Everything From Virginia Tech HC James Franklin After March 31's Practice

Virginia Tech football head coach James Franklin spoke to the media after practice on Tuesday, March 31. Here is the entirety of what Franklin had to say:

On how Saturday's scrimmage went:

"Oh, yeah, I thought that was good. We've been getting the stadium, which has been important for us. What's nice about being here is you're so close to the stadium. Sometimes, you want to get to the stadium, but now you can't practice the way you really want to practice, because it's just not a lot of space. So, being here, we can practice out here, get all the individual work and all the teach periods we want. Then, transition for the stadium and get the live periods, which has been really good. The other thing is, we typically haven't done this as early, but Ty Howle went up into the booth, which is really good to start working on that. So, I think it's been excellent."

On how the quarterback battle is shaping up:

"Obviously, we made some changes, as you guys know, we talked about last week in terms of moving some guys. AJ [Brand] is doing a really good job for us right now, a wide receiver and Wildcat quarterback. Had a couple touchdowns today, that's been a real positive. But it's also allowed those other quarterbacks to get more meaningful reps. So I think it's been a win-win for everybody. I think that's really kind of my job as the head coach, to put everybody in the best position to be successful, and also the team. And I think that's been a win. I think it was hard for some of those guys to make those moves, but I think it was the right thing to do. So the reps have been really valuable, but obviously, you still have a ton of work to do between now and camp."

On Troy Huhn's performance so far through spring ball:

"Yeah, he had an unbelievable scrimmage on Saturday, statistically. Think he threw four touchdowns and was very efficient. He had one interception. But he played really, really well. Played really well. He's very calm, he's very poised, very smart. He works at it. He's wired the right way. I've been very impressed with him."

On if anyone else caught Franklin's eye:

"Troy was probably the big one that really stood out in his scrimmage. He had a really good scrimmage, but he's probably the one that probably jumped out the most this past Saturday that I can remember right now."

Q: What's the room you've seen the best competition out of through the first half of spring?

Yeah, I'm not sure on that, but one of the things we did talk about yesterday is just, you know, I think you guys heard me talk about having a three-deep in every position. And I think when I first got here, and I talked to the team about that, I think some guys kind of agreed with me. I think some guys didn't recognize what I was talking about, because they just haven't really ever been around it before. We have that right now. I wouldn't say across the board, but a lot of the positions, I think, it's much more competitive than it's ever been here. I think our guys are embracing it, having fun with it, which has been great. But I don't know if there's one position right now, I would say more than another, because there's just so many moving parts right now, while we're still trying to kind of evaluate everything."

On Ethan Grunkemeyer's development over the past couple years:

"So, you know, obviously him getting game reps and playing well is valuable. One of the things I think we're going to do is we're going to have a scrimmage and make the quarterbacks live that have not played in a college game for us to evaluate them, to really see how they're going to play. Some of these guys, they stand in the pocket. It's unrealistic. It's not a game rep. So being able to see how they're actually going to move in the pocket, make decisions, stay poised when they can actually get hit. And right now, he's the only quarterback that we got that we can really evaluate in a game. So, we need to get a chance to see those other guys live. We're not gonna do that a whole lot, but we need to do it a little bit so we got an idea of who they are, when the bullets are flying."

On if Franklin will be quick with the whistle Saturday:

"No, it's low as it goes. Yeah. It's live. It's live. ... If I blow the whistle quick, then it's not live chasing down a prey or something like that. That's what it will be like on Saturday. That's what I want to see."

On what stood out about Huhn's intangibles and skill set coming out of high school:

"Just very poised. Coach's kid. His mom's a coach. Dad played college football. The game kind of seemed to make sense to him. One of the biggest improvements he made from his junior year to senior, which is a little bit of a concern, is his mobility. And I thought he made a huge move in that area, after us emphasizing it. Really had a good senior year when it came to making plays with his feet as well. That has translated here as well. But I think the biggest thing is he's just wired the right way to me, the quarterback. To me, the quarterback position is a position you have. It's you have to live it. It's a lifestyle. And he's in here every morning, at 6 a.m.

