Copper Worth Weight In Gold To Defense
Roanoke (Va.) Northside linebacker Jon Copper has some big shoes to fill in replacing fellow 'backer Justin London as the star on defense. And while he's not getting the same amount of attention as UCLA freshman London was, he's still getting his share.
"Right now I would say my favorites are Virginia and Virginia Tech," said the 6-foot, 225-pounder. "After them I like East Carolina, Liberty, William & Mary and Navy."
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Copper actually made a name for himself in the state of Oregon with a standout performance at the NIKE Camp held there. He also did well at summer camp at Virginia Tech when he ran a 4.67-second 40-yard dash and a 4.34-second shuttle.
"I don't have any offers yet, but teams said they want to see early film on me," he said. "I'd love to get an offer from either in-school state."
Copper has already visited Virginia Tech, Virginia, East Carolina, NC State, Tennessee and Florida this summer and hopes to get invited on a few official visits. He is being realistic about his chances with Virginia and Virginia Tech.
"Coach (Bud) Foster told me that Tech only has around 15 scholarships and they've offered three linebackers and will probably take one of them," he said. "Virginia has more room and coach (Danny) Rocco has talked about an offer, but I haven't received one yet."
Copper, who made 83 tackles, 10 sacks, 33 tackles for loss, and three deflected passes as a junior, wants to wait as long as he can.
"I'll wait until February for the right offer."