When NC State opens the 2026 season in Charlottesville on Saturday, the matchup will come with a built-in layer of familiarity. The Wolfpack and Cavaliers don’t just know each other from film; they know each other through coaching staffs, shared seasons and even family history that reaches well beyond football.
Start with the sideline, where NC State special assistant to the head coach Ruffin McNeill once spent a year at Virginia. McNeill was the Cavaliers’ assistant head coach and defensive line coach in 2016, the first season of the Bronco Mendenhall era in Charlottesville. He’s since made his way to Raleigh, where the North Carolina native has become a trusted part of Dave Doeren’s staff, and now he heads back to Charlottesville in a different role.
Then there’s NC State offensive line coach Garret Tujague, who may know Virginia better than anyone involved in this game. Before arriving in Raleigh prior to the 2023 season, Tujague spent seven seasons with the Cavaliers from 2016-22. He coached the offensive line and handled recruiting duties under both Bronco Mendenhall and current Virginia head coach Tony Elliott.
His time there overlapped with three of the most productive quarterbacks in Virginia history: Kurt Benkert, Bryce Perkins and Brennan Armstrong. And Armstrong eventually followed that same coaching trail, transferring from Virginia to NC State for his final college season in 2023 and reuniting with Tujague.
The familiarity cuts the other way, too. Virginia offensive coordinator Des Kitchings spent eight seasons on NC State’s staff from 2012-19.
He was already in Raleigh when Doeren arrived in 2013 and stayed for seven seasons under him, first as running backs coach and later with co-offensive coordinator responsibilities. That means NC State will spend Saturday preparing for an offense run by a coach who was inside the Wolfpack program for nearly a decade.
With Tujague on one side and Kitchings on the other, there’s not much mystery left between these staffs.
The connections don’t stop with football. NC State director of athletics Boo Corrigan has deep family roots in Charlottesville and at Virginia. His father, the late Gene Corrigan, coached Virginia lacrosse from 1959-67 and Virginia soccer from 1958-65, then served as the school’s director of athletics from 1971-81 before later becoming ACC commissioner and president of the NCAA.
Because of that family background, Boo Corrigan spent the first 13 years of his life in Charlottesville. His wife, Kristen Aceto Corrigan, also has Virginia ties, having played both field hockey and lacrosse there and earned a master’s degree from the university.
The Corrigan family connection runs deep. Boo’s parents later retired to Charlottesville, too. Gene Corrigan died in 2020, and Boo’s mother, Lena, died earlier this month.
So while NC State-Virginia is just the season opener on the schedule, the people involved make it feel like much more than a normal first game. There are links everywhere you look.
In Other News...
NC State Fans Just Got An Injury Scare With Gunner Rivers
A fresh injury scare hit NC States future quarterback pipeline when Gunner Rivers went down in St. Michaels senior season opener. The 2027 Wolfpack commit hyperextended his right leg and had to be helped off the field, a tense moment for a prospect already carrying plenty of attention as the son of former NFL quarterback and current coach Philip Rivers.
There was at least some early relief afterward, with Philip Rivers and his son both indicating the injury did not appear to involve structural damage and expressing optimism about the recovery. Before leaving the game, Rivers had already shown why NC State fans are watching closely, completing 3 of 4 passes for 84 yards and a touchdown before the lower-body issue cut his night short. [Read more 🡒]
NC State Is Counting On Josiah Victor In A Crucial Defensive Transition
NC States defensive front is entering a transition, and Josiah Victor looks like the player positioned to anchor it. The sophomore nose guard is expected to step into the starting role in 2026 after spending last season building experience and using the offseason to prepare for a bigger workload. With Brandon Cleveland gone from the spot, Victors rise gives the Wolfpack a clearer picture of how they want to hold up inside as the season opener against Virginia approaches.
Victor sounds ready for the responsibility, and he has leaned into the chance to grow with both teammates and coaches around him. He spoke confidently about the role ahead and the motivation that comes with being counted on more heavily, which matters for a defense that will be asking him to help steady the middle from the start. For NC State, the question is no longer whether Victor can learn the job, but how quickly he can turn that preparation into production when the games begin. [Read more 🡒]
Christian Hammond Could Decide How Fast NC State's Rebuild Holds Up
NC States latest reset comes with the usual mix of promise and uncertainty after a second head coaching change in two offseasons, this time bringing in Justin Gainey after Will Wades departure. The roster turned over heavily, as key players moved on and a wave of transfers arrived to help stabilize the rebuild, giving the Wolfpack a new look before the dust has even fully settled.
Among those newcomers, Christian Hammond may end up mattering more than most. The Santa Clara transfer comes off a breakout season in which he averaged 15.6 points and 3.0 rebounds per game and helped the Broncos reach their first NCAA Tournament in 30 years, a kind of production NC State could use quickly if this new version of the team is going to take hold. [Read more 🡒]