Everything From Virginia Tech TE Ja'Ricous Hairston At Tuesday's Press Conference

Virginia Tech tight end Ja'Ricous Hairston spoke with the media at Tuesday's press conference. Here's the entirety of what Hairston had to say:

On if the team is recharged for the stretch run:

"Absolutely. I've talked to a couple of the guys since we've been back. Everybody seems like they got away and and bodies are feeling good and ready to go."

On how Hairston would evaluate his season, entering as the No. 3 TE on the depth chart to now tying for the team lead in receiving touchdowns:

"First, I want to give glory to God. Wouldn't be here without him. But the season has gone well for me. It's come with a lot of hard work and consistency. And I've talked to [interim head coach Philip Montgomery] One thing that we talked about before even going into fall camp was that I just needed to be more consistent."

On how his background as a quarterback in high school helped him moving to tight end:

"I would say it helped with my route running. Just kind of knowing where KD [Kyron Drones] would like me to be to get an easier ball thrown. But as far as the blocking, that was definitely very new to me. Took some while to learn how to do that and and we've been growing at it ever since."

On the mindset of the group coming off the open week:

"Some of the guys I've talked to, we're like, 'Hey, let's go win these three games and get us a bowl game and show everybody that life comes with challenges, but it's all about what you do with them.' All challenges have greater meaning behind them and we're just all trying to figure out what this challenge meant for everybody in the locker room."

On what bowl eligibility, which requires three straight wins, would mean to end the season on a high note:

"It would mean a lot. We have seniors and guys that are getting ready, drafts and pro days and combines and getting that extra film for those guys. The extra game, instead of us playing 12 games, playing that 13th game would mean a lot and getting those guys extra evaluation for their next big step."

On what he's seen out of Florida State's defense:

"I think we could definitely get our hands on their ends. Their ends play a little higher. We stress pad level, so I think that'll be important for us, get under their pads and help our O-line get movement on those front four."

On what his path to Virginia Tech was in the recruiting process:

"So, originally, Virginia Tech was just always a dream school for me. Growing up through recruiting, started talking to coaches about the beginning of junior year, everybody was kind of telling me, 'Hey, you know, we think you'll outgrow the quarterback position. We want you to move tight end.' Unfortunately, I didn't have the resources to do that at my school, so I had to play quarterback. Not many people wanted to take a chance on on me. I had a couple of small D2 offers. I had a HBCU offer from Howard. I had Army and Navy. But I took a shot on myself as a PWO [preferred walk-on] here. This PWO offer meant more than any other PWO offer because they actually came and sat down and explained to me what a PWO offer was. They just didn't send it through an email or or text on Twitter like, 'Hey, you know, all we can do for you is offer you a PWO.' They actually came to my school and sat down with me. That's when I knew this would be a great place for me to be."

On whether that was under Brent Pry's staff or Justin Fuente's:

"So, that was all Pry's staff. I had talked to Coach [Shawn] Quinn, Coach [Tyler] Bowen, Coach [Joe] Rudolph and Coach [Stu] Holt."

On why Harston didn't go the military route and what position Army/Navy wanted him to play at:

"They were looking at me as a quarterback, the triple option. And at first, I gave it some thought, but then closer to time to commit, they told me 99% of their guys go through prep school, which would be in Rhode Island for 6 months. And I just didn't want to take that route. I wanted to play ball."

On if he ever misses playing quarterback:

"From time to time. Actually, Benji [Gosnell] makes fun of me because every time I pick up a ball and toss it around with a couple guys on the team, he's like, 'Oh, man. You must miss it, huh?' And I just kind of laugh it off."

On if he still has the arm:

"Absolutely. If we put in a trick play, I can still throw it."

On what those first moments were like playing at tight end and how green he was to the position:

"Man, it was very new coming in, having to try to block guys like Keyshawn Burgos and APR [Antwaun Powell-Ryland] and then, Cole Nelson. But then you had the aspect of [that] I was still able to use my athleticism in the route game to where I might have a linebacker matched up against me that I could make a certain move and get open. So, it was all very new, but the blocking was probably the newest thing just because that's more of technique than athleticism."

