With spring ball right around the corner in Charlottesville, Head Coach Tony Elliott is bolstering his staff with two key additions aimed at sustaining the momentum from Virginia’s impressive 2025 campaign. Jonathan Celestin returns to UVA as assistant defensive backs coach, while Landon Martin joins as assistant offensive line coach. For a program that’s prided itself on continuity and internal development, these hires are another step in Elliott’s steady, methodical build.
Jonathan Celestin: Familiar Face, Familiar Scheme
Jonathan Celestin isn’t just familiar with Virginia football-he’s been in the trenches with this staff before. After serving as a defensive graduate analyst for the Cavaliers in both 2023 and 2024, Celestin took on the linebackers coach role at UAB in 2025. Now, he’s back in Charlottesville, this time with a positional room of his own.
Celestin brings a player’s pedigree and a coach’s mindset. A former captain and standout linebacker at Minnesota from 2014 to 2017, he helped lead the Golden Gophers to three bowl wins and earned Defensive MVP honors along the way.
His professional playing career included stints in both the NFL and XFL before he transitioned into coaching, starting in strength and conditioning at Minnesota in 2021. From there, he made stops at Wyoming and Virginia before heading to UAB.
Now, he rejoins a defensive staff that’s seen some reshuffling, particularly in the secondary. With Curome Cox continuing to oversee the safeties and newly promoted ShaDon Brown taking over at corners, Celestin will be a key figure in helping develop a defensive backs unit that’s loaded with potential but still in the process of coming together. His familiarity with defensive coordinator John Rudzinski’s system is a major asset-Celestin spent two years learning the intricacies of the scheme and already has established relationships with the staff and players.
This isn’t just a hire for the now-it’s part of a broader trend under Elliott. Virginia has made a habit of developing young coaching talent from within.
Celestin follows a path already traveled by current position coaches like Joey Orck (offensive line) and Adam Mims (wide receivers), both of whom earned promotions after serving as analysts. It’s a blueprint that’s paying dividends.
Landon Martin: Building the Trenches
On the offensive side, the departure of offensive line coach Terry Heffernan-who took over as Stanford’s offensive coordinator-prompted a ripple effect. Senior offensive analyst Joey Orck was promoted to lead the offensive line, and now Landon Martin steps in to assist him in one of the most critical areas of the field.
Martin’s resume is a testament to steady growth and proven development. A former standout offensive tackle and captain at Newberry College in South Carolina, Martin began his coaching journey at South Carolina in 2016. Over five years with the Gamecocks, he climbed the ladder from graduate assistant to assistant offensive line coach, playing a role in the development of six future NFL linemen.
In 2021, Martin returned to his alma mater as Newberry’s offensive line coach, where he helped guide the Wolves to back-to-back conference championships in 2022 and 2023. Under his leadership, Newberry’s ground game became one of the most dominant in Division II-a credit to both scheme and execution in the trenches.
Most recently, Martin spent 2024 coaching at Battle Ground Academy in Tennessee before taking over the offensive line at Charleston Southern in 2025. The turnaround there was undeniable. The Buccaneers jumped from one win in 2024 to five in 2025, thanks in large part to a more productive offense that saw a notable uptick in yardage and consistency.
At Virginia, Martin joins a unit that’s already among the most experienced in college football. The return of starters Drake Metcalf, Noah Josey, and McKale Boley gives the Cavaliers a veteran core up front-an increasingly rare luxury in today’s game. With Orck and Martin leading the way, this offensive line has the tools to be elite.
After a historic 11-win season, expectations are high in Charlottesville. But with strategic hires like Celestin and Martin, Virginia isn’t just chasing success-they’re building a sustainable program with a strong foundation on both sides of the ball.
The pieces are in place. Now it’s about execution, development, and keeping the momentum rolling into 2026.