Everything From Virginia Tech TE Benji Gosnell On Tuesday

Virginia Tech tight end Benji Gosnell spoke with the media on Tuesday; here's the entirety of what he had to say:

On the mood of the team following the Pry firing and what it's like now:

"Yeah, for me personally, when I heard the news, I was sad. I was part of the class that was kind of in the transition period between Coach [Fuente] and Coach Pry. So, Coach Pry came in. I had a torn ACL at the time. I had just had surgery. Kept my scholarship. [He] wanted me in here, brought me in and ultimately changed my life. Let me play for Virginia Tech, which is a dream. So, love Coach Pry. The team loves him. It was sad, but as the weeks moved on, you kind of have to take a grown man approach to it. I reached out to him. He texts me back, just letting him know, just being very appreciative of him and what he's done. And a lot of other guys did too and a lot of other guys feel the same way. And then as the week went on, you had to kind of compartmentalize emotions and feelings. And with [interim head coach Philip Montgomery] at the helm, we had to just kind of refocus and relock in on what the ultimate goal is."

Q: Kelvin told us last Saturday after the game that when the announcement was made and you guys met, he walked over to the door at the Merryman Center and said, "Hey, here's the door if you don't want to be here." Was it good to see the vast majority of this team remain committed? And as a captain, did you expect anything less?

"Yes, it was good to see that. But it wasn't surprising, because I know the kind of team we have. We're very mature. There's a lot of maturity on this team and there's a lot of buy-in. We've put in too much to kind of walk out now. And as a captain, no, I'm not surprised because I think Coach Monty hit on it earlier, like the leadership and it's not just captains. We have a leadership council and even if you're not in that, freshman are vocal, sophomores are vocal, juniors. You don't have to have a C [captain designation] on your chest or have to be a part of a group to be a leader on this team. And everyone's kind of bought into that and everyone knows the importance of it."

Q: With coach Monty, can you tell that he's done this before?

"Yes, you can."

Q: How so?

"He don't really skip a beat on like coordinating offensive coordinator job and like what he says in front of the team. It's always kind of the same message. It's very consistent. He doesn't feel like he has to change who he is. And he doesn't. He's very passionate. He loves what he does. The team's bought into him. They know what he can do. They know the success he's had. So, seeing him talk, hearing him talk, seeing how he leads, seeing how he goes about practice every week, the team's bought in and and we're following him."

On how he has approached things:

"Yeah, it's very impressive, honestly. Um, like you said, there's uncertainty after the season. He calls plays and now, he has to lead a lot more people. It's very grown in the way he does. It's very mature. I think someone asked the question earlier if it was like riding a bike. [Editor's note: David Teel asked the question about riding a bike and ironically enough, asked this same question]. I think it is for him. He's very good at it. Just like I said, he doesn't skip a beat. He knows his message. He knows what he's doing. And he doesn't skip a beat, like I said. And he sticks to his core values and his beliefs, but what he believes works. And like I said, we're following it and we believe him too because of what we've seen out of him as players and the work he puts in the facility and on the field."

On the team's response against Wofford:

"What I like so much is [that] we had fun out there. That was kind of my message to the team on Saturday throughout the week [was]: just have fun. Like these guys, you've put in so much work with these guys. You go through so much things. And then last week to happen, there's no reason that we can't go out there, play football. And what Coach Monty's message was Saturday, which really hit home to me, is [to] think about when you were a kid and the joy you had playing this game. Think about the first time you step into the field. You know, you're eight, you're nine years old. For me, I was seven. And that resonated with me. And just seeing guys go out there, especially guys like Devin Alves, like I was just like grinning from ear to ear after that, just because I know these guys put in so much work. And to see the team go out there, have fun, fly around and just play ball. Just ball, go out and play ball. It was great. We had so much fun."

On what makes playing with this group so fun?

"I think it's because we're so close. A lot of people like to use the term 'cliche'. We're a family and we're a brotherhood. And I genuinely have never felt so close to a team. And like I said, there's anyone I could hang out with anyone on the team one-on-one. And it would just be like I was hanging out with one of my best friends. I think that's what makes it so special."

On any history with NC State:

"They recruited me. My brother Stephen actually was verbally committed there his senior year of high school before flipping to UNC. So, I've been there a few times. The high school I played in at North Carolina for three years actually scrimmaged the high school that I think the running back went to, Smothers. He went to Vance [which is now Chambers High School]. I went to East Surry. They were a bigger school than us, so we never played each other. But they scrimmaged each other in the summer. So, I know that one of their offensive linemen, Kamen Smith, he came here for a visit one time and I hung out with him a fair bit. And he's also from kind of the same area I'm from, I think Wilkes County. But yeah, a little bit of history and I know a few players."

On starting ACC play:

"Yeah, and I think Coach [Brent] Davis, my position coach, put it best. This is a new season. You have your four non-conference games. Obviously, you want to win all of those, but now conference play starts and the whole thing's wide open. And I mean, y'all seen what's going on in this conference. There's a lot of ifs, ands, and buts. So, there's a lot of things going out. There's a lot of things going up for grabs and we have to come together, stay together and yes, there is an eagerness to start ACC play because it's a whole new season."

On seeing stronger execution:

"Yeah, that was our message this week or this past week, just put four quarters together. Come out every single quarter after halftime into the fourth quarter with the passion and energy and the juice that you bring into the first quarter. Never let it taper off and if anything, let it trend upwards. So, just continue to have that mindset. Do it. It starts today. You do it in practice. Don't have any lows in practice. And then, going 1-0 every single day, doing that every day, and then Saturday just becomes second nature to grind for four quarters."