Whenever Virginia Tech DT Kemari Copeland came up in media availabilities last offseason, head coach Brent Pry was apt to bring up how Copeland had dreamed of playing at VT and did whatever it took to make it there, going from a brief stop at Army to the JUCO ranks before arriving at Tech.
That led to Copeland being one of the ultimate feel good stories when it became clear that he was going to be in the defensive tackle rotation for the 2024 season.
However, that all fell apart when Copeland suffered a torn tricep late in non-conference play that caused him to the miss the rest of the season and use a medical redshirt.
Seven months later, Copeland has fully recovered from his injury and not only is he on track to play this fall for the Hokies, there's a pretty good chance he is starting week one against South Carolina.
That became clear last Saturday when Copeland received first team reps alongside Kelvin Gilliam at defensive tackle and earned the Spring Defensive MVP honors.
But Copeland’s rise to a potential starting role began during his injury recovery as Brent Pry shared.
“He made the most of his time while he was injured. He learned to play low because he wasn't in a good placement. He learned technique, he studied, so that when he was cleared and able to play, he made the most of it,” Pry said.
Now it’s one thing to be a great student of the game, but…
