Virginia Tech has lost some depth on the defensive line as backup DT Kemari Copeland announced on Instagram that he is out for the rest of the season due to a torn tricep "in several places".
#Hokies DL and Iowa CC Transfer Kemari Copeland has announced via his Instagram that he will be redshirting this year due to a torn tricep “in several places” that will require surgery. pic.twitter.com/p7TQocIZju
— Nels Williams (@NelsWilliams) October 1, 2024
Copeland played in only four games this season and will redshirt, leaving him two years of eligibility. This comes after Copeland had six tackles during his four games, playing 48 defensive snaps while earning a 68.0 defensive grade from PFF.
This is a disappointing loss for Virginia Tech's defensive depth as Copeland had been a backup on the depth chart since the start of this season. His injury likely means a shortened four-man DT rotation with starters Aeneas Peebles and Kelvin Gilliam leading the way with Josh Fuga and Wilfried Pene backing them up.
I would also think that we'll see a few snaps sprinkled in for a fifth defensive tackle at times given how much teams like to rotate guys on the defensive line to keep them fresh. Malachi Madison is the most likely candidate to take on a 2-10 snap per game role after the redshirt sophomore did play two defensive snaps against Miami.
Alabama transfer Khurtiss Perry could also push to claim some of those snaps as he spends more time in Tech's defense. We could also see true freshmen Emmett Laws and Gerard Johnson work in the DT rotation as well, albeit in limited fashion to avoid exceeding four regular season games and burning a redshirt.
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