Virginia Tech football transfer is considered a fast rising star for 2024

Spring practices have begun for the Virginia Tech football team and a lot of eyes are on the incoming freshman and transfers. One player who has already caught the eye of the Hokies coaching staff is Iowa Western Community College transfer Kemari Copeland.

Last season, he recorded 38 tackles, nine for a loss, and 4.5 sacks and early impressions are impressive, including for defensive line coach JC Price.

“In Hunger Drills, Copeland showed a lot,’’ Price said. “That guy can flat-out run and change directions. He was one of the first players to hit 20 miles an hour. We haven’t had a (defensive) tackle do that since I’ve been here.’’

Virginia Tech returns Antwaun Powell-Ryland and his 9.5 sacks along the defensive line as well as Josh Fuga, but Copeland could be a player who steps in and causes problems for other teams in terms of blocking schemes. Copeland is one of multiple players that the coaching staff is going to see how they fit into the lineup in the fall with the returners they have.

“You take the right kids, like we think we have the last couple of years, and you start having an uptick. All it takes is one bad guy in the locker room and your culture and all the camaraderie – the important things we talk about – it can go south in a hurry.”

Virginia Tech’s defensive line isn’t rebuilding the players they lost (Mario Kendricks, Norell Pollard, and Pheldarius Payne), but they are reloading for 2024 and Copeland has an opportunity to come in as a big difference-maker right away along with Aeneas Peebles of Duke and Kelvin Gilliam of Oklahoma.