Kelsey Pope still hasn't settled down.
He doesn't want to.
Heading into his second season as Tennessee's wide receivers coach, Pope continues to hold himself to a high standard, one that keeps him constantly looking to improve.
It's what led him to a record-setting career as a player at Samford and now a position coach in college football's best offense at just 30-years-old.
"At this level, you never want to feel comfortable," Pope said. "I think a continuous pursuit of growth is what I try to maintain. In this league alone, if you feel comfortable in an instant you're probably getting worse.
"For me, it's continuing to be aware of my players, what they need and to put pressure on myself everyday."
Pope was promoted from within after serving as an offensive analyst on the staff and the departure of Kodi Burns to the NFL following the 2021 season.
All he did in year one was oversee a wide receivers group that shattered program records, exploited SEC defenses and headlined a Tennessee offense that led the nation in nearly every statistic in 2022.
Jalin Hyatt won the Biletnikoff Award after catching 67 passes for 1,267 yards and 15 touchdowns. Ramel Keyton went from backup to key role player. Squirrel White burst onto the scene as a speedy freshman, becoming a consistent target by the end of the of the season.
As Tennessee inches closer to the completion of spring camp and an offseason of further development, optimism abounds in the Vols' receiving room. It should.
Keyton and White are back with plenty of experience, as is Bru McCoy. Dont'e Thornton, who averaged nearly 22 yards per reception at Oregon last season was added from the transfer portal in January.
But there is a lot of production to replace with Hyatt and Cedric Tillman both heading to the NFL. Through two weeks of spring practices, Pope is still molding the next crop of receivers.
"I think (what to expect from the wide receivers) is to be seen," Pope said. "That is why you have to stay in it. Part of the word 'process' is you never know what the end product will be. We can start hot and not have the type of work ethic we want and things go the opposite way. We could start not the way we want to and start to work and prepare the right way and get things going. I think that is always to be seen. My main focus is not really the end result or production.
"I just want to see these kids operate, I want to see them build habits because those are ultimately what is going to take over when bullets are flying."
Leadership helps.
Keyton's role will be paramount there. He turned in his best campaign in his four seasons at Tennessee last season, hauling in 31 catches for 562 yards and five touchdowns. Keyton hadn't scored a touchdown in his previous three seasons.
He can even take credit for helping keep the Vols' season intact before it really started.
With Tillman sidelined because of an ankle injury, Keyton stepped up in Tennessee's fourth game of the season against Florida, memorably stretching out and snagging a Hendon Hooker pass that led to a go-ahead touchdown just before halftime of what ended up being a 38-33 win.
Tennessee beat LSU in Baton Rouge the following week. Then Alabama.
Keyton continued to make the most of his playing time, scoring a 46-yard touchdown thrown by quarterback Joe Milton III in the Vols' 31-14 thumping of Clemson in the Orange Bowl to cap an 11-win season.
With 23 games under his belt, Keyton is now the veteran.
"Ramel is a savvy veteran," Pope said. "He is all ball and he has done a great job of taking that leadership role. He has been more of a quiet guy, just naturally and I think he has seen himself emerge into that leadership role because he has seen a lot of football. In that room, he has seen the most ball. He has been here the most and it shows in his level of play.
"In situations where bullets are flying and other guys might get out of wack, Ramel is cool, calm and collected and that allows him to make plays in those situations."
White has that potential, too.
He flashed his abilities against Clemson, totaling 108 yards and a score on nine receptions. At 5-foot-8, White began to emerge as a legitimate downfield threat for Milton and appears to be doing much of the same in spring camp in the slot.
The 6-foot-5, 210 pound Thornton has practiced there as well, giving Pope two quick players with different frames that can be versatile at his disposal.
"Both of those guys have the ability to run," Pope said. "Squirrel is more of a vertical guy. Dont'e can run, he adds a little bit more lateral, little bit more on the line of scrimmage. Both of those guys have a unique skillset that we are going to have to take advantage of this year and it will help us win."
Among Tennessee's recruiting hauls was four star wideout Nathan Leacock, who is signed with the Vols as an early enrollee and is currently going through his first spring.
Leacock had 23 touchdowns and more than 1,000 yards as a senior in high school. Standing at 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, all of the physical tools are there for the freshman but spring has been about adjustment to other areas of his game.
"(Leacock) has been awesome also," Pope said. "He's been a guy that stands out. Physically, he is absolutely gifted, extremely gifted physically. The next biggest thing, and what he is starting to do and grow, in is more of the mental, detail, technical piece. As a wideout, I cannot be all athlete and get open in this league. There is a method to the madness. You have to be a technician, you have to be detail-oriented in your work and that allows you to create separation against some of the guys you will face in this league.
"He is a physical specimen. He has done a great job the last couple of practices of starting to hone in on details and you see it play out on days like today."
Though Pope has only been a position coach Tennessee for one full season, he has had his hand in developing receivers since his first season on the staff.
He helped in the development of Velus Jones Jr. and Tillman, who was named All-SEC in 2021. Pope hopes for similar successes with his current group.
"I think offensive football is all about molding your players," Pope said. "...As an offensive coach, you have to tailor your system to the skillset of your players. I think even more, us being able to be successful with a bunch of different body types and skillsets shows recruits it doesn't matter what they look like. These guys can put me in a position to win and help get to where I want to get to."
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