The ACC media has spoken. The preseason predictions are in, and no surprise, the Miami Hurricanes are the ACC’s No. 1 team. While the Hurricanes made it all the way to the national championship game last season, it’s worth noting that they still have never won an ACC title. Both the Virginia Tech Hokies and Hurricanes entered the ACC in 2004.
Now, we have the preseason All-ACC team.
Miami was well represented on the preseason All-ACC team, led by quarterback Darian Mensah, the projected ACC Player of the Year.
Only one Virginia Tech athlete made the preseason All-ACC team: senior defensive tackle Kemari Copeland.
The 6-foot-2, 290-pound Virginia Beach native was one of three Hokies to represent Virginia Tech, along with head coach James Franklin at the ACC Kickoff two weeks ago. Copeland noted how he worked this offseason to add weight in hopes of increasing his NFL draft stock for 2027. Copeland weighed around 280 pounds last season.
After spending his freshman season at Army West Point, Copeland transferred to Iowa Western Community College in 2023. He enrolled at Virginia Tech in 2024. After playing in four games in 2024, Copeland started all 12 games last season, recording 48 tackles, including 7.5 for loss and 4.5 sacks. He had initially planned to enter the 2026 NFL Draft, but chose to return to Blacksburg. He also had numerous other schools that hoped to land him via the transfer portal.
The Hokies are set to open fall camp next week.
