One of the main reasons the national media was down on the Tennessee Vols heading into the 2025 season was the uncertainty surrounding UT’s wide receiver room.

Tennessee’s wide receiver room features plenty of elite talent, but it’s short on experience.

The Vols’ starting wide receiver trio — Chris Brazzell, Mike Matthews, and Braylon Staley — combined for 39 receptions last season (29 of those belonged to Brazzell).

Three talented true freshmen — Travis Smith, Radarious Jackson, and Joakim Dodson — are next up on the depth chart.

Despite their lack of experience, Tennessee’s wide receivers are confident heading into SEC play, and they’re playing with a chip on their shoulder after all of the offseason noise from the national media.

Vols wide receivers coach Kelsey Pope confirms that Tennessee’s wide receivers ‘kept the receipts’

Vols wide receivers coach Kelsey Pope met with reporters on Tuesday, and he confirmed that UT’s wide receivers are playing with a chip on their shoulder this fall.

“I think they all got chips on their shoulders,” said Pope of Tennessee’s wide receivers. “I think they all keep receipts. They’ve heard some of the stuff — like we all have. But that’s the good thing about being an athlete, is you can channel that stuff the right way. In the end, you can have the world in your hands and you can have the last say so. And I think those guys are very in tune with that. And they’re channeling it the right way.”

Tennessee redshirt freshman Braylon Staley echoed those sentiments while speaking with the media on Tuesday.

“We definitely have a chip on our shoulder,” said Staley. “You know, coming from last year, we didn’t play as much. Coming into this year, people were just saying, ‘They’re young, they’re freshmen. This is the first time they’re starting, they probably don’t know what to do’. But you know, that put a chip on our shoulder, and it just makes us play harder.”

The entire Tennessee team will need to play with a chip on its shoulder against the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday. Georgia is eager to keep its winning streak alive against the Volunteers. Tennessee needs to make it personal against the Bulldogs to ensure they have every possible advantage in Neyland Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Tennessee Volunteers News

Tennessee Vols fans call out Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule for comment he made during leaked halftime video

Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule learned an important lesson this week — Tennessee Vols fans never forget. Rhule went viral on Monday for a “leaked” video of his halftime speech in Nebraska’s 68-0 win against Akron. The third year Nebraska head coach ripped into his team despite the Cornhuskers holding a 33-o halftime lead. […]

Zach Ragan