Timeline Of Key Events for the UVA Athletics Departments Over The Last 12 Months

Have you considered the timeline of key events for the University of Virginia athletics departments over the last 12 months?

UVA football closes its season at 5-7 overall and 3-5 in ACC play. The Hoos lose to Virginia Tech (again) and conclude a three-year stretch where they have the least amount of overall victories (11) in all of power football.

UVA Coach Tony Bennett stuns all of us with his surprising resignation 18 days before opening tipoff. UVA loses a Hall Of Fame coach who earned the school its only basketball national championship. Blindsided by Bennett’s retirement and with little time before the start of the season, UVA transitions Ron Sanchez from assistant to interim head coach.

UVA basketball finishes 15-17 overall and 8-12 in ACC play. The Hoos are unable to establish an identity and get clipped by Georgia Tech in the ACC Tournament.

UVA fires Sanchez three hours after the ACC Tournament loss to the Yellow Jackets. Sanchez is alone in a Charlotte, North Carolina hotel room when he learns he has been pink-slipped by UVA.

UVA hires Ryan Odom to be the 13th head coach in program history. Odom has had coaching success at UMBC, Utah State and VCU, but he only has one NCAA Tournament victory on his resume, a win over UVA in 2018.

UVA loses nearly its entire 2024-25 basketball roster to the transfer portal, including Isaac McKneely, the face of the program.

UVA announces a new five-year seating plan for the John Paul Jones Arena starting with the 2027-28 basketball campaign. This new seat licensing program will reserve seats for people who make significant financial contributions to UVA. Long-term fans and ticket holders who do not increase their financial contributions to UVA will lose their seats. Fans are left angry and dismayed. Again.

UVA baseball is ranked No. 2 in preseason polls. The Hoos struggle to begin the season and tumble out of the national rankings. Boston College bounces UVA from the ACC Tournament, and the Hoos fail to earn an NCAA Tournament invitation for the first time since 2019.

UVA Coach Brian O’Connor shocks all of us by taking the head coaching job at Mississippi State. UVA loses a second Hall Of Fame coach who earned the school its only baseball national championship.

UVA men’s lacrosse closes 2025 with a 6-8 overall record and an 0-4 mark in the ACC. This was the first losing season for UVA men’s lax since 2016. The Hoos also missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016.

UVA rewards Athletics Director Carla Williams with a five-year contract extension that runs through May 31, 2030. Williams was handed a significant pay raise, an annual salary of $1,405,470, in addition to an annual performance bonus of $300,000. Williams can earn additional bonuses for bowl games and top-10 finishes in the Director’s Cup. UVA did not formally announce the Williams contract extension. Two reporters (Chris Graham and David Teel) had to push and prod UVA (FOIA requests) before the extension was communicated to the public.

When you consider this timeline of key events, do you see a healthy department, or one that is underachieving? Do the last 12 months mark the most tumultuous time in University of Virginia athletics history?

If you find this 12-month timeline compelling, please “share” it with others so they can read it as well.