly nutrition education sessions during the season.The nutrition program does more than fuel workouts and game performance—shared meals provide time to connect. “The facility was instrumental to our success last year,” he said. “Feeding the guys and having the space to fit all the coaches, staff, and team and have that fellowship really played a big role.”“The best part of my job is being able to serve, to give back to the young men in this program,” Ferrell said. “We make it an emphasis in our department to empower the guys. And I love being able to not just educate, but also just bond with the guys and be able to share things with them as we see them grow and go out on the field.”Each player burns between 4,000 and 7,000 calories in a single day of training.
In late 2025, an anonymous donor created the Football Enhancement Fund, with a focus on nutrition. The gift allowed the program to hire Head Chef Harrison Keevil (Col ’05). Keevil is well-known in Charlottesville’s restaurant community and is a grandson of David Harrison III (Col ’39, Law ’41), the late UVA benefactor for whom the playing field at Scott Stadium is named.“My family has done a lot for the football team and sports at the University in general,” said Keevil. “This is my opportunity to leave my legacy in the Harrison family tradition, for the guys.”Keevil begins planning menus one to two months before training begins. “Ross and his team give us a box in which we can plan, and within that structure we have quite a bit of freedom to come up with some delicious stuff for the players,” he said. “At the same time, we want to be creative for the kitchen so that we are having fun as well.”“Last season we started asking the players for home recipes or favorite dishes,” said Keevil. “It allowed us to interact with the players more and create an environment in which they know that they’re being taken care of.”“The best part of my job is getting to cook for the guys. It’s what brings me joy. I love to cook for the team, listen to them, and make sure that they’re being taken care of as if they were my own kids,” Keevil said.For the first week of training camp, the kitchen ordered 1,000 pounds of chicken and 1,000 pounds of beef.
When the Hoos take the field in Cavalier Orange, UVA Blue, and their protective equipment, they’ve been outfitted by Eddie Chavez and his team. “Some guys are very swaggy. They want bands, they want sleeves,” he said. “Other guys don’t care. ‘Just give me a leather helmet, I’ll go out there and play.’”Before the Hardie Center was built, Chavez and his team retrieved gear from a storage shed. At the center, he said, “The players are benefiting because everything is here. And the locker room is straight in front of us. So they see us when we’re here, we see them when they’re here, and we love to have them inside in the equipment room.”Chavez’ staff also help run practice—“whatever the coaches ask of them.”“They’re there to make transitions from place to place easier for the coaching staff. That one extra rep could be crucial to a game winning touchdown,” he explained. “They do it all. They’re the team behind the team.”Home game days for Chavez start when his dog Bucky wakes up at 5 a.m. “I take him for a walk. Then we come to the stadium, and I start setting up. It gives me peace of mind, lets me go at my own pace, and get into my mindset. I set the sideline, let Bucky run around the field a little bit.”“The best part of my job is the relationships—especially with my student managers. Just getting to know them and being a part of their lives,” Chavez said. “And the student-athletes, seeing them fulfill their dreams, whether they go to the NFL or have a great career thanks to their UVA education. I love to serve people, and in whatever capacity I can help somebody achieve their dreams, that’s a success in my book.”Chavez and his team do nearly 1,000 pounds of laundry every day.
