Ranking All Nine of Virginia Tech's Opposing ACC Quarterbacks for the 2026 Season

Where does lead editor Thomas Hughes rank the nine signal-callers that Virginia Tech will face off against this year?

Virginia Tech Athletics

Virginia Tech football still finds itself three and a half months away from the start of the 2026 season, but several ACC squads appear to have their signal-callers set for the campaign. Here's my rankings of the QBs Virginia Tech is likely to face fof against in league play this season:

No. 9: Davis Warren (Stanford)

Warren enteres Stanford after four years at Michigan; a former walk-on, he appeared in 17 games and started nine. As a senior in 2024, he totaled seven touchdowns for 1,199 passing yards, though he threw nine interceptions.

Though Warren may not be the immediate starter, Stanford's quarterback room as a whole is relatively uninspiring, and I don't expect the Cardinal to be a factor for a bowl this year.

No. 8: Mason McKenzie (Boston College)

McKenzie, the 2025 GLIAC Player of the Year for Saginaw Valley State, is what Boston College hopes will be the next Trinidad Chambliss. A rising redshirt junior, McKenzie totaled 2,086 passing yards, 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions for the Cardinals, completing 59.8% (180-for-301) of his passes.

Though I don't expect McKenzie to reach the level Chambliss did, I do think he'll do an OK job at the ACC level. For now, his lack of Division I experience has him eighth on my list.

No. 7: Alberto Mendoza (Georgia Tech)

Mendoza, the younger brother of 2025 Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, is the likely starter, though Graham Knowles, a four-star redshirt sophomore that was the No. 18 quarterback in his class, could make things interesting.

Last year, Mendoza accrued 286 passing yards, five touchdowns and an interception, manning clean-up duty as the Hoosiers steamrolled their way to a national title.

No. 6: Christopher Vizzina (Clemson)

Taking over the reins for Cade Klubnik, Christopher Vizzina, a 6-foot-4 redshirt junior from Birmingham, Ala., enters with relatively little experience for his age. Vizzina has totaled 105 pass attempts in his career, logging 596 passing yards, five touchdowns and one intercption. In his one start (SMU, 2025), he tallied 317 passing yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in a 35-24 loss to the Mustangs.

Vizzina should perform well, though Clemson seems to be on the downswing in the modern era.

No. 5: Mason Heintschel (Pitt)

Heintschel dazzled at points, though he showed the natural ebbs and flows that come with a true freshman at the collegiate level. In his first start agianst Boston College on Oct. 4, he totaled 323 passing yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. Under Heintschel, Pitt won its first five games with him under center; in that time, he totaled three 300-yard-plus games, led by a three-TD, no-pick, 423-yard output against NC State Oct. 25.

However, Heintschel and the Panthers went 1-3 to close the season. The freshman absorbed four or more sacks in each of his final four games, and he threw three touchdowns and as many picks. His highest output in the final four contests came against East Carolina in the Military Bowl, where he went 25-for-40 for 256 passing yards, one touchdown and a pick in a 23-17 loss.

No. 4: Beau Pribula (UVA)

Pribula, a graduate transfer who came to Virginia after one season with Missouri and three with Penn State, enters as one of the highest-upside signal-callers in the conference.

In three years at Happy Valley, Pribula totaled 424 passing yards, nine touchdowns and one interception. Last year at Missouri, he totaled 11 touchdowns and nien interceptions, amassing 1,941 passing yards.

However, Pribula was encumbered by a dislocated left ankle. In his final four games, he did not log a passing touchdown. Negating those numbers, he threw 11 touchdowns to five picks in his first six contests.

No. 3: Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele (California)

The two-time ACC Quarterback of the Week (Nov. 8, 2025; Nov. 29, 2025), Sagapolutele shined as a true freshman, logging 3,454 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and nine picks.

In his final four games, Sagapolutele threw seven touchdowns and zero interceptions, though the Golden Bears lost 35-31 in their bowl game to Hawaii to close out the season.

Though California, as a whole, was up and down, finishing with a 7-6 record, Sagapolutele should be one of the ACC's top quarterbacks this season. Whether the defense can match that in kind will determine how far the Golden Bears can go in 2026.

No. 2: Kevin Jennings (SMU)

Jennings has been an SMU quarterback throughout his collegiate career. In 2024, he led SMU to an 11-3 record and a berth in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff. Last year saw the team take a backslide to 9-4. As a redshirt junior, Jennings finished with 3,641 passing yards on 66.1% completion (300-for-454), throwing 26 touchdowns, though his interception total increased to 13.

Jennings and SMU should be among the ACC's best this season. If their pass defense becomes more stout, SMU could be a factor to make it to the ACC title game, and perhaps, the CFP — though the ACC this year seems to be a pack of teams crowding for the top behind the No. 1 squad in Miami.

No. 1: Darian Mensah, Miami

Last year, Mensah amassed a daunting 3,973 passing yards and 34 touchdowns for Duke, both of which were second-best in the nation. Those totals may not hold, though Mensah should have a stronger receiving core at his disposal in Miami Gardens, anchored by Malachi Toney, who was First-Team All-ACC as a freshman (Second-Team All-ACC all-purpose). Mensah himself was All-ACC Second Team, and a strong season could lift him to All-ACC First Team honors this year.