Breaking Down Tennessee’s Receiving Room After Spring Camp
Tennessee gave wide receivers coach Kelsey Pope a raise and an extension this offseason after two productive seasons leading the Vols’ pass-catchers on the outside. And while Josh Heupel and Joey Halzle orchestrate the broad offense as a whole, Pope will have the task of figuring out how to best use Tennessee’s room of receivers […]
WATCH: Kelsey Pope, Tennessee Receivers Talk Spring Camp in Knoxville
Following Tennessee’s eighth workout of the spring camp slate on Wednesday morning in Knoxville, the wide receiver room had the spotlight with the media. Tennessee wide receivers coach Kelsey Pope is fresh off an off-season contract extension and is back in Knoxville for his third season leading his position group. Pope met with the media […]
Dont’e Thornton More ‘Confident’ And ‘Consistent’ Entering Second Season At Tennessee
Dont’e Thornton was just starting to the corner in his first season in Knoxville during mid November. He had failed to make much headway in the slot but after being moved outside, Thornton caught three passes for 63 yards in a win over Kentucky. Two weeks later, he made his best play all season, hauling […]
Tennessee Football Locks Down Kelsey Pope With Contract Extension and Raise
Tennessee has finalized a new contract extension and raise for wide receiver coach Kelsey Pope with spring practice right around the corner. Pope’s new multi-year contract extension will run through Jan. 31, 2026, Rocky Top Insider learned through documents acquired by a Freedom of Information Act request. On3 Sports’ VolQuest was the first to report […]
‘Confident, Comfortable’: Dont’e Thornton Finding New Role on Tennessee’s Offense
Tennessee wide receiver Dont’e Thornton has found a new role with the Vols’ offense entering the final stretch of the season. After spending the first eight weeks of the season listed as a slot receiver behind Squirrel White, Thornton has found new opportunities on the outside that has led to a more comfortable, confident player […]
Tennessee Football Assistant Listed As One Of 30 Rising Stars Coaches
Tennessee receivers coach Kelsey Pope hasn’t coached big time college football for long but he’s quickly made a name for himself. On3 released a list of 30 power five assistant coaches rising stars Wednesday morning with Vols’ receivers coach making the list. Pope is the only Tennessee assistant on the list. Pope is entering his […]
Tennessee Receiver Details How Other Teams Negatively Recruited Against The Vols
After Tennessee football’s resurgent 2022 season that included Jalin Hyatt becoming the first Vol to win the Biletnikoff Award, a new narrative has developed about Josh Heupel’s offense and the Vols’ program. Tennessee’s style of play doesn’t prepare players for the NFL and the skillsets that made them effective in Knoxville won’t translate to the […]
Dont’e Thornton’s Versatility Exciting For Tennessee’s Receiver Rotation
In Josh Heupel’s first two seasons Tennessee has almost exclusively played three receivers within a game. In 2021, Cedric Tillman, Velus Jones Jr. and JaVonta Payton earned the vast majority of the receiver snaps. Last season, Tillman, Bru McCoy and Jalin Hyatt were entrenched as Tennessee’s three receivers until Tillman injured his ankle against Akron. […]
Tennessee Working to Rebuild Critical Wide Receiver Room for 2023 Season
Thanks to the quality of Tennessee’s receiving corps over the past two seasons in Knoxville, the Vols have boasted one of the most prolific passing offenses in the country under head coach Josh Heupel. During Heupel’s first year on campus, Tennessee used a combination of Mississippi State transfer JaVonta Payton and second-year Tennessee receiver Velus […]
Jalin Hyatt Delivers Message to Recruits After Akron Blowout
Through just three games of the season, Vols wide receiver Jalin Hyatt has looked different than he ever has in a Tennessee uniform. Hyatt looks agile, quick, well-built, and most importantly, confident. If you ask Hyatt, he will tell you how much wide receivers coach Kelsey Pope has to do with that. It’s not hard […]
