Everything Kelsey Pope Said Ahead of Tennessee vs. Auburn

The Tennessee Vols are set for their game against the Auburn Tigers, which will kickoff this Saturday.

Prior to the contest, Kelsey Pope spoke with the media. Here is what he had to say.

Kelsey Pope on How the Wide Receivers Need to Help the Quarterback When They Are Facing a Ton of Pressure

“Yeah, I think you obviously try to make adjustments, play call, depths, and things like that. As a wide out, you just got to understand that I’m not only trying to defeat the DB, but you got to defeat the D-line too. So, we always try to preach, man, it’s an internal clock that we’ve got to have. We can’t be wasting a lot of time. In this league, every single game is going to be that type of urgency. So that’s typically the type of stuff you got to get to,” Pope said.

Kelsey Pope on Teachable Moments

Mike Matthess — Sep 12, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Mike Matthews (4) celebrates after a victory over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“I think for one, man, you’ve got to be present in the moment. You’ve got guys running back, understand the situation and be aware. It’s the last play of the game, give yourself a shot, sprint back, but do everything you can to get back and give yourself a chance. And not only them, we talk as a coaching staff, there’s a lot we can correct and do a better job of being able to put them in the position. The issue with things like that is when you don’t have timeouts, a lot of it is on the fly. And so our emphasis is in practice, we got to continue to put them in unique situations like that. Because a lot of it is on the fly, so they’re having problems and use their brain on the fly to be able to make the best decision. But a lot of times, if you just strain and get back to the line of scrimmage, make sure you’re on the sides, you pay attention to the little things, you at least give yourself a shot. So, we got a lot we can clean up, player side and coaching side, that we can talk through,” Pope said.

Kelsey Pope on His Assesment of the Wide Receivers vs. the Secondaries Thus Far

Tennessee wide receiver Braylon Staley (14) celebrates a first down in front of Texas defensive back Jelani McDonald (4) during a college football game on Sept. 26, 2026, in Knoxville, Tennessee. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

“Man, that’s a great point, kind of hitting close to home. Because I talked to receivers about this when they got back up Sunday. Man, they were hurt. A lot of times as coaches, you try to act like SuperMan and you try to eliminate vulnerabilities. But man, I told him I went through a bunch of emotions after that game, probably more than I’ve ever had in my career, and not just because of the magnitude of the game, but I think you pair that with, you see these guys fight and strain, you see them grow up, you see them mature, and you just want it so bad for them. And so I think getting those guys to understand that you don’t have an opportunity to overcome games like that a lot. And when you do get a chance, we got to really take advantage of it. And so just having those guys practice with that same type of urgency, that same feeling, and using that to really motivate them and fuel them in my everyday habits, right? Routes on air, when we’re going one on one, I can’t forget about that thought. It’s got to be a lasting impression on you. And I think it changes your behavior. And so I say all that to say, I think after that game, I think you saw a different type of urgency from the guys to get open, to focus on detail and technique and to really use that feeling to transform them into being the players they want to be,” Pope said.

Kelsey Pope on How His Group Can Help Faizon Brandon

“They can give him their own personal experiences. A lot of these guys come to this level and never lost a game before. A lot of them come to this level and they’ve always been the best player on the team, and so I think our guys can do a good job of just, ‘yo, I was the same way in high school. I got here and it was different.’ And I think that will continue to build a relationship. But Faizon has done a good job. He’s a warrior. He’s a hard worker. He’s really tough mentally, like him and the rest of the offense. Those guys had a great look in their eye today. We had a great practice today, and I think they’re trending to go bounce back the way that we know we can and we will," Pope said.

Kelsey Pope on Radarious Jackson's Development

“Radarious is growing a lot. And I can say that about a lot of them. Outside of the result that you don’t like. Like when you pull up the tape, I talked about kind of emotions that I went through after losing a game like that. But what was gratifying was we had guys open all over the field. They did a good job of working technique. They did a good job of competing and dominating not only in pass game, but in run game. Like, I was at least pleased. Again, we had a ton to clean up, but I was at least pleased with the way that they competed. And after you turn on the tape and you show the guys that, I think they see it and it’s able to give them some confidence. Like guys like Radarious. So, as long as they keep competing and keep doing their job at a high level and paying attention to detail, they’ll continue to get rewarded with playing time and things like that. So I’ve been proud of him and a couple of other guys that are still growing, I'm proud of them also, but it’s a collective. And when you’ve got a couple guys that do it the right way, it’s easy for the younger guys to follow suit,” Pope said.

Kelsey Pope on TK Keys

“TK is obviously talented. For him, it’s just understanding like what type of urgency that you got to play with. At this level, it’s a one-score game 90% of the game this past week. And for freshmen, it’s hard for them to understand at any moment that game could flip and change, good or bad. And so my urgency and my focus, it has to be on point. Like a lot of times when you don’t start and you come in the game, everybody else’s intensity is already high. And so when I come in, there’s really no time to get myself going or get in a rhythm. So you got to kinda come in like almost a fighter pilot. Once you get in that plane, it’s time to go, anything can happen. I’m either shooting at people or I’m getting shot. And so for him, a continuous sense of urgency every single snap. Those are things we focus on in practice. He’s doing a good job of giving himself a chance. But TK’s going to play more. We’ve talked about it, he knows that. And I think he’s going to be ready when that time, when that opportunity comes,” Pope said.

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