Kelsey Pope Explains What Can Be Done to Win the Third Starting Receiver Spot for Tennessee

There is currently a competition to see who will make themselves stand out for the final starting spot, what does the WR Coach Pope think about it?

Tennessee wide receiver TK Keys (5) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during a college football game between Tennessee and Furman in Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on Sept. 5, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Tennessee Vols have a lot of depth in the Wide Receiver position group. From the two stars in Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley all the way down the depth chart. Though they did lose some of that depth with the injury to Joakim Dodson, there is still plenty of talent to go around.

In his media availability, WR Coach and Passing Game Coordinator Kelsey Pope was asked about what he thought on who the third starting WR could be.

Kelsey Pope on his thoughts about who wil learn the third and final starting WR spot

"I think it’s still number three by committee right now, which is a luxury. We got three guys right now we feel good about playing in that spot. Nobody’s necessarily taking a jump. But individually, I think Radarious played really hard. He strained in run game. He added value in run game. And it was good to see him pop the stop route for an explosive on the far side of the field. It was good to see Travis make some plays. He made one play on the deep out. And then he had one I felt like a ball-in-hand situation. He could have broken a tackle and really taking advantage of. But it was good for him to get confidence. And then TK, being able to finish the deep ball in the end zone on the go ball was awesome to see. Those things give those guys confidence. And what’s affecting each other right now is just competition. TK is affecting Travis and RaRa is affecting Travis and TK. They’re really building off one another right now, which is what we want in that room. My plan is just for them to keep competing and us keep going,”

Kelsey Pope

The great news for Tennessee is that it is a difficult decision not because of poor play but players playing well. The sky is the limit for this group, and the expectation is they will continue to get better. Now it is time to see if someone separates themselves from the group and gets rid of any doubt.

Kelsey Pope on how someone can take that starting spot

“I think earning it first starts with practice. That always starts it, for sure. I think for guys to really solidify that, you do that in Neyland on Saturday, on the game field on Saturday. If one of those guys are ready to step up and really take that thing over, you guys will know before I do because you’ll see it on game day. You’ll see it the same way I do, with consistency, with playmaking and all those things we really preach. I’m excited for one of those guys to step up and do that,”

Kelsey Pope

As the season progresses it will be interesting to see which player is able to take advantage of the opportunity. No matter who starts, the Vols can still be confident in the talent backing them up.

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