He's out here on the field on his own, getting extra work in. Bryce [Baker] is like that too. Really, the whole room is. But for a young kid, very smart, he's very poised. Kind of knows who he is as a player. He's developed as a runner last year, but we need that to continue. Needs to continue to get faster, quicker and stronger, but in terms of distributing the ball and understanding protections and all those things. The other thing is, like we recruited him for from California, And every chance he got, he was out there. I don't know how, but he was out there visiting us for camp, for games. And he's been the same way since he's committed here. So just very impressed. His dad was here. His dad flew out. [Troy's] sister plays basketball at East Carolina. So dad came out, watched practice here Friday, Saturday, then drove to East Carolina, watched his sister play basketball. So, been pretty cool."

On the running back room:

"I think the big thing is, there's a lot of excitement about [Jeff] Overton. Kept hearing that from a lot of people. I see why/ He's quick, he's smart, he's tough, he's elusive, Football smart. I think he also has a chance to be a receiving threat. The other guys, we're still evaluating, still working through some things. But I think Overton has kind of separated himself a little bit. And [Marcellous] Hawkins, we've been able to see him a little bit individually, and I know Norval has been impressed watching him. He's also like 225 pounds. He's a big back. I also think Overton has helped in that area. I think he's got a chance to be 210 pounds by next year. He's right around 205. Can play at 210, [if] I had to guess. He's probably 185 last year, 190, so that will be helpful for him as well. But I've been pleased with him specifically, and there's other guys in that group as well. Bill [Davis] showing some flashes as well, just not as consistent as we need him to be yet."

On the transition with Brent Pry running the defense after previously being Virginia Tech's head coach and a previous defensive coordinator under Franklin:

"Smoother than I would have thought. Really, this whole process, he's handled it unbelievably well. He hasn't skipped a beat. I haven't seen any days where I feel like he's working through things; he just jumped right back in the saddle, being the defensive coordinator, being the head coach of the defense. One of the lessons that I learned is I'm more involved in the offense than I've been in a while, and having Brent over on defense makes you feel really good about doing that. So, that's been helpful for me, knowing that that area is taken care of. I still pop in there from time to time, but I'm spending the majority of my time with the offense.

On if having a quarterback pecking order by the end of spring matters for Franklin:

"Yeah, I would like it, but I don't know if we will. And I also want to keep competition at every position as long as we possibly can, going into the season. I just think that's in everybody's best interest. Once you make that decision, you say that the second team and the third team guys should still be preparing like the starter, but it usually takes some time to get over that and then move on. So I'd like to keep it alive as long as we possibly can, not just at the quarterback position, but really in every position. And the reality is, it's not like I have to say something, right? The guys see it, right? They kind of have an idea. I want multiple quarterbacks to take on a leadership role, but the players are going to listen to who they believe in, who they trust and who they respect. So it's not like we got to crown somebody for everybody to see it and feel it. The players got a pretty good idea."

On similarities and differences between quarterbacks Grunkemeyer and Baker:

"Little bit different style. But both [are] very conscientious. Both really want to do well. Both are willing to make the sacrifices and live the lifestyle to allow them to be successful. They both have similar bodies. They both can make all or most of the throws. They both can beat you with their feet. So I've been, I've been impressed. I think we got legitimately three or four quarterbacks that are battling. We recruited Bryce for a reason. For whatever reason, it didn't work out well at the last school, [North Carolina], but all the things that we saw when we recruited them, we sure are glad we got him here with us."

On the advantage of having quarterbacks coach Danny O'Brien:

"Yeah. I think that was a big part of recruiting these guys. It was a big part. Obviously, you guys have done your homework now. Danny went to high school at Bryce's high school. Danny's high school coach was Bryce's high school coach. Danny's high school coach is here today at practice. That relationship with Bryce went a long way, that relationship with Grunk went a long way, that relationship with Troy went a long way. So, yeah, those things are really important. And still, everybody wants to focus on NIL and all those things now, and that's a part of it. We embrace that. But still, relationship-based business."