UVA Football: Details on fresh extensions for Kitchings, Rudzinski, Gaither

Back on March 10, I wrote about how the three coordinators on UVA Football coach Tony Elliott’s staff had yet to sign extensions, which would be a concern, considering their contracts were set to expire in the middle of spring practice.

Turns out, the issue was the UVA Freedom of Information Act office just not doing its damn job.

I found this out today because I filed another FOIA request with the University last week to try to get to the bottom of things, and they got back to me today with copies of fresh contracts signed by Des Kitchings, John Rudzinski and Keith Gaither.

Kitchings, the offensive coordinator, and Rudzinski, the defensive coordinator, both signed their extensions on Feb. 10.

Gaither, the special teams coordinator, signed his extension on Feb. 11.

So, why did the FOIA office, on March 10, respond to my request for their current contracts with the extensions that had been signed in December 2023 and January 2024?

Grrrrr.

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Extensions

• Keith Gaither
• Des Kitchings
• John Rudsinski

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All got nice raises – Kitchings and Rudzinski were paid $925,000 for the 2024 season and $975,000 for the 2025 season.

Gaither was paid $360,000 per year for the 2024 and 2025 seasons.

We now know that Kitchings and Rudzinski were each given extensions in February that will cover the 2026, 2027 and 2028 seasons, ending on March 31, 2029, with total compensation set at $1.2 million per year.

Gaither’s fresh extension covers the 2026 and 2027 seasons, ending on March 31, 2028, with total compensation set at $465,000.

Keep this in mind, kids: if you want to be a football coach when you grow up, don’t specialize in special teams.

I’m still waiting on an answer on my request dating to April 8 on the contract extension that we were told that day had been signed by Elliott.

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Update

• UVA Football: Finally, we have the details on Tony Elliott’s extension

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The FOIA office got back to me on Friday to say that there are “no records responsive to (my) request.”

Also still waiting for the FOIA folks to fulfill my request dating to April 15 for a copy of the contract for the new women’s basketball coach, Aaron Roussell.

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ICYMI

• UVA Basketball: Williams lands UR’s Aaron Roussell to head up women’s hoops program

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The latest communication there was on April 23, with the FOIA office telling me that they’d need to charge me $32.40 to get the contract to me.

This is just ridiculous; other schools just give you this info without making you go through the FOIA process and treating public information like it’s a damn state secret.

Consider me a hostile witness going forward.