Day two of ACC Kickoff 2026 was an odd mix and match of coach messaging. Boston College, Louisville, and Syracuse joined VA Tech, GA Tech, and Clemson.
The day ranged from Clemson’s Dabo Swinney repeatedly declaring that neither he nor his coaching career is dead to Virginia Tech’s James Franklin saying the Hokies have won the offseason.
Day Two of ACC Kickoff 2026 News and Notes
The New Kid on the ACC Block
Franklin got his first ACC media days as the new head coach at VA Tech. “We’ve been sprinting really since we arrived in Blacksburg. I think I would describe it as I think we have won the off-season. We’ve had a great off-season in terms of implementing our standards and our expectations and our culture.”
He has been doing this long enough to know that there are no trophies for that. “The reality is we have to make sure all that translates to the season and go out and play a style and a brand that’s going to make Coach Beamer proud,” he said, noting that he and his three players with him had dinner with VA Tech legend Frank Beamer on Wednesday night.
Franklin acknowledged that VA Tech has a tremendous past while still needing to play in the current college sports world. “How can we make sure we’re paying respect to the past, but how are we building for the future as well. That’s a delicate balance.”
Filling the Room
It is always a crowded press conference room when Swinney is there. Just don’t expect a lot of Q&A. His answers are so “complete” in length that his 15 minutes were taken up with only three questions. He was certain to take the time to point out that he expects the media and others to write Clemson off this season and question his future.
“This year, ain’t none of y’all going to pick us. Ain’t none of y’all going to say anything good about us. I’ve been dead. I’m gone. I think I’m still here, all right? But it’s not about that either. It never has been,” he said. “If it was about what people predicted, I would have been gone a long time ago. All right? It’s about what you do. That’s what it’s about. You know, we didn’t do the football stuff well enough last year. You know, we got everything we need. We don’t make any excuses.”
In terms of 2025, Swinney repeatedly said the team stunk, and he stunk. That was his perspective on the 7-5 (with a four-game winning streak at the end) with Clemson-level expectations.
“We’ve had 15 winning seasons, 13 10-plus-win seasons, 14 nine-plus-win seasons. We’ve won 11 championships in the last 15 years, and then you have a season like last year, and that’s kind of what everybody wants to focus on, and I get that. We earned that.”
What Was the Point?
Fortunately, there is also a “breakout room” for more interview time after the stage time. It allowed for the legitimately critical issue to be addressed.
On Wednesday, ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips stood at the podium and said the only way to combat tampering throughout college sports was for coaches and administrators to go public with details when they knew about instances. Swinney did all that in January when linebacker Luke Ferrelli, under contract to Clemson, left school and Tigers’ football to go to Ole Miss. Swinney had copies of text messages from Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding and had the receipts, as they say. To this point, no one involved has any conclusive answers.
“They owe me an update,” Swinney said of the NCAA. “I don’t have an update. I did my part. Ask the NCAA for an update. I have no idea.” He was asked by us if, based on Phillips’ message from yesterday, he regretted going public and getting nothing in return. “No, not at all.” From there, it was back to talking about long snappers and the like.
Frank Talk
Georgia Tech’s Brent Key is always eagerly anticipated at these events. He is always glib with his takes.
He talked about expectations and how they have grown during his time in Atlanta. “Last year was a good step in the right direction, winning nine games. But let’s make no mistake: I am not happy about that, all right?”
He was asked about how coaches adapt to the new world order of college sports. It was vintage Brent Key. “What else am I going to do? Seriously. Am I going to object to it? No, I don’t want to do that. I don’t have a say in it. We could walk out of here and have three different rules or a change in something.”
He also said that for all of the complaining about the student athletes, they are not always the source of the challenges. “People say, oh, you know, kids are different now. Well, so are the adults. We are too. We’re the ones that set the example, but the same guys that want to complain about a lot of the things in college football need to look themselves in the mirror. They’re the ones jumping jobs every two years, too. Let’s be real. The adults in the room sometimes end up being the bigger problem.”
Wrapping Up
The third and final day of ACCKickoff will feature North Carolina, SMU, Duke, Wake Forest, Cal, and Pitt.
Main Image: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
