BLACKSBURG – Heading into the season opener against No. 10 North Carolina, Virginia Tech football head coach Justin Fuente and select players met with the media for a press conference. Read what Fuente and the others had to say below.
HEAD COACH JUSTIN FUENTE
Opening statement:
"Thanks to everybody that's here in the room or joining us on Zoom. It's game week. Everybody's looking forward to Friday night. We finished up our mock weekend and it went well. We gave our guys a little bit of break to get their legs back. We had a really good workout on Saturday morning and then we were off the rest of the day and Sunday. We were back on the field today as we turn our attention to Friday night. Looking forward to being back in Lane Stadium and opening it up at home."
On offensive lineman Kaden Moore now starting at the right guard position:
"We've been pleased with Kaden, I mean, he's just great. He comes from a great family. He's a great worker. He's taken to it really well. You know, he's still a young player, but he's worked really hard and has worked to fix some of the things, technique wise, that he needs to work on. Obviously, he is not a complete player yet, but we're excited about his potential."
On receiver Tayvion Robinson turning the page after a disappointing season:
"That first offseason is huge for almost all players; Tayvion was basically denied that. I think it comes with a little bit of overall maturity that he's reached. I am much more pleased with him on a day-to-day basis, not necessarily on the practice field, but with everything else, which has been nice. I think it comes with a little bit of age and wisdom and he's getting more rest at night and playing pretty well."
On North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell and his impact on the game planning process:
"First of all, it's not just a situation where they're dropping back and throwing it all the time. They will push the ball down the field, but it starts with the run game. He is really good at seeing the field. They may do some things that you have to have a special guy back there at quarterback to pull off."
WIDE RECEIVER TRÉ TURNER
On the development of the younger receivers:
"What's impressed me about this young group of receivers is that they all want to work and they all want to learn. They learned everything so fast and you can move them around to different spots. For example, Christian Moss moved around during fall camp. When you can move young guys around to different positions, that shows promise for that little group."
LINEBACKER DAX HOLLIFIELD
On transitioning to the middle linebacker position during the offseason:
"It's been a lot easier. I'm not in as much space. I'm sort of in the center of the defense. It fits me a lot better. I'm out of coverage. I'm still off the three a lot, but other than that, it's a lot easier. The offseason went well. It's been great. I mean, I really got after it in the weight room had a good time. I accomplished a lot of my goals during the offseason, but now it's time for us to go."