Chris Brazzell hasn't had to prepare for a season the way he has this off-season.

While his former school, Tulane, has had a lot of success in its program history, the modern-day SEC is a different beast. To be successful, it takes a specific type of mentality every single day.

While Brazzell maybe didn't have this when he first got to Tennessee out of the transfer portal, wide receiver coach Kelsey Pope said he's doing things the right way now.

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"He’s dialed in, man," Pope said. "Like when he first got here, I don’t think he had a true expectation of what it took in this building and in this league to be successful. And right now he’s in a really good spot. He’s dialed in. He’s getting extra meetings, he’s getting extra film, like he’s doing a great job of preparing."

This gives Pope confidence in Brazzell. As long as he continues to prepare the right way, he'll have a chance to play an important role for the Vols.

With what Pope agreed was the deepest unit he's had since arriving at Tennessee, Brazzell has a chance to be one of the premier receivers in the offense.

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"I think as long as he does that and continues to do that, he’ll give himself a shot, right," Pope said. "We still got to obviously make plays on Saturday, but as long as you prepare the right way, you always give yourself a shot to be successful. He’s doing that right now. I’m pleased with him."

After the Vols' first scrimmage of the fall, Josh Heupel was also complimentary of Brazzell. When asked who stood out on offense, Brazzell was the first receiver that he named.

While the transfer has had to deal with some injury bugs in fall camp, when healthy, he's been at the top of the unit in drills. This commonly has him working with starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava as the pair continue to work on building a connection.

Brazzell is young in his career and largely unproven, but he could end up as one of the leading receivers for Tennessee in 2024.

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