On Tuesday, Hokies head coach Brent Pry announced that Nick Gallo – the team’s starting tight end and one of its captains – underwent season-ending knee surgery after an injury sustained in camp.
“Our hearts go out to him,” Pry said to reporters on Tuesday. “Guy that had a strong conviction to come back and be a captain and a leader, which he's still going to have the ability to do ... He'll remain a captain, he'll be very involved. I'm excited about that piece of it for him and for us.”
In light of losing one of their veteran leaders, Tech will lean on several key young tight ends to step up, including sophomore Dae’Quan Wright and redshirt freshman Harrison Saint Germain. But they’ll lean on no one more than redshirt freshman Benji Gosnell, who is coming off his own season-ending knee injury suffered prior to the 2022 season.
That meant Tech's 2023 season opener was not only Gosnell's first start, but also Gosnell's college football debut. For getting the start on his debut, he did well playing 59 of 74 snaps on offense, hauling in one reception for 23 yards and flashing in the run game with his blocking ability.
There may have been some nerves for Gosnell but once he took his first snap, his natural football instincts kicked in.
