The 2016 Virginia Cavaliers football team represented the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

in the

2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season The 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the highest level of college football competition in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The regular season began on August 26, 2016 and ended on Dec ...

. The Cavaliers were led by first-year head coach

Bronco Mendenhall Marc Bronco Clay Mendenhall (born February 21, 1966) is an American football coach who most recently coached at The University of Virginia. He stepped down after the 2021 season. Mendenhall joined Virginia in 2015 after spending the previous elev ...

and played their home games at

Scott Stadium Scott Stadium is a stadium located in Charlottesville, Virginia. It is the home of the Virginia Cavaliers football team. It sits on the University of Virginia's Grounds, east of Hereford College and first-year dorms on Alderman Road but west of B ...

. They were members of the Coastal Division of the

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...

. They finished the season 2–10, 1–7 in ACC play to finish in a tie for sixth place in the Coastal Division.

Last season

The 2015 Cavaliers finished with a record of 4–8, 3–5 in ACC play for the second straight year, to finish in sixth place in the Coastal Division. On November 29, head coach

Mike London Michael Wilson London Sr. (born October 9, 1960) is the current head football coach for the William & Mary Tribe football program at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. He is a former defensive back and associate head coa ...

resigned, and was replaced six days later by

BYU Cougars The BYU Cougars are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Brigham Young University (BYU), located in Provo, Utah. BYU fields 21 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) varsity athletic teams. They are a member of the West ...

head coach

Coaching changes

*On December 4,

was hired as head coach. *On December 8, 2015, former BYU assistant coaches

Robert Anae Robert Anae (born December 21, 1958) is an American football coach and former player who is current serving as the offensive coordinator (OC) for NC State since December 2022. Prior to NC State, he was the OC at the University of Virginia and Bri ...

, Garett Tujague, Mark Atuaia, and Jason Beck, accepted coaching responsibilities at Virginia. On December 9,

Nick Howell Nicholas Wade Howell (born February 26, 1980) is an American football coach. He is the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Vanderbilt. Coaching career Howell began his career coaching high school football. He worked from 2002 to ...

and

Kelly Poppinga Kelly Scott Poppinga (born January 31, 1982) is an American football coach and former player. He is the special teams coordinator and defensive coach at the Brigham Young University (BYU). He is the younger brother of National Football League (NFL ...

were announced to be joining the Virginia coaching staff. On December 12, the hirings of Anae, Tujague, Atuaia, Beck, Howell, and Poppinga were confirmed as well as new assistant head coach

Ruffin McNeill Ruffin Horne McNeill Jr. (born October 8, 1958) is an American football coach and former player who currently serves as the special assistant to the head coach at NC State University. He previously served as the assistant head coach and outside ...

. It was also announced that

Marques Hagans Marques Hagans (born December 29, 1982) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Virginia. Hagans was also a member of the Kansas C ...

would remain with Virginia's coaching staff as the wide receivers coach. *On December 15, 2015,

Shaun Nua Shaun C. Nua (born May 22, 1981) is a former American football defensive end and current football coach. He played college football at Brigham Young University and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL Draf ...

was added as the

defensive line In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

coach leaving the same post at Navy. On December 18, Nua backed out of being the defensive line coach and decided to remain at Navy. *On December 21, Shane Hunter was hired to be the new defensive line coach. *On March 18, 2016, Mendenhall announced that Hunter and McNeill would switch position duties, with McNeill taking over the defensive line, and Hunter working with the inside linebackers.

Depth chart

Schedule

:Schedule Source:

Game summaries

Richmond

at Oregon

at UConn

Central Michigan

at Duke

Pittsburgh (Homecoming)

North Carolina

Louisville

at Wake Forest

Miami (FL)

at Georgia Tech

at Virginia Tech

Roster

References

{{Virginia Cavaliers football navbox

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

Virginia Cavaliers football seasons

Virginia Cavaliers football The Virginia Cavaliers football team represents the University of Virginia in the sport of American football. Established in 1888, Virginia plays its home games at Scott Stadium, capacity 61,500, featured directly on its campus near the Academi ...