Virginia Tech’s defense has more than a few unanswered questions, but one name keeps rising to the top of the conversation: Kemari Copeland.
The Hokies have some real pieces elsewhere. Ethan Grunkemeyer gives them a stronger feel at quarterback after throwing for 1,339 yards with eight touchdowns and four interceptions in 2025.
The backfield has Marcellous Hawkins and Jeffrey Overton Jr., who rushed for 749 yards and 148 yards, respectively, with Overton appearing in four games. At receiver, Ayden Greene and Que'Sean Brown form a useful tandem after Greene posted 516 yards and three touchdowns at Virginia Tech in 2025 and Brown arrived with 846 yards and five scores from Duke in 2025.
Tight end could also be a problem for opponents with Luke Reynolds, Benji Gosnell and Ja'Ricous Hairston in the mix, including Reynolds’ 257 yards at Penn State in 2025, Gosnell’s 341 yards at Virginia Tech in 2024 and Hairston’s 112 yards at Virginia Tech in 2025.
On the other side of the ball, though, there’s a lot less certainty. Virginia Tech needs growth from linebacker Noah Chambers and senior Kaleb Spencer, while the secondary leans heavily on experience outside of redshirt senior safety Tyson Flowers and Troy transfer Jaquez White.
Up front, the picture is similar. Aycen Stevens appears to be the leading edge, but his career line of 17 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and no sacks suggests he’s still more of a supporting piece than a finished product.
Copeland, by contrast, looks like the kind of player who can tilt that room. The 6-foot-2, 305-pound defensive tackle spent a year each at Army West Point and Iowa Western C.C. before landing at Virginia Tech, and his first Hokies season was cut short after six tackles in four games because of a season-ending quadriceps injury.
What came next was the real breakout. As a starter in every game the following season, Copeland finished with 48 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and a team-high 4.5 sacks.
His 7.5 TFLs trailed only Kaleb Spencer on the roster, and his three-sack performance against California on Oct. 24 was the kind of game that announces a player. It made Copeland the first Virginia Tech player to record three sacks in a game since J.C.
Price did it in 1995.
That season earned Copeland Third-Team All-ACC honors, and with the graduation of players like Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor, the path is there for him to push toward First-Team All-ACC if he takes another step in his final college year. He was also named to the Preseason All-ACC Team in late July by media members at the ACC Kickoff in Charlotte, N.C., and he landed on the Nagurski and Outland Trophy Watch Lists this summer.
He was the only ACC player to get that kind of recognition, which is a big part of why the buzz feels justified. Copeland plays with a kind of disruptive, pinball-like burst that fits his now-300-pound-plus frame, and the strength numbers only add to the case. Bruce Feldman of The Athletic reported Copeland squatted 735 pounds, and Copeland posted that he recently set Virginia Tech’s all-time bench press record at 510 pounds.
Virginia Tech opens its 2026 season on Saturday, Sept. 5, against VMI at Lane Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on the ACC Network, and it will be the first meeting between the teams since 1984.
In Other News...
Virginia Tech May Have Two Defensive Difference Makers Fans Need To See
Bruce Feldmans annual Freaks List always offers a useful snapshot of which college football players are drawing real offseason buzz, and Virginia Tech has two defenders making a strong case for attention heading into 2026. Senior defensive tackle Kemari Copeland and senior linebacker Kaleb Spencer both landed on the preview of the top 101 athletes in the sport, a sign that the Hokies may have more than one high-end piece anchoring Brent Prys defense.
Copelands rise has been especially eye-catching after he set a program bench press record and turned in elite testing numbers this offseason, the kind of profile that tends to translate to interior disruption if it carries onto the field. Spencer also earned his spot on the list at No. 83, and with his physical tools and another year in Prys system, Virginia Tech has reason to think the middle of the defense could be a real strength rather than just a work in progress. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Tech Camp Is Fueling Real Hope For The Hokies Offense
The first week of Virginia Tech fall camp has offered an early glimpse at why there is renewed optimism around the offense, with young wide receivers Luke Stuewe and Davion Brown standing out as players making a real impression. Their emergence comes at a time when the Hokies are trying to reshape the tone of practice and build something sturdier after last seasons 3-9 finish, and the energy around the field has reflected that urgency.
James Franklin has pushed for a tougher, more physical culture, and those efforts appear to be showing up in the way Virginia Tech is practicing. It is still far too early to draw conclusions about what that means when games start, but the Hokies look more competitive and more engaged than they did a year ago, which is at least a meaningful place to start for an offense searching for direction. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Tech Fall Camp Is Starting To Separate A Few Hokies
Virginia Techs third media-viewed practice on Aug. 13 offered another look at how fall camp is starting to sort itself out, and the most revealing work came in the one-on-one periods between the receivers and defensive backs. Jaquez White and Thomas Williams stood out on the defensive side with multiple pass break-ups, while Luke Reynolds and QueSean Brown were among the offensive players to make notable catches as the competition sharpened.
There was also movement in the backfield, where Marcellous Hawkins worked with the first team at running back, a small but meaningful sign as the Hokies keep sorting through roles. Elsewhere, the day brought a few absences from the field, including Emmett Laws and Gabe Williams, leaving more to watch as camp continues to separate players from the pack. [Read more 🡒]