Pope was promoted as wide receivers coach, replacing Kodi Burns who joined the New Orleans Saints’ staff.
Pope served as an offensive analyst at Tennessee in 2021. He played wide receiver collegiately at Samford from 2010-13.
“Smart, competitive, consistent, great communicator, great leader inside of the room and mentor to those young guys,” Heupel said of Pope following Tennessee’s first spring practice. “He has all of the tools to be a dynamic and elite coach. I hired him because there was no doubt that he was the right guy for the job.
“I believe in who he is and how he will help those guys grow. He has done a great job with those guys in the year that he has been here. We have great trust and confidence in him. He is going to be a great recruiter because he is relationship-driven and great communicator. He is going to work at it and those are the traits you need. We are excited and fortunate to have him apart of our staff.”
Following Tennessee’s ninth spring practice, Pope met with media and discussed overseeing the Vols’ wide receivers.