Brandon Copeland (linebacker)

Brandon Matthew Copeland (born July 2, 1991) is an American football outside linebacker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Pennsylvania.

Brandon Copeland
Copeland with the Ravens in 2013
No. 52 – New England Patriots
Position:Outside linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1991-07-02) July 2, 1991
Sykesville, Maryland
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:263 lb (119 kg)
Career information
High school:Gilman School
(Baltimore, Maryland)
College:Penn
Undrafted:2013
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Active
Career NFL statistics as of Week 3, 2020
Total tackles:117
Sacks:7.0
Forced fumbles:2
Fumble recoveries:0
Interceptions:0
Pass deflections:4
Player stats at NFL.com

Early life

Copeland is from Sykesville, Maryland.[1] He is the grandson of former Baltimore Colts player Roy Hilton.[2] Copeland graduated from the Gilman School[3] where he played 3 sports: football, basketball and track. During his senior year of high school, Copeland was awarded the position of team captain. [4]

He was on the championship squad at the 2006 Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association.[5] He received the National Football Foundation Scholar Athlete of the Year Award in 2008 and was an Academic All-State team honoree the same year.[6]

College career

Copeland attended the University of Pennsylvania where he was the captain of the 2012 Ivy League championship winning team.[7] He graduated from the Wharton School with a Bachelor of Science in economics.

Professional career

Baltimore Ravens

On April 27, 2013, he signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent.[8] He was waived on August 31, 2013.

Tennessee Titans

He signed with the Tennessee Titans to their practice squad on October 8, 2013. He was released from the Titans’ practice squad on November 5, 2013, but re-signed to the team's practice squad on November 12, 2013. He signed with the Titans to a future contract on December 31, 2013.

Detroit Lions

On April 7, 2015, Copeland signed a one-year contract with the Detroit Lions.[9] It came after he participated in the NFL Veterans Combine, where he, along with Ifeanyi Momah were the only participants to be offered contracts.

Copeland suffered a torn pectoral in the Lions' first preseason game of 2017 and was ruled out for the season.[10][11]

New York Jets

On March 19, 2018, Copeland signed with the New York Jets.[12] He played in 16 games with 10 starts, recording 35 combined tackles, and five sacks.

On March 25, 2019, Copeland re-signed with the Jets.[13] He was suspended the first four games of the 2019 season for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances.[14] He was reinstated from suspension on October 7, 2019, and was activated prior to Week 6. In week 9 against the Miami Dolphins, Copeland recorded a team high 9 tackles and sacked Ryan Fitzpatrick once in the 26–18 loss.[15]

New England Patriots

On March 25, 2020, Copeland signed a $1.1 million contract with the New England Patriots.[16] He was placed on injured reserve on October 28, 2020 after suffering a torn pectoral in Week 7.[17]

Personal life

Copeland interned at the investment bank UBS over summers during college and has since returned to Penn to teach a financial literacy seminar with Dr. Brian Peterson, the director of Penn's Makuu Black Cultural Center [18]

References
  1. Brown, Clifton. "Long shots vie for roster spots". csnbaltimore.com. Archived from the original on June 28, 2013. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  2. "Home-Grown Brandon Copeland Trying To Make It". baltimoreravens.com. Archived from the original on June 7, 2013. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  3. Wilson, Aaron (May 16, 2013). "Taking stock at Ravens' inside linebacker position minus Rolando McClain". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on April 4, 2014. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  4. "Biography". baltimoreravens.com. Archived from the original on June 13, 2013. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  5. "Biography". baltimoreravens.com. Archived from the original on June 13, 2013. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  6. "Biography". baltimoreravens.com. Archived from the original on June 13, 2013. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  7. "IVY CHAMPS! Football Wins Thriller to Claim Outright Title, 35-28". pennathletics.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  8. "Ravens Sign 14 Undrafted Free Agents". baltimoreravens.com. Archived from the original on May 6, 2013. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
  9. Twentyman, Tim (April 7, 2015). "Lions sign linebacker Brandon Copeland". Detroit Lions. Archived from the original on April 10, 2015. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  10. Williams, Charean (August 14, 2017). "Brandon Copeland reportedly out for year with torn pec". ProFootballTalk.NBCSports.com.
  11. "Lions sign three free agents". DetroitLions.com. August 16, 2017. Archived from the original on August 16, 2017. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
  12. Bouda, Nate (March 19, 2018). "Jets Sign LB Brandon Copeland".
  13. Greenberg, Ethan (March 25, 2019). "Jets Re-Sign LB Brandon Copeland". NewYorkJets.com.
  14. Bergman, Jeremy (August 21, 2019). "Jets OLB Brandon Copeland suspended four games". NFL.com.
  15. "Dolphins get first win of 2019, top Jets 26-18". www.espn.com. November 3, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  16. Alper, Josh (March 22, 2020). "Patriots add Brandon Copeland". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports.
  17. "Patriots place LB Brandon Copeland on injured reserve and TE Jake Burt on practice squad injured reserve". Patriots.com. October 28, 2020.
  18. Elkins, Kathleen (March 2, 2019). "NFL player who saves nearly 90% of his income teaches a money class at Penn called 'Life 101'".
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