Virginia Cavaliers head coach Tony Elliott effusively praised Florida State’s football team ahead of their matchup this Friday night in Charlottesville. Talking to reporters at his weekly press conference, Elliott spoke at length about the challenges of facing such a talented Seminole team.

It’s not unusual for opposing coaches to heap praise on an opponent in advance of the game, but Elliott offered some specifics that went beyond the typical plaudits. He called this one of the best FSU teams he’s seen. From someone who has 18 years of ACC experience playing against the Seminoles, that praise has a bit more gravitas.

“I asked the guys this week, ‘How many of you want to play pro ball?’ Every single one of them raised their hands,” Elliott said. “So I said, well, this is the closest you’re going to get to it at this level, playing against a team like Florida State. It’s pro ball.

“This is as good of a Florida State team as I’ve seen in a while, and they’ve had some good ones.”

Elliott mentioned a handful of FSU players by name, but he saved his most rave review for dual-threat quarterback Tommy Castellanos. The Cavaliers played against Castellanos the last two years at Boston College before he transferred to FSU, so again, Elliott’s words carry more weight than most.

“When he’s in space, I mean, he just looks like he’s playing a video game, to be honest,” Elliott said. “He’s making people miss. The biggest difference you see is that he just looks comfortable and he’s playing with a ton of confidence. When he’s able to do that, he’s as good as anybody in the country.”

Here’s everything Elliott had to say about FSU before this weekend’s game.

Question: You often preach staying off social media and avoiding distractions. Is that particularly important this week?

Elliott: Oh, definitely. This week, we have to simplify our lives, because there’s a lot of significance around this game from the connection to the past, and then you’ve got a top 10 team coming in on a Friday night, national TV. So, there’s a lot of circumstances that you have to block out, so that you can focus.

Q: You guys played against Tommy Castellanos the past two years. How do you think he’s improved?

Elliott: Well, he’s always been very good. A very dynamic player. We learned that first-hand a couple years ago up at BC when we got a lead at half and then he just took over in the second half.

So, very dynamic. What you’re seeing is a lot of confidence. He’s playing with a lot of confidence. He looks very decisive. He seems like he’s really grasped the offense. He looks really confident and really comfortable. He knows where to go with the ball. He’s decisive on when he needs to pull it down and run it. And when he’s in space, I mean, he just looks like he’s playing a video game, to be honest. He’s making people miss.

The biggest difference you see is that he just looks comfortable and he’s playing with a ton of confidence. When he’s able to do that, he’s as good as anybody in the country.

Everybody’s going to have to play one step faster because of his ability.

Q: What do you see in FSU’s running game? They’re averaging like 363 yards per game on the ground.

Elliott: They’re big up front. They’re coached very well. They come right at you. The backs they’ve got – they just keep them coming. I can’t even keep straight how many running backs they’ve got. They all look very similar. One-cut guys. It looks like the offensive line is creating a lot of space. The backs understand where the aiming points are. They can find the air in the defense and then they really challenge you with their speed sweeps and their ability to get the ball on the perimeter.

They’re doing what Gus has always done, man. He makes you defend every inch of the field, from sideline to sideline, from endzone to endzone. He’s got a quarterback that can make all the throws when he needs to, but he’s got a big offensive line, and a stable of running backs, and a quarterback that can make you right in the run game. That’s what they’re doing. They’re putting a lot of pressure on you. They’re just coming right at you.

You know, very similar to what I did in the past. Shoutout to Gus, what I did offensively was a direct derivative of what he and Chad created back when they were high school coaches. It’s going to be fun to go against their whole team, but Gus, in particular.

Q: FSU has been scoring a ton of points. How does that impact your game management?

Elliott: First, it starts with being confident in the plan. Coach Rud and the defensive staff put together a great plan. This is a game where you have to line up and go play. You have to win your one-on-ones. But they’re up for the challenge. The guys are excited. This is why you play college football – to play in games like this.

I told the guys this. I asked the guys this week, how many of you want to play pro ball? Every single one of them raised their hands. So I said, well, this is the closest you’re going to get to it at this level, playing against a team like Florida State. It’s pro ball.

This is as good of a Florida State team as I’ve seen in a while, and they’ve had some good ones. But they’ve got guys that are potential household names. Like Tommy Castellanos – he’s a household name. You’ll see that by the end of the season. They’ve got Duce Robinson. He’s a household name coming from the West Coast to the East Coast, and the connection with his dad playing at Florida State. I look at Big Jackson. Darrell Jackson, he reminds me of Dexter Lawrence. I haven’t seen a guy with that size and that athleticism that can move like that. And Mr. Little, Earl Little, Jr. He brings back memories of the Derwin James and Lamarcus Joyner types of players.

And I know there are other guys this season that are going to go on to become household names. Because of how explosive they are and how they’ve been able to run the ball, how they can swarm on defense, they’ve been able to keep their guys fresh, too. So they’ve got some guys sitting in the wings that haven’t played that many snaps and by the end of the season are going to be household names.

This is why you come to a place like Virginia, this is why you play in the ACC, this is why you play college football – to have an opportunity to compete against the best.

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