Virginia Tech tight end Benji Gosnell had plenty to say during the Hokies’ Fan Day on Sunday, Aug. 16, and the big theme running through his comments was simple: life around the program feels cleaner, stronger, and more connected than it did before.
Gosnell said the new routine has made a real difference away from the field, pointing to the balance that comes with being married. As he put it, "It's definitely refreshing.
Say, if you didn't have a practice you wanted, or like you left some plays out there, you're not just sitting there reliving those like poor plays, poor performance. You get to get home, kind of level out, realize there's more to life than just football.
You get to spend time with the person you love. Get to hear about her day and what she did, so definitely just kind of helps get your mind off of the gauntlet, especially camp or football in general."
He also spent time talking about the work the Hokies have done in the weight room and in the kitchen. Gosnell said the changes have come from buy-in across the roster and from added support staff, including the addition of two nutritionists instead of one.
"I just think it's buy-in. Like a lot of it's similar systems, I would say.
But I just think the buy-in. And the support we've had, like with new resources.
We have like two nutritionists as opposed to one. The buy-in from the players has been great.
So, just each individual person taking care of their body the way we've been taught how to has just been able to transform our bodies physically, and obviously makes better performance."
For Gosnell personally, the results have shown up on the scale and in how he feels. He said his focus was body composition and adding strength, especially after years of injuries.
"It was definitely body composition, but I honestly wanted to add a few pounds. So, it was like, I lost like 5% body fat, but I gained two pounds.
That helped me tremendously, especially for like plate weight. And strengthening my lower body, which I've always struggled with having like surgeries and stuff.
But that's been the biggest thing for me, I've lost four or 5% body fat, and I've actually gained like two pounds."
That work has been tied to a very strict diet. Gosnell described it as a high-protein approach with little room for shortcuts.
"It really is our diet. Yeah, very high-protein diet.
Probably 280 grams of protein a day. A lot of steak.
Staying away from sugars. Yeah, just and being consistent.
There's no cheat or off days. You have to be very consistent."
He said the difference is showing in his movement too. "100%. in the weight room, on the field.
I've had some strength coaches tell me, like your movement is just like so much more fluidly. Even they can tell the difference from spring ball, and then now like I look different, feel different, and it's all great."
On the football side, Gosnell said his biggest jump from last season has come as an in-line run blocker. He pointed to the added strength he’s built over the last seven months and said it has helped him stay attached and run his feet better on contact.
He also spoke at length about the long recovery process that has shaped his career. "100%.
People don't understand, like especially with like my caliber of surgeries. Two of them are ACLs, so that's eight months of rehab before you're clear to go.
In both my legs, you your VMO, which is part of your quad. I still really can't like activate the one on my right leg just because I've had two surgeries on that knee.
So yeah, people don't understand how much strength you really do lose. You don't know.
You can't walk for a month on some of those surgeries. So having twooff seasons now under my belt with no surgeries, no injuries whatsoever, has been tremendous for my my health and just overall development."
As for the team itself, Gosnell said Virginia Tech has been trying to shut out outside noise. He noted that last season’s hype was something the group may have absorbed more than it should have, but this year the focus is on staying together and letting results speak for themselves.
"I think we've done a good job of trying to block out external types of expectations. Obviously, it's great that we have Coach [James Franklin] here.
We brought players and coaches in, but I think as a team this year, it's a bit different. Because in 2024, we may have like kind of heard those and read those and maybe kind of bought into the hype ourselves.
I think this year, we're just trying to stay together, grow, build a team and let the scoreboard and outcomes take care of themselves. And for us, we're just trying to buy in as much as possible each and every day."
He also had strong words for the newcomers around the program, saying they’ve fit in quickly and naturally. "They're great.
They're great people. Two weeks in that.
Like I told [Coach Ty Howle], these guys, [the new transfers], are great fits. Obviously, they're really good players too, but we all work together very well.
Meeting rooms are very open-ended. We talk over plays and over schemes with each other a lot, just kind of picking each other's brains.
Great people. The new guys were actually at my wedding, so like it didn't take long for us to become really good friends."
And when Gosnell was asked about the tight end group earning playing time, he framed it as a week-to-week battle for trust. "Yeah, and I also feel like we've done a good job of earning the right to kind of get on the field.
Coach Howle talks about there's a pie, and every job and every position group has the opportunity to earn their slice, if you will, of that pot. I think as a unit so far, we're doing a good job of going out there every day, making plays, earning the coach's trust to be out there.
Hopefully, that kind of works out."
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