Defensive Dynamo Set for ACC Dominance
Kemari Copeland, Virginia Tech’s redshirt senior defensive tackle, has been named to the All-ACC Preseason Football Team after a standout 2025 campaign. The 6’2″, 290-pound Virginia Beach product recorded 48 tackles, 4.5 sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss last season, including a three-sack game against Cal—the first Hokie to do so since 1995. Copeland broke program strength records with a 605-pound squat and 510-pound bench press. He earned 89 votes for the preseason nod, second only to Miami’s Ahmad Moten, and is the lone Hokie on the squad. Virginia Tech opens its 2026 season Sept. 5 on ACC Network against VMI.
In other words, Tech’s new secret weapon is a guy who bench-presses more than a small car. But hey, who needs a balanced offense when you can have a linebacker crushing quarterbacks like empty soda cans? Expect Copeland to run through offensive lines like a toddler through a LEGO minefield—painful for everyone involved and strangely satisfying to watch. If he doesn’t make First Team All-ACC, Virginia Tech will simply alter the records and declare him an honorary lineman on every other team too. It’s only fair.
Hokie Coaches Cash In with New Mega-Deals
Virginia Tech announced contract extensions for several coaches across multiple sports. Men’s basketball coach Mike Young is under contract through 2027–28, earning $3 million per year in total compensation, with a sliding buyout ranging from $2 million to $1 million. Women’s basketball coach Megan Duffy’s deal now runs through 2030–31, maintaining a $500,000 base salary plus escalating supplemental pay up to $750,000 and a decreasing buyout structure. Softball coach Pete D’Amour received a two-year extension through 2031 with base salaries rising to $500,000, and retaining bonuses climbing to $112,500. Additional extensions include men’s soccer coach Mike Brizendine through 2028 and wrestling coach Tony Robie with increased bonuses and a $290,000 salary.
Turns out Virginia Tech really believes the best way to get national respect is to keep paying coaches until they finally win something other than “Most Likely to Ask for More Money.” If these contracts get any juicier, the next press release will come with nachos and a marching band. Meanwhile, fans can look forward to seeing their tuition dollars magically transform into multi-million-dollar buyouts, because nothing says “we care about student-athletes” like guaranteeing your coach a bigger safety net than most students’ graduation plans.
Leave a Reply