College football is right around the corner. We are less than a month away from the Virginia Tech Hokies kicking off the James Franklin era in Blacksburg against VMI. And in what has become an annual tradition, Bruce Feldman recently released his annual “Freaks List,” previewing the top 101 athletes of the upcoming college football season.
The Hokies have had multiple players appear on Feldman’s list over the years. And, no surprise, there were two Hokies on the 2026 list. One name will not surprise you:
senior defensive tackle Kemari Copeland. He came in at No. 7 for 2026.
No. 23 on last year’s Freaks List, Copeland was a bright spot for the Hokies in 2025, posting 48 tackles with 7.5 TFLs, a team-high 4.5 sacks and an interception. Two years ago when Copeland first arrived from junior college, video of him squatting 605 pounds for 10 reps went viral.
This offseason, the 6-2, 290-pound senior set a program record when he benched 510 pounds. He also improved his back squat to 735 pounds and clocked 20.2 mph on the GPS. He did a triple broad jump of 27 feet, 7 inches and ran a 4.64 shuttle, which would’ve bested the 4.68 that Baylor’s Jackie Marshall did to post the top shuttle time for a defensive tackle in February’s NFL combine.
You can’t talk about Copeland without talking about his world-class, record-setting strength. Even J.J. Watt was impressed.
Feldman lists Copeland at 290. That’s incorrect, according to Franklin, who recently said he weighed in around 315. Virginia Tech’s official roster has Copeland at 305. Either way, it’s considerably bigger than the previous two years, and Copeland is just as explosive.
Upon returning to Blacksburg, Copeland wanted to add size after talking to Franklin, in an effort to increase his NFL draft stock. Copeland was recently named a preseason first-team All-ACC selection.
The next Hokie on the list? Senior linebacker Kaleb Spencer, at No. 83.
A terrific combination of speed, power and explosiveness, the 6-1, 230-pound Spencer is coming off a breakout season in which he led the Hokies in tackles (67) and TFLs (nine). James Franklin and his staff are expecting he’ll be even better this fall. This offseason, Spencer bench-pressed 375 pounds, squatted 565 and power-cleaned 365. He also topped 21 mph on the GPS and ran a 4.20 shuttle. The fastest shuttle time by a linebacker at the combine since 2022 is just a one-hundredth of a second faster at 4.19.
The Hokies have struggled at linebacker in recent years. They are in outstanding shape in 2026 with Spencer and sophomore Noah Chambers. Both are terrific athletes who were productive on the field last season. Now, they are coached by former head coach Brent Pry. Pry is now the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. Pry has coached several linebackers over the years who went on to enjoy successful NFL careers.
So, who were the former Hokies?
- No. 64: William & Mary LB Stephon Hicks
- No. 81: Connecticut RB Kenji Christian
- No. 88: USF WR Cameron Seldon
Seldon, once the top high school player in Virginia, began his career at Tennessee, where he spent two seasons before spending the 2025 season in Blacksburg. Christian was initially a member of Virginia Tech’s 2021 recruiting class and spent two years at Virginia Tech. He transferred to North Carolina AT&T in 2023 and remained there for two seasons. He was at Toledo last season and will spend his final collegiate career at UConn.
