Injuries have been accumulating rapidly for the Virginia Tech football team. On Tuesday, the defensive line suffered a significant setback when a transfer player revealed his 2024 season is over due to an injury.
Kemari Copeland, a transfer from Iowa Western Community College, had been earning a spot in the Hokies’ lineup early in the season. However, he shared on Instagram that he will miss the remainder of the season because of a torn tricep that will require surgery.
Kemari Copeland will use a redshirt for this season
Copeland sustained the injury during the Sept. 21 game against Rutgers after playing just four snaps. He missed last Friday’s 38-34 loss to Miami and will now redshirt for the remainder of the season, having played the maximum four games allowed by the NCAA for a redshirt. He had chosen Virginia Tech over several other programs, including Arkansas, Tennessee, Auburn, Central Florida, Arizona State, NC State, and Kansas.
As a highly sought-after defensive lineman in the transfer portal, Copeland’s commitment to the Hokies was a significant win for head coach Brent Pry. He impressed many with his spring performance and gained attention over the summer for setting a squat record.
Losing Copeland is a blow to Virginia Tech’s defensive tackle group, which still includes Duke transfer Aeneas Peebles, Oklahoma transfer Kelvin Gilliam, Josh Fuga, and Wilfried Pene, all listed on this week’s depth chart for Saturday’s ACC matchup against Stanford.
In his four games this season, Copeland made six tackles, three of which came in the season opener, a 34-27 overtime loss to Vanderbilt, and in the 37-17 victory over Old Dominion on Sept. 14. Despite the setback, Pry is fortunate to have enough depth at tackle to manage Copeland’s absence, and the player is expected to have a bright future in Blacksburg.
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