Vols star assistant coach just got Tennessee in the mix for a 5-star recruit described as an ‘electric offensive weapon’
Tennessee Volunteers wide receivers coach Kelsey Pope is quickly becoming one of the top assistant coaches in all of college football. Pope has the Vols in the mix for another elite 5-star recruit.
The Tennessee Vols have had plenty of success in recent years when it comes to landing five-star wide receivers.
Tennessee landed five-star wide receiver Mike Matthews over the Georgia Bulldogs during the 2024 recruiting cycle.
The Vols then flipped five-star wide receiver Tristen Keys from the LSU Tigers during the 2026 recruiting cycle.
Tennessee has also landed several high four-star wide receivers over SEC rivals over the last couple of recruiting cycles, including Braylon Staley, Travis Smith, Radarious Jackson, Joakim Dodson, and Tyreek King.
That success is largely thanks to wide receivers coach Kelsey Pope, who is developing into one of the top assistant coaches in college football.
Kelsey Pope has the Vols in the mix for another 5-star wide receiver
Pope, who received a raise and a promotion earlier this offseason (he added passing game coordinator duties), reportedly has the Volunteers in the mix for another five-star wide receiver following a big recruiting weekend on Rocky Top.
According to On3’s Steve Wiltfong, Tennessee put itself in the mix for 2027 five-star wide receiver Eric McFarland, 5-foot-8/176 pounds from Las Vegas, NV (he plays high school football at IMG Academy in Florida).
“Tennessee hosted five-star receiver Eric McFarland III for 865 Live over the weekend, and the Vols become one of Texas A&M’s biggest challengers moving forward,” noted Wiltfong.
McFarland, who is rated by 247Sports as the No. 25 overall recruit in the 2027 class, is actually supposed to be in the class of 2028, but he reclassified in December.
On3’s Charles Power describes McFarland as a “diminutive playmaker who is electric with the ball in his hands.”
Power also noted that McFarland “looks like the best wide receiver in [IMG] program’s history after Carnell Tate.”
247Sports’ Andrew Ivins, meanwhile, says McFarland is “an electric offensive weapon that constantly puts defenders in conflict as he quickly transitions from receiver to runner with his speed and agility.”
Ivins compared McFarland to former Georgia wide receiver Zachariah Branch, a third-round pick by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Texas A&M appears to be the favorite — at least for now — to land McFarland, but you can never rule out Pope and the Vols. McFarland sounds like a dream fit in Tennessee’s offense, so I won’t be surprised if the Vols put the full-court press on him.