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The word tampering gets thrown around a lot these days in the world of the college football transfer portal. But how prevalent is it actually, and how does it really work? Thanks to Virginia Tech defensive lineman Kemari Copeland, fans now have a clearer picture than ever.
Copeland, who transferred to Virginia Tech from Iowa Western Community College in 2024, took to TikTok recently to explain the ins and outs of tampering in college football and explain his own experience with it in 2025.
Kemari Copeland Says He Was Egregiously Tampered With By Opposing Teams
Copeland started all 12 games for the Hokies in 2025. But after head coach Brent Pry was fired four games into the season, opposing programs immediately began to contact Copeland to see if he would be interested in playing somewhere else.
That alone is illegal according to NCAA rules. However, things only got worse from there.
“Our coach got fired so there was a bunch of stuff going on. There was one specific incident that was insane,” Copeland said. “We get to Week 8, and there was one specific school that kept attempting to hit me up, coaches and that… We get into the eighth game, I look into the crowd, and the team that was tampering — they’re in the crowd watching me play. Like, they’re evaluating me. It looked like a recruiter. He had his hat on and stuff. It was crazy. There’s no way a fan is wearing that logo to a Virginia Tech game and sitting right in the front.”
Copeland had seven tackles, three tackles for loss, and three sacks in Virginia Tech’s Week 8 game against Cal.
Just days after the game, Copeland says he received a text from a representative for the school with an NIL offer to transfer. He then showed the text on screen.
“Good afternoon,” it read. “I have a minimum [scratched out] the table for you in the fall portal. Not sure if you have even thought about the transfer portal but would love to connect with you and your folks about the opportunity this week if you have some availability.”
Ultimately, he opted to stay at Virginia Tech with new head coach James Franklin, and he didn’t reveal what school it was that tampered with him.
“I ain’t going to air out no school,” Copeland said. “I’m not going to get nobody in trouble or anything. It’s really serious. I just thought it would be cool to talk about it.”
But given the current state of affairs in college football, it just goes to show how much of a free-for-all it truly is out there.