CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia coach Tony Elliott said earlier this summer he didn’t want to make a “big deal” out of the open competition for the quarterback position.

His players say they’re committed to it, but the decision is crucial for Elliott, who begins his third season with little room for error as the Cavaliers try to regain relevance in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Elliott has a 6-16 record in his two seasons in Charlottesville and a 3-12 record in ACC play. This year’s team was picked by reporters to finish 16th in the 17-team conference.

The way forward begins with choosing the right signal generator.

Tony Muskett started at quarterback for Virginia last year and is the veteran option. He spent three seasons at Monmouth, starting in each of them, before arriving as a transfer last year.

The other option is sophomore Anthony Colandrea, who started six games last season while Muskett was injured and attracted attention with his athleticism.

Elliott said in late July that he was in no hurry to name a starter.

“I think it’s great to see two young men in this day and age embracing competition and understanding that competition makes each of them better,” the coach said.

On August 12, he said he hoped a series of upcoming training sessions using protective equipment would lead to some separation.

The winner will face a brutal early schedule. After a warm-up game against FCS’ Richmond, Virginia will travel to Wake Forest before hosting Maryland. The other early non-conference game, at Coastal Carolina, is no sure thing either.

“Our first opponent is ourselves,” Muskett said. “UVA’s first task to win is UVA.”

As doubters circle around him, Elliott says he is not interested in changing history. He believes the job is best done on the field.

“Every year, if you look at it, they’re wrong,” the coach said of the preseason predictions. “There are always teams that are considered good players but don’t perform well. There are always teams that are considered bad players but don’t perform well.”

“We have 25 training sessions and 12 Saturdays and all the days in between to do something about it.”

Butler is back

Virginia’s pass rush should get a new boost with the return of Kam Butler, a defensive end who started last year with a lot of excitement in the NFL but had to end his season early due to a shoulder injury.

“It was a breeze to come back,” he said. “The injury left a really bad taste in my mouth. I had a pretty good season. I can’t wait to get back to where I was before my injury next season.”

With Butler, Virginia recorded five sacks in the first four games. After that, the numbers dropped off and the Cavaliers finished the season with the fewest sacks in the FBS. Butler’s 3 1/2 sacks ultimately led the team.

Butler will be joined on the line by Chico Bennett Jr., a fifth-year senior trying to find his form again. A seven-sack season in 2022 put Bennett on the map, but he failed to record a single sack last year.

New facility impresses

The race for the best practice facilities among college football teams is cooling in an era when players are compensated for their name, image and likeness. In Virginia, however, players moved into snazzy new quarters over the summer at the George Welsh Indoor Practice Facility, named after the winningest coach in the program’s history.

The 90,000-square-foot building will help Virginia keep pace with its conference rivals and features amenities such as a state-of-the-art weight room, a “performance nutrition station” and a players’ lounge.

The offseason improvements also affect fans, who can look forward to a new, larger video board at Scott Stadium.

Safety Sanker moves forward

Virginia’s best returning player is likely safety Jonas Sanker, who was named to numerous watch lists entering the season after being named to the All-ACC first team last year.

Sanker led the Cavaliers in pass breakups (11), tackles (107) and forced fumbles (three).

Sanker is a senior and should attract interest from the NFL if he can put up similar numbers this season.

Top games

Elliott, a longtime assistant to Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, returns to Death Valley on Oct. 19, a game that will likely be more emotional than competitive.

The Cavaliers also have to travel to Notre Dame as part of a brutal final stretch. The focus, as always, will be whether Virginia can keep up with rival Virginia Tech – the Cavaliers’ 2019 win is their only one since 2003, and last year’s game was a 55-17 thrashing of Charlottesville.