For Benji Gosnell, Blacksburg is Home
In 2022, Benji Gosnell was a four-star prospect coming out of East Surry High School in North Carolina. He had accumulated offers from elite programs across the country, including Georgia, Notre Dame, and Ohio State. Gosnell was also coming off an ACL injury, meaning some programs may have pulled back on their recruitment, but not Virginia Tech. He says that Brent Pry has been there for him since day one and has never wavered in keeping his offer to Gosnell and in wanting him to come to Virginia Tech. This offseason, Gosnell got the chance to return that loyalty by staying at Virginia Tech under the new regime led by James Franklin. Gosnell says, “I know it’s our slogan, and it might sound cliché, but this is home for me.” Gosnell says he has grown to love not just Virginia Tech, but the entire Blacksburg community and the people who make it special. In addition to his love for Hokie Nation and the town, Gosnell was inspired to return “to be a part of the team that kind of sets Virginia Tech back on course to where the people know it can be,” echoing the ‘reestablished’ mantra that James Franklin has been preaching all offseason. With a ton of experience under his belt and a new offense that projects to feature the tight end position heavily, Gosnell has the chance to leave Blacksburg on a major high note and help write the next chapter of Virginia Tech football.
Gosnell says the last year has been a roller coaster of emotions for him. He says he has never had to deal with a coach being fired, but he did not have time to deal with the emotions of losing Coach Pry since younger players on the team were looking to him to lead. Gosnell says he is proud of how the team continued to fight under Interim Head Coach Philip Montgomery, and he was excited when it was announced that James Franklin was coming to Blacksburg. Gosnell says he had a prior relationship with Franklin and new Offensive Coordinator and Tight Ends Coach Ty Howle from when he was being recruited in high school. Gosnell says both Howle and Franklin have been incredible leaders in developing the offense. He says the Hokies have “two amazing offensive minds pushing us in every aspect, whether it's just everything from breaking out of the huddle as fast as we can to push the tempo to a little details.” Gosnell described Franklin as a position coach for everyone, highlighting the extremely hands-on approach the Head Coach has embraced during his first offseason with the Hokies. As for Howle, Gosnell says his dual role as Offensive Coordinator and Tight Ends Coach has allowed the unit to understand the offense more conceptually, allowing them to play faster and help the other position groups if they have questions about the play calls. Gosnell says he has emphasized to younger players to “Move your body fast and let your mind go slow.”
That mentorship has been on full display in the Hokies’ tight end room, a group that appears absolutely loaded heading into the season. Virginia Tech returns a trio of talented players from last season in Gosnell, Harrison Saint Germain, and Ja’Ricous Hairston while also adding Luke Reynolds from Penn State, who was recently named to the Mackey Award Watch List, which highlights the best tight ends in the country. Gosnell says the competition among the group has been amazing and everyone is pushing to make the team better. He says there has been no drama or selfishness in the room, and “everyone wants to just be their best, and if everyone can be their best, everyone has a shot to play and to play a lot and to make plays and ultimately better the team.” Gosnell and Reynolds have also embraced their roles as veteran leaders on the team, trying to help guide and develop the younger players at the position like talented freshman Pierce Petersohn. Gosnell says the learning curve for young tight ends can be especially difficult because most of them played different positions in high school, including Petersohn, who played quarterback. The veterans have helped the newcomers learn the details of the routes and how to block and be physical at the point of attack. Gosnell says, “It’s like we have a bunch of player coaches just within our own group…it makes player-led things a lot easier when you have a very similar visions and kind of same ideas about things.” That leadership and development is exactly what James Franklin is looking for as he tries to improve the depth across the Hokies' roster, as the best teams in college football are usually led not by the coaches, but rather the players.
Gosnell himself is also having to learn and adjust this season, not just to a new offense, but to new quarterbacks as well. After primarily catching passes from Kyron Drones during his college career, he will now have a new signal-caller this season. Gosnell says despite the changes, the transition has been very smooth because of the work the offense put in starting back in the winter. He says the quarterbacks and pass catchers started working together in January, running routes in the air to learn the offense and develop the chemistry that is so important in a passing offense.
After years of being under-utilized in the Hokies’ offense, with just 12 catches for 86 yards a season ago despite starting all 12 games, Gosnell figures to be a much bigger part of the attack this year. Given Howle’s history of developing great tight ends and the amount of talent Virginia Tech has at the position, Gosnell should see more targets and will, at the very least, be a valuable part of the Hokies’ run-blocking unit. However, Gosnell is not concerned with his personal stats and would rather leave Blacksburg with the team finding success. When asked about expectations for this season, he says, “I just want to make, you know, the Hokie faithful proud of what we put out there on the field. I want them to come out there. I want them to be there for four quarters and enjoy every single second of what they see on the field.” That unselfishness, and the loyalty Gosnell has shown to the program and the community, is what makes him a special person and player, and what has set him up to hopefully find more on-field success in 2026.
Hokies Fall Camp is underway, and the Sons will be there to cover it all. Check out my latest podcast breaking down everything we saw and heard from Virginia Tech’s first open practice of the Fall!
