Going into the 2026 college football season, there ws very little change when it came to the head coaches. In this day and age of college football, that's rare. However, that's what coaches are facing in a what have you done for me lately sport?
Former Virginia Tech head coach Brent Pry found that out when he was fired after the Hokies fell to 0-3 after a disappointing start to the season and a blowout loss at home to Old Dominion. One month after Pry was sent packing, James Franklin met the same fate at Penn State. It didn't take the Virginia Tech searchc ommittee formed long to target Franklin as the next head coach in Blacksburg.
Read More: James Franklin and Virginia Tech are quietly impressing an elite 2028 quarterback
He was hired in mid-November, and he has hit the ground running. His reputation is one that should give Hokies' fans excitement going into the 2026 campaign. Virginia Tech will host VMI in their season-opener on Sept. 5 in Lane Stadium. Where does Franklin rank among the ACC coaches going into the season? Austin Curtright of USA Today placed him near the top of all 17 coaches.
Virginia Tech football coach James Franklin cracks the Top 3 in the 2026 ACC coaches ranking list
Curtright dropped his ACC coaches' rankings for the upcoming season, and he vaulted Franklin up to the third spot without coaching a game yet for the Hokies. He had Franklin behind Mario Cristobal of Miami and Dabo Swinney of Clemson. Virginia Tech will face both of those teams on the road in 2026.
- Mario Cristobal, Miami
- Dabo Swinney, Clemson
- James Franklin, Virginia Tech
- Rhett Lashlee, SMU
- Jeff Brohm, Louisville
- Brent Key, Georgia Tech
- Manny Diaz, Duke
- Jake Dickert, Wake Forest
- Pat Narduzzi, Pittsburgh
- Tony Elliott, Virginia
- Dave Doeren, North Carolina State
- Fran Brown, Syracuse
- Mike Norvell, Florida State
- Tosh Lupoi, California
- Tavita Pritchard, Stanford
- Bill O'Brien, Boston College
- Bill Belichick, North Carolina
Let's be honest, expectations are high and exciting going into Franklin's first season at Virginia Tech, but unlike at Penn State, they are tempered compared to other schools. There is nowhere to go but up, coming off a 3-9 season that saw a ton of change in Blacksburg.
"Penn State had huge expectations last season, although Franklin was a huge reason for how the team earned those expectations due to his success through 12 seasons. He finished his tenure with five top-10 ranked finishes, four New Year's Six bowl wins, and a CFP semifinals appearance. He's looking to prove last year was just an aberration, although with a new school at Virginia Tech,'' wrote Curtright.
This is certainly an interesting list. Franklin, coming in at No. 3, is going to open some eyes for sure. However, just as quickly as he moved up, he could move back down if things don't go well in his first season. For the record, the Hokies will play four of the five coaches around him this fall.
Add us as a preferred source on Google