Kemari Copeland
Defensive Tackle
6-2, 285
Iowa Western Community College
Virginia Beach, VA
Virginia Tech picked up a commitment from one of its top remaining recruiting targets in the form of JUCO defensive tackle Kemari Copeland. He’ll sign his letter of intent with the Hokies on Wednesday. As a JUCO recruit, he is not a transfer portal guy, but rather a regular member of the 2024 recruiting class. That raises the number of recruits in the 2024 class to 16, and it includes three defensive tackles.
Copeland was originally recruited by Army as a 235-pound defensive end prospect out of Kellam High School in Virginia Beach. However, he rapidly grew and transferred to Iowa Western Community College, and he’s now a 6-2, 285-pound defensive tackle. He took visits to Arkansas, Tennessee and NC State but ultimately chose in-state Virginia Tech.
Like Tech’s other defensive tackle targets this month, Copeland is a terrific fit for Hokie defensive scheme. He’s got a low center of gravity and is tremendously quick off the ball. He was regarded as one of the top JUCO defensive tackle recruits in the country and has two years of eligibility remaining.
The Hokies are also pursuing other defensive tackles in the transfer portal, including Kelvin Gilliam of Oklahoma. They added Aeneas Peebles of Duke just before Copeland committed on Monday.