Who are the best coaches Virginia football will face in 2026?

A look at the opposing leaders in the ACC that UVA will face in 2026

Tony Elliott and Bill Belichick briefly interact postgame Oct. 25, 2025. | Courtesy Virginia Athletics

With honorable mentions to Rich Rodriguez of West Virginia, Dave Doeren of NC State and potentially Fran Brown of Syracuse, the top five coaches on Virginia’s schedule are clear. The order might be debatable — but this top-five ACC cohort is certainly formidable. 

Coach Tony Elliott has already defeated three of the top five coaches on the Cavaliers’ schedule. He will have an opportunity to beat the two others for the first time in 2026. 

5: Mike Norvell, Florida State

A common theme with some ACC coaches — a polarizing track record. Norvell has led the Seminoles to a pair of seasons with 10-plus wins, but also, four losing seasons. Since 2024, Florida State has gone 7-17. One of those wins was against Alabama. Norvell has clearly built a high ceiling, but also one of the lowest floors in the ACC. His accomplishments are enough to earn him a spot on this list — but another losing season could potentially lead the Seminoles to find a new head coach next offseason.

4: Bill Belichick, North Carolina 

Belichick, the best head coach in NFL history, experienced a rude awakening in his debut season with the Tar Heels. North Carolina went 4-8 and finished third-worst in the ACC. Belichick’s only Power Four wins came against Stanford and Syracuse. The sole reasons he ranks this highly are his legendary pedigree, and that his Tar Heels can be expected to rebound in 2026. North Carolina sure hopes it can, because 2025 was a miserable campaign.

3: James Franklin, Virginia Tech

Franklin is a polarizing figure. On one hand, he consistently kept Penn State as a ranked team and constant force in the Big Ten. Success can be expected given his history with building programs in the Big Ten and SEC. However, Franklin has even more consistently lost the big games — earning the facetious moniker of "Big Game James."

He went 1-16 against archrivals Ohio State and Michigan. Franklin went just 15-28 against ranked opponents overall with the Nittany Lions. Factoring in his time as Vanderbilt’s head coach, Franklin is 16-36 as a head coach against ranked foes. 

The question is, what kind of Hokies team will Franklin compile in his first season?

2: Manny Diaz, Duke

Diaz has been around the block, spending time at Penn State, Miami and Texas in various roles. He is currently a reigning ACC champion. However, it is possible that no ACC team lost more talent than Duke did this offseason. The Blue Devils could have a perilous season ahead, which is enough to keep Diaz just short of the top spot. If Diaz keeps Duke afloat by the time he faces the Cavaliers, he could move up a spot. The Blue Devils are glad to have Diaz at the helm after Mike Elko left for Texas A&M in 2023.

1: Rhett Lashlee, SMU

When considering consistent success, “doing more with less,” the difficulties of constantly playing far away from home and projected 2026 performance, SMU’s Rhett Lashlee deserves the top spot. Lashlee has led the Mustangs to four straight winning seasons, including a College Football Playoff appearance in 2024. Rashlee is 14-2 in ACC play. He will lead the opponent in one of the biggest games the Cavaliers play in 2026.