Everything From Virginia Tech's Marcellous Hawkins at 2026 ACC Kickoff

Virginia Tech running back Marcellous Hawkins, entering his second year with the program, spoke to the media at the ACC Kickoff at the Hilton Charlotte Uptown on Thursday, July 16. Hawkins totaled a team-high 749 rushing yards in the 2025 campaign, in which Virginia Tech went 3-9. Here is the entirety of what Hawkins had to say:

Q: As a former D-II athlete, talk about your experience at Central Missouri, how it helped you develop into the player you are now? What was the initial transition like?

"I think Central Missouri, I was focused every day on getting better, knowing one day my time will come. I feel like God gives all His soldiers different battles so they're ready whenever their time comes, when it's their time to perform. I had a great time at Central Missouri. I'm super excited for the future at Virginia Tech."

Q: You've gone through injury, adversity. You just spoke about your faith. How do you lean on that faith daily, and how have you navigated through the things that are out of your control?

"Yeah, the things that's out of my control, I just leave that up to the Lord, just control what I can control, just working hard every day, trying to give my best effort to every day, not really looking too far ahead, just staying in the present."

Q: On one of the websites, we found you listed cooking as one of your interests. What is your go-to when it comes to fixing a meal?

"When it comes to fixing a meal, I think I cook the best ramen noodles. I'm real good at putting things into the microwave. That's really all I got (laughter)."

Q. How important is it for you to play for a coach who, number one, did an exceptional job cleaning up a mess at Penn State, and succeeded on the field, has a proven track record of winning not only at Vanderbilt but what he did at Penn State, and this guy tends to produce a lot of pro players?

"It's exciting, man. Just him coming in with the excitement he has every day, just getting us to just stay excited about what we have ahead. He did a lot of great things in the past. I'm ready to get things rolling with him for the new Virginia Tech."

You can keep up with more of Virginia Tech On SI's football coverage here.

Add us as a preferred source on Google