Hokie ClubFollowing the conclusion of Virginia Tech football bringing in 25 signees and four transfers on National Signing Day, four staffers met with the media for a press conference on Wednesday to recap the recruiting class. Read below for what was said.
Head coach Brent Pry
On Tech's National Signing Day festivities:
"Honestly, it's about the signees and their families, just helping them celebrate it. The onboarding process for them and getting off on the right foot is critical. We want this to be special, and it is special. When you see the smiles on those moms' faces and on those kids, everything that's poured into it and everything they've been through in this process, it just helps it mean more. When you factor in that we had some pretty hefty donors in the room, we had deans in the room, we had professors, we had administrators, we had administrators from across campus… it's just a really good way to celebrate and continue to build relationships and do something special at the end of a cycle of a lot of hours, a lot of investment by the families, by the coaching staff, everybody. I thought it went over very well."
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On recruiting the Commonwealth of Virginia:
"They appreciate we're trying to do this with guys from our footprint, specifically guys from the state of Virginia. It doesn't mean we're not going to sign some guys from outside. We did, and we will. But there is an emphasis on homegrown talent. Those guys are going to know each other from tournaments, playing one another, growing up in pee wee ball and different things. Their parents, especially, have an appreciation for where Virginia Tech has been, and they understand what this program can be."
Senior director of player personnel Michael Villagrana
On balancing roster management with new transfer portal rules:
"Yeah, I think it is challenging, but it depends on your philosophy and what the head coach wants to do. Our philosophy and strategy are to have that foundation be based on your high school kids and our footprint. Then we are going to fill our needs based on the portal. If there is a need at the position or a gap in the roster, we'll attack the portal like we need to. The challenge with the portal now is that it hits all at one time. There are over 1,000 players in the portal, so you have to have a plan of attack when that day comes. It still goes on until January, but there is a dead period that you have to abide by. I think our staff collectively did a good job going after the positions that we wanted and bringing those players in."
Cornerbacks back Derek Jones
On what goes into the flip process:
"I think just maintaining the relationships. These are kids that you're dealing with and they go through different things and have different emotions. But when nobody is paying attention, that's when you get who they really are. You're just going through the entire process of just getting guys to get to know you. Then our players (verbal commits) also play a big role and did so by just being present. When it gets to crunch time and you're looking at making a decision, you're going to lean on guys you've grown up with and have been around."
Wide receivers coach Fontel Mines
On the Hokies landing a good amount of Richmond players and what led to that success:
"Relationships, that's the first thing that stands out to me. That's the main thing in recruiting – trust and relationships. I've had the opportunity to recruit those schools [in Richmond] the last 10 years of my career and have actually played against some of those coaches when I was a player. I've known some of those recruits when I was at two other schools. So, just having relationships previously with those guys definitely helped. That's a good brand of football. They are well-coached and win games."
Ready to get in on the action now? Season ticket renewals are available along with new season ticket packages. Renew or join the team today and receive an exclusive 2023 Letter of Intent signed by head coach Brent Pry recognizing your status as an important team member. Then, get ready to start jumping as the Hokies welcome Old Dominion to Lane Stadium on Sept. 2.