The Tech Sideline Podcast: The Virginia Tech Hokies · TechSideline.com

Talking With Teel: Virginia Tech Spring Football Is Here, NCAA Tournament And More!

·57 min·3 clips

David Teel says declining the NIT sends the message, “peace out. I got what I needed from you.”

1. Talking With Teel episode 27 centers on Virginia Tech spring football, the men’s basketball NIT decision, and the 2026 NCAA tournament bracket. 2. Carter Hill hosts with Andy Bitter as senior staff writer, David Teel as Virginia Sports Hall of Famer, Nick Brown behind the scenes, and David Cunningham reporting from Austin, Texas. 3. The episode asks what James Franklin’s first spring at Virginia Tech means, why the Hokies declined the NIT, and how the bracket looks around Duke, Virginia, and the ACC. 4. Franklin spoke to the media for about 25 minutes on Monday, March 16, and the hosts said he avoided specifics about depth charts and player roles. 5. Teal said Franklin’s phrase “campus philosophy” stood out, because it sounded like a big-picture way to think about the football program. 6. The quarterbacks came up repeatedly, with Ethan Grunkemeier described as the likely starter and Bryce Baker discussed as a player with four years of eligibility left. 7. The hosts said Franklin did not tip his hand about who is quarterback one, and they expected a lot of reps across two fields during spring practice. 8. Virginia Tech’s running back room became a major concern after Messiah Mickens was said to be out for all of spring and Marcellus Hawkins was described as limited. 9. The group noted that the Hokies have only five running backs beyond those injuries, with only three scholarship players in that group. 10. They connected that shortage to spring-game planning and said coaches often want something game-like before injuries force them to scale back. 11. The longest debate of the episode centered on Virginia Tech declining an NIT bid after the men’s basketball season. 12. Teel said the move felt like a “take my ball and go home” decision and questioned whether players or administrators took a financial hit. 13. Carter said fans who invest time and money have reason to rethink their support when a team stops short of postseason play. 14. The hosts also raised possible locker-room effects, asking whether returning players can trust teammates who opted out of the tournament. 15. Teel said Virginia Tech’s release made the decision sound “sheepish,” and he argued the NIT is often the best-case postseason result for the Hokies. 16. They compared the move to Notre Dame’s Bowl opt-out and said Florida State’s NIT withdrawal was also surprising because the Seminoles had been playing well late. 17. The bracket segment turned to Selection Sunday, where Teel called the at-large field straightforward and said Miami of Ohio landing in the First Four was a notable wrinkle. 18. Teel’s Final Four was Duke, Michigan, Houston, and Arizona, and he leaned hard toward Kelvin Sampson’s Houston team winning the title. 19. Listeners who follow Virginia Tech, ACC basketball, and bracket analysis should get the most from this episode. 20. Listeners who want only game results and no roster or postseason debate may skip it.

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