Spring practices: Kelsey Pope discusses overseeing Tennessee’s wide receivers
Pope was promoted as wide receivers coach, replacing Kodi Burns who joined the New Orleans Saints’ staff.
Pope served as an offensive analyst at Tennessee in 2021. He played wide receiver collegiately at Samford from 2010-13.
“Smart, competitive, consistent, great communicator, great leader inside of the room and mentor to those young guys,” Heupel said of Pope following Tennessee’s first spring practice. “He has all of the tools to be a dynamic and elite coach. I hired him because there was no doubt that he was the right guy for the job.
“I believe in who he is and how he will help those guys grow. He has done a great job with those guys in the year that he has been here. We have great trust and confidence in him. He is going to be a great recruiter because he is relationship-driven and great communicator. He is going to work at it and those are the traits you need. We are excited and fortunate to have him apart of our staff.”
Following Tennessee’s ninth spring practice, Pope met with media and discussed overseeing the Vols’ wide receivers.
On what the transition has been like moving up in roles
Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire
“It’s been a really great transition. It’s been smooth. I’ve been really blessed to have a group that has already bought in to me and kind of what I’m about. Those guys knew what my expectations were coming in and they’ve done a good job of taking that, taking it head-on and pushing with it. So, the detail part, me trying to really push them and get to their core, they’ve responded really well. I’ve been super pleased as a position coach to have a group bought in to what I’m about, and they actually have taken that one themselves in their own roles. Preaching amongst their teammates and holding their teammates accountable. It’s been seamless, transition-wise, so far.”
On what the moment was like when he found out he was getting promoted
Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire
“It was good. I feel like I still haven’t come down from it. We kind of have been 90 miles an hour since then. Honestly, the biggest thing I took from that was the kids and their reactions. That gave me a ton of joy knowing that those guys had that confidence in me and they were going to bat for me wanting me to be their guy. That was the most fulfilling part of it all. I still haven’t come down from it. If you talk to me in June once things slow down, I’ll probably have an answer.”
On if he still talks to Kodi Burns
Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire
“I do. I talk to him, one, because he’s a friend. He did a great job helping me be groomed last year. We talk, obviously, about football. We bounce some ideas off. A lot of my conversations with him are life conversations. Who we are at the core, is similar. I think we do a great job staying in touch and pouring into each other that way. I talk to him about once a week.”
On how he makes the wide receiver room his room
Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire
“I think no matter where you are or who you’re around, you’re going to learn something from everybody. I think there is a duality in that, you always have to be yourself also. So, you do pull things that you learn, that you get from other people, but I still always have to be myself and do it in a mode where I’m still me, because the kids recognize that. If you’re not you, it’s kind of hard for them to respond to it. I do learn things and pull things from other people that I see that I like, but I’m always going to do it the way I would do it in my manner and my fashion.”
On how much he was thinking about being in the role that he is now
Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire
“I think you always have to have the mentality that I’m the guy. Coach Heupel does a good job of putting systems in place where everybody is adding value, in recruiting, when we are teaching on the field, when we are building our players personally. You have to be able to add value. In order to do that, you have to take on the role like ‘Hey, I’m the receivers coach.” It’s no different than what we teach the players, next man up. As soon as I’m not preparing like I’m that guy, when that opportunity comes I’m not going to be ready. So, the entire time, I’m not knowing this is going to come, but I’m preparing that way. Now, I’m giving the kids the most that I can, I’m able to add value and help them in any realm that I am able too.”
On taking on more responsibility in recruiting
Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire
“In recruiting it’s obviously a bigger adjustment because it’s SEC, it’s a bigger level than what I’m used to. Recruiting to me is based on relationships and is based on communication. Those two things happen to be two of my strong points. It has been great because again, Coach Heupel has systems in place. It’s kind of like the Heupel way where you’re in here, you’re going to recruit. You’re going to figure out how to get guys here. Figure out how to get guys and build relationships with them. Then it’s just being more intentional with the relationship piece and the communication piece.”
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