Tennessee Vols wide receivers coach Kelsey Pope is one of the top assistants in the country.

Pope, who has served as the Vols’ wide receivers coach since 2022 (Pope was an analyst at UT in 2021), has proved over the last few seasons to be an elite recruiter and a terrific developer.

Last season, under Pope’s guidance, the Vols had three wide receivers who finished with at least 800 receiving yards (Chris Brazzell, Mike Matthews, and Braylon Staley). Tennessee also signed five-star wide receiver Tristen Keys, the No. 1 wide receiver in the 2026 recruiting class.

Suffice it to say, Pope is an important assistant for Vols head coach Josh Heupel.

And the good news for Heupel and Tennessee is that Pope isn’t planning on leaving Rocky Top anytime soon.

Pope said during an appearance this week on The Mike Keith Show that he wants to stay with Tennessee as long as the program will let him.

“I tell people all the time, and parents ask, ‘How long you gonna be at Tennessee?’” said Pope. “And I’m telling them, ‘I’ll be here as long as Tennessee has me.’ Because I’ve started to build a legacy here. What we’ve done here is really, really special. And it’s something that hasn’t happened here in a long time, and I take that personally.

“So for me to leave, like, it’s hard. It’s hard on me, it’s hard on my family, and that’s not something I’m willing to do right now. I love this place, I love what we’ve done, I love what we created. And I want to build that as much as I can and hopefully win a national championship.”

You never know what the future may hold. If Pope keeps doing an elite job like he has the last few years, he’ll be presented with some incredible opportunities that he may not be able to pass up.

For now, though, it’s clear that Pope isn’t looking to leave Knoxville.

Georgia and Alabama had interest in Kelsey Pope two years ago

Pope’s comments to Keith aren’t just lip service — he’s received interest from some prominent programs in recent years.

Georgia and Alabama, in fact, showed interest in Pope two years ago.

“Georgia certainly had some interest,” said VolQuest’s Brent Hubbs in early 2024. “I don’t know if he was No. 1 on the board or No. 3 on the board or where he was, but they definitely had some interest in him and had reached out. He’s a guy that Alabama had interest in him at one point as well. So I think he’s pretty well thought of out there.”

According to Adam Sparks of the Knoxville News Sentinel, Pope received a two year contract extension in December that raised his annual pay from $550,000 to $800,000 in 2026 and $850,000 in 2027.

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