Everything From Virginia Tech's Tyson Flowers At 2026 ACC Kickoff

Virginia Tech safety Tyson Flowers spoke to the media at the ACC Kickoff at the Hilton Charlotte Uptown on Thursday, July 16. Here is the entirety of what Flowers had to say:

On the mentorship from Flowers' father:

"Yeah, so I played for my dad in eighth grade, coached my middle school team, all throughout high school. That's an experience, I wouldn't trade that for the world. That's something we talked about my whole life. I think it's important just as a young man growing up having a dad around. I think that makes a big difference. Him helping me develop as a young man and as a football player is unparalleled. I loved it. There's definitely ups and downs that came with it. I think I remember my first fall camp, he told me, You're not allowed to ask any more questions. He would bench me at times when I was younger. As I got older, understood how to go about my business more and more, those are some of the best memories of my life. I loved every minute of it."

On the development of Quentin Reddish:

"I think Q's really special. His size, his length, his speed, how he can move, his athletic ability at his size, that blows my mind. I think one of the first things I realized when I got to Virginia Tech and started being on the field with Q is, like, he's so smart for how young he was when I first got here. He's obviously going into year three now. He's so smart.

I think for me, it's nice because the more time we've spent together on the field, I feel like we see the field the same exact way. That gives me a lot of comfort, him a lot of comfort on the field, that we see the field the same way. It makes our jobs a lot easier. Yeah, he's put on some size, got some size back this off-season. He's running and rolling, hitting really fast speeds on the GPS. Obviously still super smart, super smart football player. I'm excited for what he's going to be able to do this year, getting a full year under his belt."

Q: There's typically a saying that says it's a marathon, not a sprint. Coach said it is a sprint and we feel like we've won that sprint in the off-season. How do you funnel that into success?

"I think that's a day-by-day process. It's not something you achieve, and now we've won the sprint for the off-season, now we're going to go win 12 games. I don't think that's how that works. I think it's a good start. I think Coach [James] Franklin would be the first to tell you, too, this is only the beginning. We still have to finish out the summer, right? That's a day-by-day process where you have to come in every day and focus, how can I dominate in the weight room today? How can I dominate on the field today? How can I dominate in the film room today? How can I dominate on the football today? There are so many aspects of your game you have to work on.

It's something you have to commit to every single day. It not something you'll ever achieve. I think that will just trickle into camp, right? Can we dominate camp practice number one? Can we dominate camp practice number two? You have to focus on what you can control. All you can control is the present moment. I think if you can focus on being as present as possible, I think the rest of the things later on in the season things will fall into place. I think that's just a battle to stay present and to win every single day."

On what Virginia and Hokie Nation has meant to Flowers:

"I loved my time at Rice. I don't think I would trade it for the world. I loved Coach Bloomgren and Coach Smith and those guys that I played for. I developed so much just as a young man and a football player. I feel like I owe a lot of that to them. I'm so appreciative of them. They mean the world to me. I wouldn't trade that for the world. That being said, Houston is for some people, the big city is for some people. I don't know if that's for me.

Both my parents played at Arkansas. My mom coached at Arkansas for a little bit. I lived there. The first thing I remember, Coach Goove [phonetic] picked me and my dad from the airport when we were visiting here. Fayetteville is bigger than Blacksburg, but it reminded me a lot of Fayetteville. I love the slower pace of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech. In Arkansas, there's no other pro teams around, so everyone loves the Hogs. Same here, there's no pro teams or big teams around Blacksburg. Everyone loves the Hokies.

Just the excitement that the fans and supporters, everyone around Blacksburg has for Virginia Tech. That makes you feel so good. It makes it feel like home, even when you're so far away. The acceptance you get from the supporter here at Tech is unparalleled. It's what makes Virginia Tech unique. I've loved my time here and I wouldn't trade it for the world either."

Add us as a preferred source on Google