Safety DQ Smith making most of fifth season at Virginia Tech
BLACKSBURG — DQ Smith had one goal in mind once he walked off the field at Williams-Brice Stadium for the final time at the end of the 2025 season. The safety wanted to play in the NFL, and that was the logical step at the time.
Smith exhausted his eligibility by playing in four straight seasons at South Carolina. He didn’t redshirt coming out of Spring Valley High School in Columbia, South Carolina, and he only missed one game because of injury during his four seasons playing for the Gamecocks.
BLACKSBURG — Virginia Tech football coach James Franklin met with the media Wednesday following the Hokies’ practice in preparation for Saturday’s ACC road game at Clemson. Here are some quick-hitting notes from the availability:
» Cornerback Thomas Williams was listed as questionable in the initial availability report that was released Wednesday evening. The listing is likely precautionary after Franklin told reporters that the staff is expecting Williams to be “full-go” for Saturday’s game. Franklin even added that Williams could have returned in the Hokies’ win over Georgia Tech.
Virginia Tech tight end Luke Reynolds eyes All-America finish
BLACKSBURG — Luke Reynolds was pleasantly surprised when he was called into James Franklin’s office last Thursday and informed he was named to the Associated Press midseason All-America first team.
The midseason team was great. Reynolds wants to see his name appear on the All-America teams that are announced after the season’s conclusion, and that means maintaining the high level of play that dictated his performances over the first six games.
Virginia Tech tweaking practice to fix second-half struggles
BLACKSBURG — First halves haven’t been the issue for Virginia Tech when it’s played Power Four conference opponents this season. It’s what comes after the second half kickoff that’s caused the Hokies problems.
That’s why Hokies coach James Franklin is making a change in practice this week.
Virginia Tech football takes recent lessons into Clemson
BLACKSBURG — There isn’t a one-size-fits-all fix to the things that Virginia Tech needed to learn to eliminate from its on-field product to avoid losing games it should win.
That’s why James Franklin and his staff have tried to emphasize one thing each week. For instance, eliminating pre-snap and post-whistle penalties was the focal point last week, and it led to one pre-snap penalty and no post-whistle penalties in the win over Georgia Tech.
Kickoff time, network designation set for Virginia Tech football's game at Clemson
BLACKSBURG — Virginia Tech will make its second appearance on ESPN this season when the Hokies take on Clemson in primetime.
The network selected the Hokies' matchup at Clemson on Saturday for a 7 p.m. kickoff on ESPN. The kickoff time and network designation was determined Sunday morning.
3 takeaways from Virginia Tech football's win over Georgia Tech
BLACKSBURG — Aycen Stevens paused as he pondered the question. Did Saturday’s 34-24 win over Georgia Tech mark Virginia Tech’s best overall performance of the season?
The defensive end had to quickly flip through his memory bank and recall each of the previous six games to see if there was the feeling similar to the one the Hokies experienced at Lane Stadium.
