Everything From Virginia Tech Interim HC Philip Montgomery On Tuesday Ahead of Cal

Virginia Tech interim head coach Philip Montgomery spoke to the media at Tuesday's weekly press conference. Here's the entirety of what Montgomery had to say:

Opening statement:

"Coming off the bye week, got back on the practice field yesterday. It always speeds up a little bit with [a] Friday game and so, adjusting to that part of it. But I thought we had a good work yesterday. Got good work over the bye week, trying to get some guys back healthy, or as healthy as we can absolutely get them. That was one of our major deals throughout the bye week. And so, got good work in during the bye week. Got to really focus on fundamentals and techniques and doing some different things. And then, trying to get healthy and allow them some time to kind of rest a little bit, too. Not just physically, but mentally. They've been through a lot up to this point in the season. So, had a good week with that. I thought they came back fresh and ready to go yesterday. Had a good week. Got a big opportunity this weekend. Got a tough opponent coming in. Cal coming in here, 5-2. They're playing really well. As you look at them, the quarterback [Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele] slinging it around the field. They're big up front. You know, 21's [Jacob De Jesus] elusive in the in the return game, as well as a receiver. They find different ways of getting him the ball. But they do a good job with that. You look at them defensively. Very difficult to to throw the football against. I think they're fourth in the conference right now in pass defense. I think fifth overall in total defense. So, they do a really nice job over there. So, we know we've got a great test. [Coach Justin Wilcox, head coach for Cal] has done a tremendous job there. Got a lot of respect for him and what he's done while he's been there. But looking forward to being back home, playing in front of our crowd, everybody coming out on a Friday night. Going to be a little bit cooler, I think, from what it looks like on the weather. So, bundle up a little bit. We got 25 years of [Enter] Sandman that we're celebrating. We [also] got Breast Cancer Awareness month that's starting. So, we want to honor those that are fighting it right now and those that have survived it. So, we got a lot of things going on this weekend. I look forward to our crowd showing up and really being that X=factor for us as as we get going this weekend."

On Sagapolutele and what's impressed Montgomery about their passing game:

"He's young, but he does a nice job of getting the ball out of his hands. He's got a good, quick release to him, even as a left-hander. Usually, lefties are a little longer in their motion. He does a nice job of getting it out. Got a lot of pop to it. Kind of gets through his progressions pretty quick. Again, as a young quarterback, I think he's got a really good handle on what they're doing. He's got good weapons around him and we're going to have a a great test in front of us, especially with all the different changes that we've had defensively. And so we, got to do a good job of trying to getting him off his spot and making him feel a little bit more uncomfortable."

On CB Thomas Williams and whether him going down is a long-term injury:

"Yeah, he's just like all of our guys. He had a good week during the bye week as far as trying to get healthy. And I think he's trending the right way. We'll see how the rest of the week goes. But it's kind of a day-by-day type deal for us and we'll keep monitoring. But I can promise you he's trying to get back It wasn't season ending."

On evaluating the offense during the bye week and changes to make them more effective:

"Yeah, I think more than anything it's the consistency of it. I think we show flashes. We just haven't been consistent enough. We've run the ball at times pretty well. We've had some explosive runs. I think it helps us when we're more healthy depending upon what guys are in the backfield, what guys are up front, what's going on within the the transition of it all from the passing game standpoint. Kind of some of those same variables to it. And so, we know we got to be more consistent. We got to stay balanced and I think we've shown flashes of really good things. And then we've got areas that we got to ab absolutely grow in."

On working with Drones to negate pressure:

"We're actually getting more pressure than anybody in the country I think just about right now. So, some of that deals back to some of the challenges that we've had up front with guys being injured and trying to get some guys back. Different lineup almost every week. But we've got to do a good job of, No. 1, protection. And we got to do a good job against separation in routes. And he's got to do a good job of not hanging on things too long and then continuing to to grow and develop. But the one thing I know about Kyron is [that] he is in here working every day. He is very self-aware of what's going on and he's trying to improve, just like all of us are trying to improve, me included. Trying to improve every day. And so, I respect that about him, how hard he works. He did some really good things the other day that I was really proud of and as an offense, we're continuing to grow."

Q: Have you ever crossed paths with Justin Wilcox in your career?

"No, I mean, we played two years ago when I was at Auburn. We went there and played. That's the only time that I've really ever come across him. I've met him at a couple of different things, but it's not like we have each other's number or anything like that."

On if there's anything about his defenses that stand out:

"Yeah, I think they're very physical, No. 1. They do a good job of of switching up, especially in the secondary parts of it. They give you a lot of different looks, a lot of unique things about the way they want to do things. We'll see how they're going to play us. They've played certain people different ways and so, we'll see how they want to approach and how they're going to defend what we do. But the one thing about their defense, they're physical. They run to the football. They play with great effort. No. 0 [linebacker Cade Uluave], he's a phenomenal player. I mean, in my opinion, probably their best player on defense plays, their will linebacker. Been there for a number of years. He's fast. He's physical, does a great job reading. He's a really good player."

