When the Virginia Tech football team takes the field for the 2026 season on Sept. 5 against VMI, it'll be the first game of the James Franklin era in Blacksburg. One thing that we have learned since he was hired at Virginia Tech: he's entering the 2026 season with a huge chip on his shoulder after the way things ended at Penn State last October.
However, there are some coaches who begin the 2026 campaign with a lot on the line in terms of winning, saving their jobs, and proving that last year wasn't a fluke. Here are three coaches entering the 2026 season with more to prove than James Franklin does.
3 ACC coaches with more to prove in 2026 than James Franklin
This one shouldn't be a surprise. The problem is, O'Brien took over a program that has been spinning its wheels with 4-6 wins a season, but also a program that doesn't have the resources that other schools have. BC has been behind the times for a while. There was a reason Jeff Hafley left in February of 2024, as he did. Virginia Tech will visit Boston College to open ACC play on Sept. 26, and it'll be a game that the Hokies should win, but you never know what could happen with a coach on the hot seat and a team desperately looking to get to a bowl game. Another two-win season could be O'Brien's undoing in Chestnut Hill.
It feels like Swinney will have to be fired or leave for another job to be done at Clemson, but you never know. The Tigers are facing a big bounce-back season, and it will open on Sept. 5 at LSU. The Hokies will visit the ACC's version of Death Valley on Oct. 24, and it'll be interesting to see where both teams are at that point. There is a lot of football to be played before we get to that game in two months.
You might be saying, what? Tony Elliott? Yes, Virginia's Tony Elliott. Last season, the Cavaliers went 7-1 in the ACC, but take away last season, and Elliott is just 5-19 in ACC games. Virginia went 11-3 and celebrated a win over the worst Hokies team in decades like it was their Super Bowl. I get it, one time, Little Brother gets to celebrate a feat like that. However, if UVA comes into Blacksburg this season and loses in Franklin's first season, then Virginia Tech will once again regain control of the series and rivalry. If Elliott doesn't win this season against Franklin, it's going to be a long rivalry against for Cavaliers fans.
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