Everything From Wide Receiver Stephen Gosnell After Practice on Friday

Gosnell is entering his third season at Virginia Tech.

Nov 25, 2023; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies wide receiver Stephen Gosnell (12) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Virginia Cavaliers during the first quarter at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Stephen Gosnell suffered a knee injury in the spring but is all but set to see action in the 2024 season. Gosnell faced the media after practice received questions about his injury recovery and the upcoming season.

Here’s everything from Stephen Gosnell:

Question: How's the knee this week? I guess we asked you that last week on media day.

Stephen Gosnell: Yeah, definitely still feeling fine. It feels amazing. Today was probably the best I've felt running out there, just getting more confident right now, getting my sticks down pat, and making moving around a subconscious thing again. So I feel amazing, for sure.

Question: Have you talked with trainers or coaches about when you might be able to shed the blue jersey?

Stephen Gosnell: Oh yeah, we're hoping to get it off soon. I think we'll get it off here in no time at all, probably less than a week, hopefully.

Question: Price said you probably want to bite someone's head off to get on the field over the summer. What's it been like to finally get back on the field after that?

Stephen Gosnell: Man, it makes you appreciate the game so much more when you have to step away from it and watch all spring. So, this whole summer, all spring, I basically gave up my life rehabbing. The extracurricular activities I really had to give up to get back on, and I'm not taking it for granted. I'm loving being out at practice right now.

Question: Benji had to go through this two years in a row. Did you learn anything from him about the rehab process and maybe take a few things that he went through?

Stephen Gosnell: Yeah, 100%. We live together, so I was basically asking him questions every day—how to go about it and stuff like that. A lot of times, maybe I wasn't feeling the best one day, and I'd be like, "Hey, what is this? Why is this happening?" He'd just give me reassurance like, "Hey, it's nothing; that's what happens," and stuff like that. So he's definitely been a great tool to have. Going through it, I definitely couldn't have any time to feel sorry for myself and be like, "Oh, why did this happen?" because he's done it twice, so it really was nothing.

Question: Do you feel like a big season's coming for him?

Stephen Gosnell: I hope so, yeah. He's playing really good ball right now. He's really big right now, and he's still moving around pretty good, so that's the goal.

Question: You said his knee feels better than it did the first time he tore the ACL. What have you seen out of him and how he's worked?

Stephen Gosnell: I'm sure he feels that way because right now, he's looked probably the best he's ever had in the run game and even in the passing game. His routes are looking like a heavy receiver's.

Question: What was the biggest challenge during the past six or seven months when you were restricted? You couldn't really—at least in spring practice—get out there on the field. You had to focus on your rehab; you were limited in that.

Stephen Gosnell: I would say the hardest part is the first three weeks. You come to a phase where you have to use crutches, and you're really relying on other people—they're having to bring you your food, take you to your car, drive you around. So those are the hardest parts because you have to be so reliant on other people. Once you start moving around, taking it step by step is actually really fun because you get new wins every single day. Through spring, it was actually pretty cool for me because I got to step back and go through a coach's perspective. I got to be like an extra coach on the field during the spring. I think it helped me for the fall, for sure.

Question: Do you remember the first time you made a cut on your left knee and realized it was back?

Stephen Gosnell: I mean, I made cuts a lot before they told me I should test it out. I wouldn't say there was one specific time where I thought, "Oh, I'm ready." You ease into it day by day. I wouldn't say there was one specific moment, but I gained confidence each time I planted.

Question: Is that confidence building over time so that now you're not thinking about it and it's just back?

Stephen Gosnell: I would say it's just like anything—the more reps you get at it, it's just like shooting a basketball. You shoot 300 threes, and then it becomes a subconscious thing. So it's basically getting proprioception back into your leg—mind-muscle connection without having to think about it. It's basically just doing it over and over again until you're not thinking about it and it's subconscious.

Question: What's the ultimate goal for you? To be ready for week one?

Stephen Gosnell: 100%.

Question: For all the people who maybe aren't Andrew Huberman or UL Darden fans, what are some of those big things that you took from those guys, maybe not in rehab but for planning your regimen?

Stephen Gosnell: The biggest thing for that is just nutrition and sleep. You can do all the other stuff you want—all these biohacking things, cold tubs, and all that stuff—but it comes down to: are you eating enough protein, are you getting your collagen in, are you eating enough connective tissue through meat, and are you sleeping 8 to 10 hours a night? I think that's the biggest thing.

Question: Is it hard to stay disciplined, even in the season? Obviously, in the offseason, it's easier.

Stephen Gosnell: No, it's not. We do afternoon practices, and that's what I love about this staff—they allow you to focus on getting your sleep. So there's no problem getting 8 to 10 hours of sleep.

Question: Have you been experimenting with new cold tubs and stuff like that?

Stephen Gosnell: Yeah, it's kind of crazy we have that right now. It's super nice. They've got an infrared sauna—it's basically like a big pool out there. The new facilities are awesome.

Question: What have you seen from some of the younger guys like Aiden, who obviously took on a bigger role as the season progressed, and Toai, who seemed like he was going to play at least a role last year before that freak injury? What have you seen from some of those guys?

Stephen Gosnell: Basically the same thing. They're coming along in the run game, learning the motions, getting locked into the signals, getting lined up faster, shifting, and stuff like that. Overall, they're making plays. D's been making a ton of plays this fall camp, and so has Aiden. It's basically what y'all have seen—they're taking it step by step.