Everything From Virginia Tech OL Montavious Cunningham After Wednesday's Practice

On Wednesday, fall camp rolled on for Virginia Tech and the Hokies are close to two weeks away from their season opener against South Carolina. After practice on Wednesday, Virginia Tech OL Montavious Cunningham spoke with the media and here is everything that he had to say:

Virginia Tech OL Montavious Cunningham Media Availability: Fall Camp Day 11 pic.twitter.com/zP9SmgekM8
— Kolby Crawford (@kolby_crawford) August 13, 2025

On how camp has gone so far:

"Pretty well, pretty well, pretty good."

On what clicked this spring:

"I would say personally, just taking attention to detail on the little things, just getting down with the steps, understanding the speed of the ACC, understanding the coaching."

On transition from Georgia State:

"I would say it was a pretty big transition process, switching from Sun Belt tackle [to] an ACC guard is two different ball games. So, I would say it was a big transition difference."

Q: Did they play you at both tackle and guard some last year?

"Some tackle and some guard."

On the experience at both spots and what he learned:

"I felt comfortable at tackle. Played it for three years before coming here. I felt like I was comfortable there, but I feel like my long-term goal and what I see myself doing in the future, I feel like I'm an inside player."

On how offensive line coach Matt Moore has helped:

"Like I said earlier, the attention to detail, he take that very seriously. He coaches up the little things like the the first steps, the eyes, the seeing the stances, the defense. He take attention to detail on the little things."

Q: You feel like it just kind of slowed down for you?

"Slowed down a lot."

Q: Are you getting like a West Virginia tutorial? (Fellow offensive linemen Kyle Altuner and Tomas Rimac transferred from WVU in the offseason, in addition to Moore moving from Morgantown.)

"Actually a good time. We have great stories and they tell me great stories and yes, sir, I do.

On how Rimac and Altuner's familiarity with Moore helps him:

"It's amazing. It's amazing, actually just coming in, and just learning like the the double strikes. I would say the techniques that he coaches are easier to learn when you got somebody beside beside you that already have learned them. Easy to learn."

On if Altuner seems like a redshirt freshman:

"He actually plays like a veteran player. Very into the game. I mean, he's been taught by Coach Moore for a year already. So, I feel like that helped him really well."

On how Rimac helped him become more comfortable playing at guard:

"I would say he did a great job at guard also. He gave me the ins and outs at guard, the little things like the little technique differences that I can use to up my game. He gave them, he gave them to me day in and day out."

On when he got the nickname "Hog":

"I got the nickname hog from a little league coach [in] Pee-Wee, the Downtown Falcons in Athens, Georgia. He gave me that nickname and it stuck for a long time still to this day."

Q: Is that just 'cuz you're a big guy? What was the story behind it?

"I used to play defensive line and I was pretty, pretty decent at it. I was pretty big kid so I feel like I used to just get back there all the time so he named me hard. I'm pretty sure I don't look like one."

Q: Do you like the nickname?

"Yes, sir. I mean at first, [it] took me a while to get used to it, but girls and ladies and teachers don't call me Hog because they think it's an insult. But my boys and people around call me Hog."

On if he's hunted and fished for a while:

"Yeah, I mean before I came up here, I like largemouth fishing. I did a couple of smallmouth fishing around, but I really like largemouth fishing. I like hunting. I like being outdoors. Really, I'm an outdoors person."

Q: Are there places to do largemouth fishing around here:

"We got some, but most of it is private, so it's like kind of iffy, but not really much largemouth. Really smallmouth on the New River.

Q: Do you go out there a lot?

"Yeah, I actually go out there a lot."

Q: Any teammates that go with you?

"Carter Stallard, he's from Christiansburg, so he showed me a lot of good areas around."

On if he's excited to make a pair of trips to Atlanta, Ga.:

"Oh, I'm very excited. Familiar city, close to home, bring a lot of my people out. Yes, sir. I'm excited."

Q: You got your allotment of tickets for that South Carolina game?

"Yeah, I'm going to need a couple."

On what he was looking for when he transferred from Georgia State:

"Originally, I transferred because I didn't know the coaching situation. I was just looking for better, to improve my game and try to get to the next level. I wanted to just come to a program that was set, that had recognition and you know what I'm saying, great coaching."

On how Virginia Tech fit the criteria and how he landed in Blacksburg:

"Yeah, I was choosing [between] here and Texas Tech at the time, and I came on a visit here and it just felt like home and I got to click with the players. I seen people that's like me, just talking inside stories and background stories, with Kyron Drones, at the time it was [Ali Jennings and Antwaun Powell-Ryland] and they just told me the real and not the fake and I felt like I wanted to be here."

On if Blacksburg, Va. is more "outdoorsy" than in Lubbock, Texas?

"It feels better here. I mean, we was in a kind of country town, you know what I'm saying? I'm from Athens, Georgia. It really reminded me of home besides the food. But I felt like it was something I can very buy into."

On how prior defensive lineman experience helpoed him develop more athleticism:

"I feel like that improved my game a lot, also. Just knowing like the defensive line, the techniques and the moves they use, I feel like it helped me a lot."