Former Ohio State Linebacker K'Vaughan Pope Transferring To Tennessee State

Pope was dismissed from the team in September following a heated exchange with the coaching staff over playing time.

Author:
Andrew Lind
Apr 1, 2022 11:29 AM EDT

In this story:

Former Ohio State linebacker K’Vaughan Pope announced on Friday morning he is transferring to Tennessee State, where he’ll be coached by former Buckeyes running back Eddie George.

A former four-star prospect from Dinwiddie, Va., Pope was expected to start as a senior last fall but played just 31 defensive snaps through the first three games of the season. His frustration with a lack of playing time came to a head against Akron on Sept. 25, when he was set to enter the game in the second quarter before being waved off the field by fellow senior linebacker Terajda Mitchell.

Pope immediately headed to the locker room before director of player development C.J. Barnett grabbed him and brought him back to the sideline, where he got into a verbal altercation with former linebackers coach Al Washington. He then removed his jersey and threw his gloves in the stands, at which time head coach Ryan Day pointed him back to the locker room, where he took out his frustrations on social media.

After briefly addressing the incident during his postgame press conference, Day dismissed Pope from the team the following morning, though he remained on scholarship for the remainder of the semester. Pope later apologized for his actions, noting that he let his emotions get the best of him.

“For that, I want to apologize to my teammates, coaches and Buckeye Nation," Pope said in a statement on Twitter. "I made a mistake and know that I need to be better and do better. I’m going to take this time to reflect and work on my mental well-being.”

Seeing as he only played in four games last season and has the extra year granted to all student-athletes amid the pandemic at his disposal, Pope will have two seasons of eligibility remaining with the Tigers, who also have former Ohio State running back Pepe Pearson, center Michael Brewster and defensive back Richard McNutt on staff.

Pope played in 34 games with the Buckeyes across four seasons, recording 19 tackles, five pass break ups, two interceptions and 1.5 tackles for loss. He joins a roster that went 5-6 in George’s first season at the helm.

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