Receivers coach Kelsey Pope has agreed to a contract extension with Tennessee football, On3’s Chris Low first reported Friday. Pope is one of the top receivers coaches in the country and he resigned a two-year contract with Tennessee despite being highly sought after. Pope was on an outgoing contract that was set to expire at the end of January. He is adding the title of Passing Game Coordinator.
That made him ripe for other schools to pursue. Jon Summrall particularly had interest in Pope as he attempts to fill out his inaugural staff at Florida.
The 33-year old made $550,000 last season plus bonuses. He is receiving a nice pay bump according to Low and will make $825,000 in 2026 and $850,000 in 2027.
Pope has been on staff at Tennessee since Josh Heupel arrived. He was originally an offensive analyst but became receivers coach when Kodi Burns left for the New Orleans Saints following the 2021 season.
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Tennessee’s receivers had a breakout 2025 season. Chris Brazzell led the league in receiving on his way to earning First Team All-SEC honors. Both Braylon Staley and Mike Matthews ranked in the top 10 of the SEC in receiving and are in line to return for Tennessee next season.
As impressive as Tennessee’s recent success on the field at receiver is Pope’s success on the recruiting trail in the 2026 cycle. The Vols signed five-star receiver TK Keys, four-star receiver Tyreek King and four-star athlete Legend Bey— though Bey’s future at Tennessee is uncertain.
Keys was the most impressive win for Tennessee in the 2026 recruiting cycle. The Hattiesburg native originally committed to LSU over Tennessee early in the recruiting cycle before flipping to his commitment to Pope and the Vols back in August.
Tennessee running backs coach De’Rail Sims is also on an expiring contract. But offensive coordinator Joey Halzle, offensive line coach Glen Elarbee and tight ends coach Alec Abeln are on contract through at least January 2027. By retaining Pope, there’s a strong chance that Tennessee’s offensive staff will remain intact next year.
