Florida State Football Schedule Preview: Virginia Cavaliers

After three consecutive losing seasons under head coach Tony Elliot, the Virginia Cavaliers exceeded all expectations in 2025 and played above their station to reach the ACC championship game, where they lost 27-20 in an overtime thriller to Duke.

That loss cost Virginia a berth in the College Football Playoff. The Cavaliers then went on to win the Gator Bowl over Missouri to notch their 11th win of the season, a school record for victories on the gridiron.

Going into year five under Elliot, the Cavaliers return 15 starters, including transfers and key contributors with starting experience who were injured in 2025. Virginia will bring those starters to Tallahassee to battle Florida State on October 3. The Seminoles suffered a 46-38 loss to Virginia last season.

At the skill positions, the Cavaliers have brought in transfers at quarterback, running back and wide receiver. Beau Pribula, a transfer from Missouri, replaces 3,000-yard passer Chandler Morris at quarterback.

In 2025 for the Tigers, Pribula passed for 1,941 yards, 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 10 games. In the Border War rivalry game with Kansas, Pribula threw for a season-high 334 yards and three touchdowns, and no interceptions in a 42-31 victory.  

Noah Vaughn and Xavier Brown returned to the backfield but failed to find the end zone last season. Peyton Lewis transferred in from Tennessee and scored seven rushing touchdowns for the Volunteers last season.

Kameron Courtney returns to show off his versatility. Last season, Courtney caught 25 passes for 234 yards, but no touchdowns. He did score a rushing touchdown. In addition, Courtney returned one punt for 38 yards and three kickoff returns for 19 yards. Rico Flores Jr. (from UCLA) and Da’Shawn Martin (from Kent State) round out the receiving corps. Martin gained 507 receiving yards and scored four times.

Pribula and his backfield mates will operate behind an experienced offensive line, one that has 166 combined starts. This unit is led by left tackle McKale Boley, who was a third-team All-ACC selection last season. The Cavaliers ranked 20th in the FBS in sacks allowed last season.

The Cavaliers return eight starters from a unit that allowed 19 points per game, and ranked 22nd in the FBS in that category. But when it came time for opponents to convert on third down, the Cavaliers were stingy. They allowed a conversion rate of 28 percent. That was good enough for No. 2 in the country. In addition, Virginia ranked third in the ACC in total defense and passing defense.

This unit is led by linebacker Kam Robinson. Robinson was a third-team All-ACC selection after posting 64 tackles, two interceptions returned for touchdowns, two sacks and a blocked kick.

The defensive secondary returns Corey Costner, who intercepted two passes last season to go with 28 tackles, three pass breakups and a forced fumble.

The rest of the projected starters in the defensive backfield are transfers: Brandyn Hillman (from Michigan), Christian Ellis (from Virginia Tech) and Omilio Agard (from Wisconsin).   

The Cavaliers avoid Miami, Clemson and Louisville on their schedule, but are still considered contenders for the ACC title in 2026.

The Seminoles own a 14-5 record in the series. The last time Florida State beat Virginia in Tallahassee was in 2014, a 38-20 victory for the Seminoles. With the talent that Florida State has on both sides of the ball, they should be able to notch a victory against the Cavaliers in Tallahassee in 2026.

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