At the conclusion of a dismal 2025 campaign in which the Hokies went 3-9 and fired head coach Brent Pry after three games, defensive tackle Kemari Copeland had plenty of options at his disposal. He could have transferred elsewhere and collected lucrative NIL checks. He could have declared for the NFL draft. But instead, he stayed in Blacksburg for another season.
"Coming back another year, it was pretty much like a no-brainer," Copeland said.
To him, the job wasn't finished, and with James Franklin taking the reigns in November, there was potential to grow his skills even further. It was an opportunity that he couldn't pass up. Most importantly, though, he still had a lot to prove.
The Virginia Beach native emerged as a leader early last season, carrying the burden of guiding a flailing team during one of the worst campaigns in program history. Despite the adversity, he racked up 48 tackles (11 solo), 7.5 TFLs, and a team-leading 4.5 sacks. He was rewarded for his efforts with Third Team All-ACC honors.
It was after the Hokies' Week 8 matchup against Cal in which Copeland tallied three sacks that he began receiving evaluations from NFL teams. Leaning on the advice of then-defensive line coach J.C. Price, Copeland soaked in the feedback that they had for him, whether it was good or bad. Primarily, scouts told Copeland that he needed to add weight and improve his pass rush.
This offseason, Copeland, nicknamed "Hulk" by his teammates for his weight room prowess, took the scouts' evaluations as a challenge, motivating him to put on 20 pounds of muscle. That hard work has paid off; earlier this week, he set a program record by bench-pressing 510 pounds.
