Neat behind the scenes look from Virginia Tech DL Kemari Copeland about how tampering goes down.But what really ties it together is setting the video to Chopin's Nocturne in E flat Major, Opus 9, Number 2. pic.twitter.com/vqgQCqvx4N— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) January 30, 2026
As far as I know Copeland is one of, if not the first player to come out publicly to explain how easily tampering happens during the season.
As an aside, from this description, does anyone know who this school might be? Sounds like they were front row behind the bench decked out in gear of a school we weren't playing and maybe the 8th game of the season? Any internet sleuths able to figure it out?
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We probably shouldn't throw stones since I am sure we have tampered and will tamper. In fact, I believe we have been publicly outed for tampering with a certain RB that transferred to UVA last year.
That was a made up story. That is what I believe and will continue to believe unless they actually have any proof which has not been issued to date.
I mean, I don't think anyone is disputing we had a coach there, right? I'm sure he was talking to people. Was it "Come to Tech and we'll pay you 250k. Just to be clear, I'm tampering right now."? Probably not. Was he building relationships with folks that he might want to recruit? Probably. Does that count as made up?
Guess my thing is if the head coach really had such strong opinions about other teams coaches being present, then why would anyone that worked for him even consider giving a field pass to another coach? Always felt more inflated after the fact and made me wonder if the coach had a vested interest ($$) in where the RB ended up.
Yes, but I believe it wasn't an issue at all until we kind of cooled on our offer and decided to get 2-3 transfers for the price of what Taylor was going to demand. Then he took an offer from UVA and an opportunity to crap on VT (and probably encouraged by UVA's staff) to make us look bad and nothing else.
I can't believe I'm saying this, but I have a ton of respect for dabo for outing ole miss/pete Golding. No one else - not even The Salty Nard has been willing to name drop or share receipts.
No one wants it to be this way, but like all things in college sports, it's a race to the bottom. I think in the short term we'll see tweaks to contracts that attempt to prevent stuff like this, but I doubt it holds up in court. Until there's a CBA/antitrust exemption, this is the way it will go.
I am still waiting for the sanctions that should be given for tampering. They definitely violated the rules, and Clemson provided more than enough evidence. I would love for Ole Miss to get the player as well as a 5 scholarship reduction and a bowl ban.
Make it a post season ban so no trying to say CFP arent bowls and a reduction in allowed NIL or Rev Share to football. 5 scholarship loss would only hurt 5 kids that likely never see the field anyway.
Not scholarship reduction, roster reduction. Scholarships are meaningless in pay to play era.
Roster reduction still wont help unless you are cutting them by 60 spots. Only real impact now would be significant reduction in what they can pay players. Having a serious shortfall in money to players is only way to impact how they do on the field.
If taking away 5 spots wont do anything then why was everyone complaining there is a limit? Also, 5 spots for each case of tampering, that adds up quick.
Honestly, I dont see much difference between 105 and 120 or whatever with 85 scholarships. More kids have scholarships now but very few players outside of top 60 are seeing the field on Gameday. It gives the coaches more practice fodder and makes it easier than NFL dealing with injuries but colleges cant shop around for the injury replacement in season like the NFL (at least not yet). These days for a punishment to hurt the product on the field it all comes down to money.
but that means you can't take the developmental talent in the high school recruiting class, or your scout team is impacted, or you dont have depth at kicker/punter
Why? If they only have 100? Still leaves them 40 spots for all that. And with the portal there is even less risk of those 5 spots really impacting them.
Then petition the NCAA to limit rosters to 75 and be done with it
What else are you going to do? Remove revenue sharing, NIL is still there. Bowl ban? Bowls arent put on by the NCAA, The CFP can do what they please too.
You could remove a coach from being able to recruit but then they just do it any ways. You might get a show cause on a coach but courts will over turn that. There isnt much you can do because the courts will overturn everything that could cause any financial harm to players and coaches because of NCAA rules.
Post season ban, in the playoff era, would be hugely consequential imo. Making the player sit out a year is another option (though that might be antitrust issue)
Scholarship reduction is meaningless in this era. Not only can it be easily circumvented via NIL, but now that only the top 50 guys on your roster really matter, losing 5 out of 105 doesn't even matter.
Dabo's the only one that can say anything because he's the only one not tampering
What Dabo said is right a limit to transfers would absolutely curb some of this tampering. 1 free transfer, transfer on coach change, grad transfer. Anything else: 1 yr sit.
5 years of eligibility play all 5 if you want but you can't do it at 5 different schools.
So I spent a few minutes of my lunch looking through the pictures from the Cal game. You'll be shocked to learn that there aren't a ton of good shots of the people behind the bench in perfect focus. There is someone wearing an orange vest and a green hat with a logo on it that you can see in two pictures. Neither is high enough quality to see the logo well.
One of them is of Caleb Woodson on the sideline, the other is Kyron taking a selfie after the game. Same dude in both photos. If anyone wants to sleuth harder, have at it.
Point is, confirmed it was Miami, no doubt. You heard it here first. Or someone just happened to grab a green hat that day. One or the other.
Orange vest, basically dead center. First row.
So, here is a story I've never told before... not even to Tau Sigma Lambda...
Once upon a time, on a Caribbean airlines flight about 4'ish decades ago... I got on, got my window seat secured, and was good. In a bit, here came this tallish lankish kid, and he was having some overhead storage bin issues. (Trying to wedge this cardboard thingy up in there).
So, I got up and held the bin open for him... could not miss the: "Sharper Image" name on said box...
We got settled down, and he sees my No.24 in the Nation The Sporting News championship ("thanks @Coach God") bling. We get to talkin'... he details to me that he is *the* No.1 recruit in the State of Washington. He is on his way to a Huskie alum's/backer's Costa Rica estate. He goes on to tell me that he was at 'bama that morning... just 'cause he wanted to see it. He says they asked him: "If he liked coffee?" He said he did not. Though to be polite, he decided to say: 'sure'.
So, I asked him where he was gonna go: {sic: to college}?
He tells me he has not decided... as he was waiting to see if WashingtonU or Washington State would give him the bigger Vette?
We talk a decent amount of 'ball... eventually we land... and here rolls out all kind 'bama footballs and the most tricked out Sharper Image coffee maker -that a 'bama Coach slipped under his arm on the way out- that could be had coming loose from the overhead bin...
When I got back home, I bought the Street & Smith's for the upcoming season, and sure enuff, there he Top-3 or so State of Washington was... to his cred, just as he said.
Point being... this business is not shady... it is Entirely Cloudy... at best... at most.
"The more things change, the more they stay the same."
--Coach Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr
Fu' being one of the very few STRAIGHTEST players, Eye've seen... Frank and Co. were a good deal cleaner than most.
Now... in the N.i.L., pay-offs/play-offs era? Now that all things VeeTee have changed?
Q. What is the only thing I know about genies?
A. Your third wish needs to be for more... bottles!
💯
b.street
Absolutely your best, most relevant, insightful post you have ever made on here.
WRT NIL, I've always said, recruiting has always been a sausage factory. But in the NIL era, production is up, and the factory has lots of new windows. That's it.