Virginia Tech redshirt senior defensive tackle Kemari Copeland was tabbed to the Nagurski Trophy and Outland Trophy Watch Lists, as announced on the team's socials Thursday afternoon.— Virginia Tech Football (@HokiesFB) August 4, 2026Big Season Ahead?Copeland, a 6-foot-2, 290-pound prospect from Virginia Beach, Va., is entering his third year with Virginia Tech after a year apiece at Army West Point and Iowa Western Community College. His first year with the Hokies — 2024 — was cut short due to a quadriceps injury that ended Copeland's season four games in.Last year, Copeland started all 12 games at left defensive tackle, logging 48 tackles, 11 solo stops, 7.5 tackles for loss and a team-leading 4.5 sacks. He also accrued an interception and a quarterback hurry. On Oct. 24, he logged a career-high three sacks against California, becoming the first defensive tackle since J.C. Price, his former position coach, to tally three sacks in a single game for Tech (Price did so in 1995). Virginia Tech finished 3-9 (2-6 ACC) last season and finished tied for 13th in the ACC standings. The ACC media projected Virginia Tech to finish eighth in its predictions, which were conducted at the ACC Kickoff in Charlotte, N.C., in mid-July and revealed July 28.Copeland was named ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week for that three-sack performance against the Golden Bears, which also included seven tackles. At the conclusion of the season, Copeland was named Third Team All-ACC. He is the lone All-ACC returnee to the Hokies for this season. The lineman was recently named to the Preseason All-ACC Team in late July; he was the only Hokie to crack the list, and he received the second-most votes for a defensive tackle.Copeland holds the program records for squat (605 pounds for 10 reps) and for bench press (510 pounds for one rep), the latter of which he set in late July.Truly blessed to say I have BROKEN the VirginiaTechs all-time bench press record 510 pounds !!#AGTG#ThislsHome pic.twitter.com/jCpaUmuoLK— Kemari “The Hulk” Copeland™ (@KemariCopeland) July 23, 2026The Bronko Nagurski Trophy honors the nation's most outstanding defensive player, and it's presented by the Charlotte Touchdown Club and selected by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA). FWAA also presents the Outland Trophy, which is awarded annually to the nation's best interior lineman, whether it be on offense or on defense.Copeland and Virginia Tech begin their season on Saturday, Sept. 5, against VMI at 7:30 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on the ACC Network, and it will be the first matchup between the two schools since the 1984 season.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow