On what he's seen from him wide receivers: "I think for the most part we've thrown the ball better in this camp. We've got to eliminate some drops, but we're making progress in that direction. Our young wide receivers are getting open. Now at times we've got to finish some plays."
On Logan Thomas : "I think he started out a little slow in the first couple of days. I'm really happy with where he's going and where he's going to be. I think the guy has all the intangibles, he's got all the physical traits, he's become extremely aggressive, he's being decisive. At the end of the day if you're aggressive, decisive, you know what to do, you're an older guy...like Coach Beamer said earlier, this is his team. We need him to do all the things that he needs to do. It doesn't mean he needs to be Superman. When you try to be Superman, you press and mistakes occur because you're pressing. He needs to do his job, and that's what we're focusing on. I thought in practices four and five I saw exactly what I envisioned him being and where he's going to go."
On having unsettled positions: "I think you'd always love to have that veteran group coming back. At some positions we do have that, and at others we don't. I think as a coach, as an offensive staff, I think it's really, really challenging and really fun. We get to take some guys at certain positions and mold them and get them to where they need to be. Is it going to happen overnight? No. Do we want it to happen overnight? Yes. It's going to be a process with some guys, and that's why it's really important that our older guys who have been there and done it to play well."
On Deon Newsome getting a lot of reps recently: "Newsome is a very good young player. We're giving everyone reps right now at that position. I don't know that we can just single out him. He's getting a lot of snaps, but they're all getting a lot of snaps. So to single him out right now, I don't know if that's fair. But he's having a good camp."
On whether anything has surprised him about Logan Thomas based on how he felt when he first met Thomas: "No, I wish to goodness that I could coach him for the rest of my career to say the least. I love being around him. He's competitive. I think his leadership is really, really improved. I really, really enjoy working with him. He's fun in the meeting rooms, he knows when it's business. He also has a great personality to settle me down at times [laughs]. I absolutely enjoy working with him. He's a delight."
On Carlis Parker at wide receiver: "Carlis, if you watched his high school tape, you saw the athleticism, you saw the explosion. He's tall, 6-3, a little under 200. He's a guy that's very, very raw. He's a guy that needs a bunch of reps. The more he gets in there, the better he's going to be. We expect him to develop over the next couple of weeks, and to continue to develop during the season. I enjoy being around him also. He's a competitive guy."
On how VT compares to the SEC programs: "I've only been here for eight months, and I was only in the SEC for two years at Florida and a year at Auburn. I've spent the majority of my life in the Big Ten. The way that I look at the Virginia Tech job is the way that I've always looked at Virginia Tech from an outsider looking in. It's one of the best programs in America. What this place has done over the years is remarkable. Anytime you win 10 ballgames for eight straight years...nobody in the country has done that. Alabama hasn't done that, Georgia hasn't done that, Michigan, Ohio State, etc., etc...USC. Anytime that you do what they've done here, it's one of the best programs in the country. They graduate people, they care about people, they do things the right way, and they win. For Coach Beamer and the rest of this staff to do what they've done over the 20-some odd years that Coach has been here, it's remarkable. The way that I look at it is that it's an absolute privilege and an honor, and I feel extremely responsible to help that continue."
On whether it's easier to play as a true freshman as a receiver: "Coach Beamer has always said this, and the numerous head coaches that I've worked for have said this: the farther you get away from the ball, the more chance a young guy has to play. You don't see too many freshmen starting quarterbacks, that's why you don't see too many freshmen starting centers, and linebackers. The farther you get away from the football, your job description becomes somewhat easier. I'm not going to discredit and say a wide receiver position is easy, because it's not. You see more receivers and young DB's play than you do quarterbacks, linebackers, etc."