Q: You say going up against APR, was there ever a moment you're like, 'Oh man, I don't know if I can do this against a guy like this?'

"So, my second rep ever as a collegiate athlete, I am going up against APR. I just get thrown in for a rep in fall camp and he actually hit a spin move on me that spun me around. So, when he spun, I spun and I just basically watched him [execute] what would have been a sack on KD if we were in a real game."

On whether Hairston asked Kemari Copeland, who played at Army, what the prep school experience was like:

"I didn't even ask him that. I just asked him, 'How was the whole process? How was the experience?' And I didn't even think to ask him about the whole prep school process because mine was more so for Navy. I had late contact with Army, late in recruiting, so I didn't really talk to them as much as Navy."

On whether it was cool to go up to the Military Bowl in 2023 and play in the Annapolis facility, having been recruited by Navy:

"It was actually. Just seeing where I possibly could have been instead of taking a shot on myself and believing in my God and Him putting me where I needed to be."

On whether Hairston has any family members in the military:

"I had an uncle that served in the Navy and then I have a cousin that served in the Navy, as well."

On what today (Veteran's Day) means to Hairston:

"It means a lot, just knowing that there's people out there willing to sacrifice their lives, they don't have easy jobs at all. So, just knowing that there's people out there willing to give up a normal life to make sure that we're free and we're getting to do things that we want to do, such as play football."

On the fourth-down red zone play where Drones threw what appeared to be an improvised play and whether Hairston's previous quarterback position helped:

"Absolutely. It just all turns into matter of, 'Okay, get open and help my quarterback, limit as much hitting on him as possible.' So, instead of having him tuck it down and and try to get, I think it was two yards, I can just slip behind a guy and then let him throw it over top."

On whether Hairston ever pinches himself that he's catching touchdown passes at a dream school and what it's like for him:

"It's still surreal. I text my parents from time to time and I and I just ask them like, 'Hey man, I know we always talked about going to school because I never really talked about playing D1 football with my parents'. It was always like, 'Hey, you're going to go to school.' Like if football doesn't last you through middle school, you're going to go to college after. So, sometimes I just text them and be like, 'Hey, man. It's kind of crazy that I'm scoring touchdowns in college now.' It was all a dream and for it to start to unfold is truly an amazing feeling."

On whether Hairston made the trip to Florida State for VT-FSU's last showdown:

"I did not."

On how important it is having the opportunity to travel for games like Florida State and Miami:

"It's amazing to have the opportunity to definitely travel and and go to these different stadiums, see what what they have to offer, what their fans are like. But nothing beats home. Nothing. We've played nowhere that beats Virginia Tech's fans. And that's definitely why it's always been a dream school for me."

On the emotion after the Miami game in '24 and how much resolve the team had after the contest:

"Guys just knew we had to clean up small details that kept us from outright winning that game instead of throwing that Hail Mary pass at the end."

On what the moment was from being a PWO to actually getting the scholarship:

"So, I was actually put on scholarship during the Duke's Mayo Bowl. It was amazing. Just last year, I had played special teams all year. Just earning my stripes, doing whatever I can to help the team win. And I think it was the practice before the last practice preparing for the Duke's Mayo Bowl, Coach Pry called my parents down and then he told us that I would be getting put on scholarship. And that was an amazing feeling. Definitely felt like I was lifting some stress off my parents. Not only were they paying for a house mortgage, but they were also paying for my rent and tuition and things like that."

On Hairston's family group:

"I have a little bit of family everywhere. But my dad's a truck driver, so if it's in driving distance, they're packing up the car, leaving just about the same time we are, if not before, and beating us there. We played in Stanford last year, I have family in California. My parents, they hopped on a fight. My uncle, he hopped on a fight. So, having that support system is always been great. Just knowing that it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. I'm playing for the man above and I'm also playing for my parents as they're doing anything to make sure I'm good."