We’re almost a month away from Virginia Tech’s season opener at Vanderbilt. Virginia Tech was one of the teams that addressed the media on Tuesday at the 2024 ACC Media Days ahead of their season. Dorian Strong should have a huge impact on the season, and the reporters and media know that.
Here’s everything that Dorian Strong had to say:
THE MODERATOR: Questions for Dorian.
Q.You were the second FBS cornerback since 2014 with 300-plus coverage snaps. What led to such an improvement in your game coming back from an injury?
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DORIAN STRONG: That’s a great question.
Just my rehab process, talking to the coaches once going into spring ball and just making sure that I had a great off-season training-wise, putting more mass onto my body, getting stronger. Just talking to the coaches going into the season. They had a great plan. Just believing in them and believing in myself.
Q.You got to hear your teammates answer this, but what has it been like to have an off-season where everybody is loving on you? How do you tackle those expectations, make sure you live up to them?
DORIAN STRONG: It’s been good hearing everybody come give us great congratulations on our accomplishments last year. At the end of the day we know that we can be better. We know, shoot, we still have work to do going through all four phases this year, winter, spring, summer, now we’re going into fall camp. We still know we have a lot of work to do.
It’s a great thing to get the pats on the back, feels good, boost your ego, gives you confidence. I feel like my job in my corner back room is just trying to push confidence onto the guys, push competitive edge onto them. I feel like I’ve been doing a great job at that.
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Regardless of the love or hate, which way it comes from, you take it and you just got to move past it. Can’t let it dwell on you.
Q.You played in all 11 games as a true freshman. That was the COVID season. That must feel like forever ago. What is it that you’ve learned about yourself through all of these experiences in the last four years?
DORIAN STRONG: That’s a great question.
What I learned about myself is how competitive I am. That’s always been in me, always been instilled in me. Just the coaches since they’ve gotten here, Coach Pry, Coach Jones, I’ve just grown into being a man, better football player.
Just from COVID, was a very interesting time. Wouldn’t change it. I loved the experience, the empty stadiums. Felt like high school. I was able to just, like, get my feet under me and calm down, gain my confidence back.
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Q.We’re going to have a conversation that a lot of people are not going to understand. I’m from Peachy County, you’re from Peachy County, went to Wise High School. A lot of talent. What was it like growing up in Peachy up there? Talk about some of the talent that a lot of people don’t know about.
DORIAN STRONG: Yeah, man, definitely was an interesting time growing up. I feel like going to Wise, I played JV for two years, a lot of guys play JV, go straight to varsity. I played JV for two years. Broke my thumb my freshman year. My sophomore year I went crazy at receiver. All my life I thought I was going to be an offensive guy. My coach, he sat me down and had a conversation. I think you should be going to quarterback, doing seven-on-seven. I grinded through my high school years. I feel like I was a diamond in the rough type of player. Didn’t get a lot of recognition till my junior year.
Went to a spotlight camp, the O staff at Tech offered me. I feel grateful because I was talking to a lot of Power Five schools. They wasn’t trying to shoot their shot. When Virginia Tech shot their shot, I believe they believed in me, trusted me. Never looked back.
There is a lot of talent in Maryland. You’ve got me and you’ve got my man Mansoor. A lot of hidden talent in Maryland.
Q.You’ve had a lot of success throughout your entire time at Virginia Tech. Is there a personal accomplishment for what could be your final here at VT that you haven’t accomplished yet that you really want to accomplish?
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DORIAN STRONG: Yes, I want to pick-six in Lane Stadium. I’ve been fortunate enough to catch a couple of picks in my career. I only thing I got, what, one in Lane Stadium. I felt that roar that first time when I was running. Now just to do that, to catch multiple pick-sixes in Lane Stadium.
We’re highlighting the many threads that make Virginia so special
As we approach the 250th anniversary of the United States and Virginia, we’re embarking on a journey to celebrate the rich history of the place we call home. (WSLS 10)
Virginia is filled with so much history just waiting to be explored. As we mark the 250th anniversary of the United States and Virginia, we’re celebrating this milestone with a new series: Patchwork 250.
The series will highlight the many threads that make Virginia so special and celebrate every patch (whether that’s a remarkable person, an unforgettable location or a memorable event).
As this new initiative gets underway, we’d love to hear from you. Share your favorite pieces of history and be a part of Virginia’s ongoing story.
