Last week, the Virginia Tech Hokies began fall camp, and there are only 23 days until the season opener against Vanderbilt. College football is back.
It wouldn’t be college football season without Bruce Feldman’s annual “Freaks List” from The Athletic. Several Hokies players have made Feldman’s list of the most athletic players in college football. Feldman’s “Freaks List” consists of players who are not just fast, big or strong, but a combination of all three.
Linebacker Keli Lawson made the list last season. Lawson is back this year but is not on the 2024 list.
Starting off for Virginia Tech is junior defensive tackle Kemari Copeland at No. 8. The 6’3″ and 280-pound Copeland is originally from Virginia Beach and transferred to the Hokies from Iowa Western Community College. He began his career with the Army.
Copeland recently went viral after this tweet.
Feldman said the following about Copeland:
Copeland is one of the biggest men in the game and should be a great addition to the Hokies’ defense. Last year he had 38 tackles, nine TFLs and 4.5 sacks for national junior college champion Iowa Western CC. But it was his work in the weight room that really turned heads; the 6-foot-4, 280-pound man went viral after a video of him squatting 600 pounds for 10 reps was posted to social media. Copeland, who began his college career at Army, has squatted 750 pounds and benched 490 pounds since arriving in Blacksburg. He was clocked at 20 mph this offseason.
Copeland was one of three defensive tackles to transfer to VT this offseason. He had a stellar spring and should make a splash this season.
Next up for Tech at number 22 is experienced wide receiver Da’Quan Felton:
One of the ACC’s biggest big-play opponents, Felton had 38 pass catches for 667 yards and eight touchdowns last year in his first season in the FBS after shining at Norfolk State. Felton has become a nightmare for opponents. He stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 220 pounds, eight pounds more than last year. He has clocked 22.40 mph, broadly jumped 10-8 and ran the 40m in 4.42, which goes with his 36.5-inch vertical.
Felton was a blast for the Hokies last season, showing immediate chemistry with quarterback Kyron Drones on the long ball. Felton flirted with the NFL draft but returned for one more season. Felton has everything the NFL wants in a wide receiver. He is a complete bust for college cornerbacks and is poised to have another great season.
Finally, senior running back Bhayshul Tuten is ranked 40th. Tuten can do a lot as a running back, catching passes from the backfield and returning kicks.
A dynamic do-it-all player, Tuten posted 1,633 all-purpose yards in 2023, his first season in the ACC after transferring from North Carolina A&T. This offseason, the 6-foot-2, 215-pound player posted a 4.32-second 40-yard dash, reached a top speed of 23.5 mph, bench-lifted 400 pounds and jumped 39 inches. Tuten isn’t the only crazy guy in Tech’s backfield. At 6-foot-2, 235 pounds, quarterback Kyron Drones is almost as big as some edge rushers — and stronger than many of them. He squatted 550 pounds this offseason, but is fast enough to run a 13-foot short shuttle and a 15-foot 40-yard dash.
We think Drones should have been on the list as well. There aren’t many quarterbacks his size who are as strong and fast as he is.
Having three players on the Freaks List is no guarantee of success, but it’s easy to understand why there’s so much excitement surrounding the 2024 Hokies.
