Tennessee Vols HC Josh Heupel gives one of his assistant coaches a strong endorsement
Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel offered a strong endorsement of one of his assistant coaches during Vol Calls on Wednesday evening. Heupel was asked by a caller about wide receivers coach Kelsey Pope and what he's meant to the success of Tennessee football. "From the moment that we hired him, had a pretty good […]
Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel offered a strong endorsement of one of his assistant coaches during Vol Calls on Wednesday evening.
Heupel was asked by a caller about wide receivers coach Kelsey Pope and what he's meant to the success of Tennessee football.
"From the moment that we hired him, had a pretty good understanding of who he was, what he was about," said Heupel. "Had a chance to interview him previously and he’s smart, he’s articulate, he understands the game. He played the game at a high level. He’s able to communicate and relate to kids at a really high level. His first year here inside of this program, he was very instrumental in the growth and development of our wide receivers such as Cedric Tillman [and] Velus Jones. Just had great belief in who he was and how he was going to compete every single day."
"He’s smart, he understands what we’re doing," added Heupel. "He understands defensive structure. He’s a great fundamental coach. He does a great job of refining these guys’ skills in the offseason and once we’re on the grass, too."
“People talk about recruiting and there’s a lot of things that go into that," continued Heupel. "But first and foremost it’s about being able to develop a relationship with kids — showing that you care about them. Having the kids that you’re coaching being able to relate that same type of information to the guys when they come on campus. He’s got a relentless work ethic and couldn’t be happier to have him as part of our program. He does an unbelievable job with our wide receivers and does a great job inside of our pass game.”
Pope is entering his second season as Tennessee's wide receivers coach. He served as an analyst for the Vols in 2021 before replacing previous Vols wide receivers coach Kodi Burns, who left for the same job with the New Orleans Saints after the 2021 season.
Featured image via Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
