Everything From Virginia Tech LB Jaden Keller At Tuesday's Press Conference

Virginia Tech linebacker Jaden Keller spoke to the media at Tuesday's weekly press conference. Here's the entirety of what Keller had to say:

On if the team feels recharged heading into the stretch run:

"Yeah, for sure. Definitely just had some time to just reset. What [interim head coach Philip Montgomery] said, just being able to get away, reset everyone that had little nicks or bruises, be able to get their body just back in back in 100%. So, bye weeks, they're definitely a necessity, especially in college football, the way your bodies be feeling midseason. So, it was definitely what we needed and I think the team's nice and fueled up. We got some of the injuries cleaned up out of there."

On Florida State QB Tommy Castellanos, who Keller played against in both 2023 and 2024 (Castellanos was at BC):

"He's a dynamic athlete. He's a great quarterback. He's a great player. So, whenever you're playing against guys like that, you always have to be ready for tricks and being sure you're accounting for the run. Make sure you're accounting for the pass. So, just making sure that you know what he's doing, what what their tendencies are on first, second, third down. You got to just be careful. He's a dangerous player whenever he gets hot. So, you just got to try to keep him bottled up, try to keep him contained. And I think if we do that as a defense, we'll be good."

On if there's similarities, differences in how Florida State uses him vs. how BC did:

"Whenever you have a dynamic athlete at quarterback, [it] opens up a lot more in the playbook, whenever you have to worry about the quarterback as well as running it with the running backs and and then the pass game. Obviously, whenever you have to deal with all three, it's usually a challenge. You definitely have to [have] more attention to detail and more focused on just that aspect, [of] he could pull the ball and run. So, just being aware of his decisions and what he likes to do on certain times and certain situations, we'll be fine."

On Ja'Ricous Hairston being put on scholarship down in Charlotte, that moment and his career:

"Oh yeah, that's huge, man. I remember whenever he came in, it's kind of crazy being an older guy now, but just whenever he came in, he was just always a guy that kept his head down, didn't talk a lot. Just all he did was work. And, whenever you're an older guy, you find notice of that. You kind of notice those type of things. And I knew he was going to be a great player just by his work ethic. He's very humble. He's a very humble kid, just coming from from where he came from. He's just a humble kid. The sky's is the limit for him really and I'm excited that he got put on scholarship. That was huge. I love whenever that happens all over the country. I love when their coaches put players on scholarships. It's like the best videos to watch. But yeah, I think his future and his ceiling is is huge and he has a bunch of potential and he's going to be a great player, for sure."

On his blocking ability:

"He's not naturally a tight end. He's definitely one of the more athletic guys I'd say that we have on offense. So, just being able to use him in the blocking, into the pass game, he's pretty much an all-around tight end. It's excited to see him grow this year, especially the jump that he made from last year [to] this year. And I'm excited to see it keep going in these next three games, in the future and in his next coming years. So, I'm excited to see how he's going to even more develop into a better player."

On how scary the injury Keller suffered vs. Wake Forest was:

"It wasn't as serious. We have a good staff here, walk through great procedures or great rehab process. Just being able to get back and have faith in my team, have faith in me. So, I mean, it wasn't that scary. Whenever you have the training staff we have, the strength staff that we have, I knew I was in the right hands. I knew that I'd be back just fine."

On if that rest (Keller played the second half vs. Wake Forest, then missed the entirety of the Georgia Tech contest):

"Yeah, that bye week leading into Georgia Tech was definitely a a crucial week for me, just living in the training room, living in the in the rehab room. I tried to see if I could make it out there for the Georgia Tech week, but unfortunately, I wasn't. But that week was still very beneficial for me. So, I wasn't able to play, but I did get a lot better on that week and get my mobility back, for sure."

On how weird this season has been:

"Yeah, it's been super weird. I mean, no one expected this type of season. I still wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. The guys that I've met here, the coaches [that] have coached me and the guys that I've been blessed around to be with, it's a lifestyle. It's a lifestyle I would never change and I would do it 100 times again. So, just being here around such guys that just love what they do, love their job, everyone in the staff just out here loves their job. So, just being around those type of people, it's kind of hard to come in here, work, and be all down and everything. Because you still have some guys that are so here, that are just ready to work and learn. So, I try to give as much as I can back to the team and to the support staff that may not give them as much recognition or anything. But yeah, it was definitely a different adjustment, but still happy. God puts us in these circumstances for a reason, and I have full trust in that. And I know I'm going to get better from it, for sure."

On Kelvin Gilliam and how valuable his leadership has been:

"He's definitely one of the heartbeats of our defense, for sure. Not even just our defense, to the whole team aspect and just having a guy like KG who is going to give out 100%, is going to have your back through thick and thin. Those are what gets you through times like this. So, just being able to have him as a vocal leader. And we have so many vocal leaders on this team that last year, we couldn't. We had a couple leaders but now, we just have leaders in every single position room. So, just being able to have you look to your left and right, you see guys that have leader capability, leader potential. So just being having guys like KG are crucial to having a team and they're really what you need for sure."

On how Keller would assess his journey at Virginia Tech and how he wants to finish things out:

"I definitely think it's a different journey than anyone else in the country, for sure. Like you said, you know, three defenses, three defensive coordinators, three linebacker coaches. So, it's definitely a journey. I don't think God would have given me this challenge if I wasn't capable of prevailing through it. So, I mean, I think everything I've had, everything that's happened here has been a lesson. There's not really losses, but you're looking at them as lessons and just being able to take as much information from each coach. So, I've honestly been blessed with three great coaches and different staff members that each have taught me different things about the game separately. So just having all three coaches, all the DC's, all strength staff, I've learned so much from so many professional individuals that I feel like I can go and translate that and it'll prove me well."