Virginia’s Tony Elliott sends kind words to Michael Vick after Norfolk State clash

Tony Elliott and Michael Vick shared an embrace at midfield on Friday night after Virginia dismantled Norfolk State 59-3 at Scott Stadium, capping a week in which the Cavaliers coach went out of his way to set aside decades of bad blood between Charlottesville and Blacksburg.

Speaking before the matchup, Elliott made clear that facing Vick carried weight that had nothing to do with the scoreboard. “Come on, this is Michael Vick now. That’s a household name,” Elliott said. “All you gotta say is Vick. You didn’t have to say Mike, you just say Vick, and everybody knows who that guy was. I saw it up close and personal. I think it was a sophomore playing, my freshman year, playing down there, golly, he was special. And he transformed the game.”

“He transformed the game.”

UVA coach Tony Elliott “stepped outside the rivalry” to praise former Virginia Tech star and current Norfolk State head coach Michael Vick.

Elliott said what Vick has done with his life is commendable and looks forward to meeting him on Friday. pic.twitter.com/s1meV6KH05

— Preston Willett (@PrestonWillett) September 8, 2026

Elliott, who was a wide receiver at Clemson during Vick’s Virginia Tech run, went further in describing what the quarterback meant to the sport. “When you start talking about dual threat quarterbacks, I mean, he’s the prototype, right? And then you know what, he did it as a lefty,” he said. “When everyone was like, left handed quarterbacks, I mean, he just proved everybody wrong, and he could beat you from the pocket. And then when he took off and run, there wasn’t anybody better in a league with the ball in their hands.”

The praise extended well past Vick’s playing days. “I got a tremendous amount of respect for who he is as a person, all that he’s been through, and then the impact that he’s now making,” Elliott said. “That’s what he probably may not get as much credit for. People are gonna remember him for all of the great plays. But what he’s done with his life, I mean, it’s very commendable. He’s had to learn through some adversity, and now he has an unbelievable platform.”

The result itself was lopsided. Beau Pribula threw three first-quarter touchdown passes before sitting the second half, Brandyn Hillman picked off Norfolk State on its first two possessions, and the Cavaliers moved to 2-0. Vick’s Spartans fell to 1-2 and 2-13 overall in his second season, though he offered his own praise afterward, saying Virginia does not try to trick anyone and that opponents have to earn every blade of grass against them.