Sep 27, 2025; Raleigh, N.C.; Virginia Tech interim head coach Philip Montgomery shouts to his team. | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

On the coaching staff taking a breath:

"Yeah, I mean, we we're trying to do that, right? But obviously, it's been a whirlwind for everybody in the program. Everybody, not just players. Coaches, support staff, everybody's affected by what occurred early in the season. And so, for a lot of our coaches, obviously, they're all trying to figure out what the future holds, but No. 1, they're staying locked in. They're pouring into these young men. I think we as a staff, we as a team, um, we're all in. And these guys, I think, understand that. And guys are working at that level and coaches are working at that level. So, from that standpoint, yes, it's been it's been emotional and it's been a lot of mental stuff going on. But at the end of the day, when we're in the building, we're focused on these guys in that locker room and trying to do what's best for them."

Q: When you're all in like that, even with how uncertain the future is, does is that a reason why the team has bought in and is playing with so much effort and fire on a weekly basis?

"Well, these guys, they're just welding together and I take my hat off to them. They've been tremendous. They've been locked in together. They've played relentless. They played with a lot of energy, a lot of focus. We played for 60 minutes. Guys have stayed locked into that part of it. And we played physical. So, when we do those things, it gives us a chance. And that's what we're wanting in each and every game is the opportunity to go out there and compete and represent ourselves in this university in a really good way."

On Cal's linebacker Hezekiah Masses:

"Yeah, he does a nice job. Especially they when they put him in man coverage, he does a nice job at the point of attack. They give you so many different looks in the secondary parts of it. You may think it's this thing and then all of a sudden it turns into something else. And so, you got to do a really good job of of seeing what you see, trusting what you see, and then reacting to that. But he's a good player. He's got some length about him. Does a nice job in whether he's playing on top of it or in some type of trail technique and uh does a nice job playing the ball in the air. So, we got to know where all of those guys are, but especially where he is."

On what allows the linebackers to flock to the ball:

"Yeah, they really do [pursue well]. They run through the football with a tremendous amount of effort. I think some of it is what they're doing in the secondary and allow him to free those guys up a little bit. But when he pulls the trigger, he can really track things down. Like I said, he's a really good open field tackler, does a nice job in the box. And then he's got that experience factor about him. They use him in the blitz part of it. They use him in coverage at times. And so, he's a well-rounded linebacker with a lot of experience and he's tough to defend."

On if Montgomery feels like the team is in a healthier spot:

"Yeah, I mean I can say healthier, but that's in a kind of unique type of way. Yes, we're healthier than we were three days ago, right? But we're still continuing to battle some of those things and guys are playing through some stuff. But I do think the bye week helped. We tried to be really, really smart about uh what we did in the bye week, how we used guys in the bye week. Then, [we were] trying to not only help them from a fundamental and a technique and a schematic standpoint, but then also, just physically helping them try to get as healthy as they could possibly get."

On availability of WR Cam Seldon:

"Yeah, we hope so. I mean, hope I get all of them back, right? But I hope we get him back and all those guys are trending in a pretty good fashion. So, we'll see how each day goes and it'll be a day-by-day type of scenario, but he was trending up. He practiced well yesterday, so we'll see how he carries that through."

On S Sherrod Covil:

"He's still day-to-day right now. And we'll keep monitoring his injury and and see where he's at. And hopefully, we'll get him back soon. But I think he's trending well, but at this point, not healthy enough to play as of last game."

On if there's anything fundamentally different that Montgomery, the staff or the players are looking for:

"I've been really, really proud of how hard they play, how relentless they've played. We've got to be more consistent across the board in all three phases. But those guys, they're giving us everything they got each and every day. And when they step out on that field, they take a lot of pride in what they're doing and how they're doing it. And so, our leadership council has been great. Those guys have done a tremendous job and uh we got to continue to lean on them. But, I've been proud of that part of it, just the effort and the attitude and the focus that they've had with everything that has gone on."

On whether the team has always been cohesive or whether there was a big adjustment that had to be made:

"They've had a ton of adjustments that they've had to make. But they have done a good job of staying focused on what they can control and staying focused on keeping our team as connected as it has been. And again, I think that goes back to, No. 1, the leadership within our locker room and then the leadership on the coaching staff, of guys just pouring into these guys and understanding, 'Hey, we're all in this together and we got to continue to keep battling and grinding and working and and trying to improve each and every day.'

On what Montgomery thinks of games being on Friday nights:

"When they first started playing them, I was like, 'I don't know. You know, it's kind of reserved for Friday night football, high school football.' Nowadays, there's football on every night of the week. Even the NFL, I mean, how many games were on last night? Three? Two? [Editor's note: It was two.] Monday night was always just one game and everybody watched the Monday night game when when you were home to do that. And so, I don't mind it anymore. I've played on Thursdays, I've played on Friday, I played on Saturday, I played on a Sunday. So, it's part of it. You still like the idea that high school football kind of dominates Friday night, but I will tell you Friday night football for college has been really good and I don't see it going anywhere. So, obviously, this week, because we had the buy-in front of it, it helps us a little bit from the standpoint of not having the short week. Obviously, we had to change a little bit because we practiced yesterday, which is normally not a practice day for us. But it speeds everything up a little bit, but our guys are handling it well."