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Using Pin It or the form below, let us know: what’s a unique piece of history from your community that you think more people should know about?
Click here for more details.
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About the Author
Jazmine Otey headshot
Jazmine Otey
Jazmine Otey joined the 10 News team in February 2021.
A fatal collision between a motorcycle and a pickup truck on Thursday evening has claimed a life and prompted a significant road closure in South Reno.
The Nevada Highway Patrol (NHP) responded to reports of the crash at approximately 5:29 p.m. on February 26. The incident occurred on northbound South Virginia Street, just north of Damonte Ranch Parkway.
According to the Nevada State Police, the rider of the motorcycle, an adult male, was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency medical personnel. The driver of the pickup truck remained on-site, though no further details regarding other injuries or the cause of the crash have been released. Northbound South Virginia Street: Completely shut down from Damonte Ranch Parkway to Bishop Manogue Drive.
Southbound South Virginia Street: Open, but expect “rubbernecking” delays as drivers pass the emergency vehicles. Officials expect the northbound lanes to remain closed until at least 11:30 p.m. as the NHP Highway Patrol Division completes their investigation.
A new effort is being led by Commonwealth Attorney Krystyn Reid, with support from Sen. Danny Diggs to help missing persons. (Ron Lach/Pexels.com)
HAMPTON ROADS— A proposed initiative known as The Guardian Network seeks to strengthen coordination and public access to verified information when children, seniors, and vulnerable adults go missing in Virginia.
The effort is being led by Commonwealth Attorney Krystyn Reid, with support from Sen. Danny Diggs through a budget amendment to SB30. If the amendment passes, development would move forward through the Virginia State Police.
Reid said the idea grew from her years of public service.
“The difference between politics and public service is simple,” Reid said. “One is what you say. The other is what you do.”
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Reid began her career representing domestic violence survivors and said she witnessed firsthand how quickly families can be thrown into crisis.
“When someone does not make it home, that is a family’s worst moment,” Reid said. “The Guardian Network comes from a belief that we can strengthen coordination in those first critical hours and better protect vulnerable communities.”
The network is designed to complement existing alert systems such as AMBER, Silver, Ashanti and CODI alerts. Participation would be voluntary for both families and the public.
“It does not replace them. It reinforces them,” Reid said. “What we lack is one centralized, accessible place to see verified information. This is about coordination and clarity.”
Currently, information can be fragmented, she said, making it harder for families and communities to respond effectively.
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“Families in crisis should not have to search multiple platforms,” Reid said. “Public safety requires structure. Our response should be organized and accessible.”
The United Way of the Virginia Peninsula has expressed support for the initiative, citing its alignment with the organization’s mission to improve lives by advancing education, financial stability and health.
“Children are the highest age demographic experiencing eviction and homelessness, which creates unique vulnerabilities including separation, exploitation and trafficking,” said Charvalla West of United Way of the Virginia Peninsula. “Seniors face increasing isolation, housing instability and caregiver strain in what many describe as the ‘Silver Tsunami’ of a rapidly aging population.”
She said the organization supports The Guardian Network because it strengthens coordination during the most critical moments when vulnerable individuals go missing.
“The Guardian Network aligns directly with our work to stabilize families and protect vulnerable communities,” West said. “When vulnerabilities are reduced, safety increases.”
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United Way collaborates with certified partner agencies across the Virginia Peninsula that focus on homelessness prevention, youth development, domestic violence response, aging services and housing repair. Those organizations would continue serving in their core roles, providing safe housing, trauma-informed care, mentorship, caregiver support and case management, while the network enhances coordination and awareness.
“The Guardian Network enhances coordination and awareness, while nonprofits provide the direct relational support that protects individuals before, during and after crisis events,” West said.
The concept also includes a second phase of development that would establish a standing advisory committee composed of survivors, impacted family members, nonprofit leaders, victim advocates and public safety professionals. A third phase would focus on identifying and allocating resources to support coordinated response efforts in collaboration with law enforcement, including ensuring necessary logistical supplies are available during active situations.
The immediate focus is Virginia. If successful, supporters say the model could be scalable to other states seeking to strengthen coordination in missing-person cases.
Reid said the goal is clear.
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“A stronger safety net. Better coordination. And helping bring loved ones home,” she said. “Everyone deserves to come home.”
