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ACC Kickoff Coverage

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THURSDAY, JULY 21 | 7 P.M.

It was a great day to be a Hokie, with many positive things happening in Charlotte for Tech. Two big moments stood out on social media, taking Twitter by storm, if you will.

Coach Pry was rocking a custom maroon suit, with the inside part of his jacket showing off the retro Fighting Gobblers logo.
 


Then during his press conference on the podium, a recruit committed while he was about to answer a question and he had to celebrate the moment.
 


The players also were able to get some hype, including offensive lineman Silas Dzansi showing the league his dance moves.
 


Wide receiver Kaleb Smith and offensive lineman Silas Dzansi joined The Huddle's set, talking about expectations for the upcoming season and how excited they were that football's just around the corner.



THURSDAY, JULY 21 | 5 P.M.

Take a look at the photo gallery from the 2022 ACC Kickoff, with Coach Pry and the players partaking in radio and TV interviews, photo shoots and more.
 Gallery: (7-20-2022) FB: ACC KICKOFF in Charlotte
THURSDAY, JULY 21 | 3 P.M.

Head coach Brent Pry and three players – offensive lineman Silas Dzansi, linebacker Dax Hollifield and wide receiver Kaleb Smith – spoke with the media at ACC Kickoff for a press conference. For a snippet of the things that were said, view below. For the full transcript.

Head coach Brent Pry

On there being so many quality quarterbacks in the ACC and how that challenges his defense:
"It's a great question. I think this is a heck of a quarterback league. The film I've watched and the literature I've read, I don't know that there's more depth at that position in any other league in the country. So we've got our work cut out for us. Our scheme is designed to put pressure on the quarterback. We're going to be aggressive. We're going to change looks and make it hard for the decision maker, make it tough on the play caller and the decision maker. We're kind of built that way, but this is a heck of a league for quarterbacks."

On becoming a head coach and what made Virginia Tech the right place to do so:
"it's a great question. What is it about Virginia Tech? It's a special place. It's not for everybody, but it was definitely for me. It was for these guys. It's a genuine place. Didn't have to pretend to be somebody wasn't. We're going to do a great job of recruiting young men and families that identify with Virginia Tech and what's unique to us. We've got a great degree. We've got a great relationship with our community. We've got unbelievable game day environment. We're a blue-collar outfit. What you see is what you get. We're relationship-based. This thing was the right time and the right place for me, for my family. It was important that what the administration division for where this program needed to go aligned with what I thought. I've always been close to this program. I left. I was here in '95, '96, and '97, and I've stayed obviously keeping a watchful eye on it. It was important to me the vision and the direction that the administration, that Whit and those guys believed needed happen was aligned with what I thought. The welcome has been awesome. We're certainly moving in the right direction."

Offensive lineman Silas Dzansi

On blocking for a new quarterback this season:

"It's definitely been great blocking for both Grant and Jason. I don't really pay attention to what they tend to do. I just kind of block, and they make me right, to be honest. That's about it."

On switching positions on the offensive line in the past during games:
"It definitely was not easy, but just working -- whoever I was next to that week, just working closely with them watching film together, great communication during practice and during the game. It just became kind of easy. Just got used to it, to be honest."

Linebacker Dax Hollifield

On his high school town comparting to Blacksburg:
"Shelby, North Carolina and Blacksburg, Virginia they're very similar. They have passionate fan bases and they all love football. That's why I love Blacksburg so much. It resonates as home for me personally. I love playing in front of passionate fans, passionate people. It makes the whole thing that much more enjoyable."

On the team's culture in the weight room:
"It's been great. The team, I love -- honestly, my favorite part of football is I love the weight room. It's great throwing up weights and having these attainable goals every day and going out there and getting better. I love the team being bought into the weight room. You can definitely tell people getting things out of it. People getting stronger. Just looking more defined, looking more like football players each and every day, and it's great to see those guys."

Wide receiver Kaleb Smith

On receiving the news that he was going to be put on scholarship in 2019:
"That moment will always be special in my heart because as a kid coming out of high school, I had scholarship offers. Virginia Tech is where I wanted to play and be a part of. When I found out that I was put on scholarship, I cried. First thing I wanted to do was go call my parents and tell them that we made it. We did what we always talked about."

On getting the ball more often this season:
"That's always the goal, right? It's definitely a new scheme, and it's a new attitude, new mindset to the offense. Something I'm very excited for."



THURSDAY, JULY 21 | 11 A.M.

Linebacker Dax Hollifield was on ACC Network's The Huddle and shared why Lane Stadium is so special and more.



THURSDAY, JULY 21 | 9 A.M.

Coach Pry was showing off his swag with his custom suit.
 


WEDNESDAY, JULY 20 | 9:30 P.M.

Pry, Silas Dzansi, Dax Hollifield, Kaleb Smith and some support staff for the football program got to partake in dinner at Leah & Louise, and the managing partner of the restaurant, Kenneth Smith, is a former Virginia Tech cheerleader.



WEDESDAY, JULY 20 | 8 P.M.

Head coach Brent Pry landed in Charlotte last night in preparation for ACC Kickoff.



WEDNESDAY, JULY 20 | 8 A.M.

The signaling that the college football season is just around the corner has begun, with FBS conferences holding their annual media days.

Virginia Tech, which has been in the ACC since 2004, returns to ACC Kickoff this week, sharing its expectations heading into the season.

Here are five things to know about the event:

Who?
Head coach Brent Pry, offensive lineman Silas Dzansi, wide receiver Kaleb Smith and linebacker Dax Hollifield.

What?
The ACC Kickoff is a two-day event broken up between Atlantic and Coastal Division teams staging questions from media members, as well as the league's TV partners to capture content through photo shoots and sit-down video interviews it will use throughout the season. Additionally, commissioner Jim Phillips will address the media at the opening press conference to begin the event Wednesday morning.

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When?
On Wednesday, the Atlantic Division teams will partake in the event, while the Hokies and the rest of the Coastal will be on Thursday in an all-day affair. Tech's foursome will take the podium between 2:15-2:45 p.m. ET, which will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra. Pry will field questions on the set of ACC Network at 2:45 p.m., which will be shown on ACC Network.

Where?
Located in Charlotte, North Carolina, The Westin, a hotel that is half-a-mile away from the Carolina Panthers' home stadium, will host the media days.

Why?
Building excitement for the upcoming season, TV partners and media members get to seize the moment of having a multitude of high-profile players and coaches in one setting ahead of the return of the sport.