Tennessee receivers coach Kelsey Pope met with the local media on Thursday afternoon after the Vols completed their seventh fall practice.
The Vols have more depth at receiver than they have had at any other point during Josh Heupel’s tenure which has led to fierce competition during fall camp. Pope discussed that competition, the growth of Dont’e Thornton in his second season in the program and much more. Here’s everything Pope said on Thursday.
More From RTI: Watch Tennessee Practice Highlights From Thursday Morning
On if he thinks this is the deepest group of Tennessee wide receivers he’s had entering the season
“I absolutely do. I think this is a huge testament to what we’re doing in recruiting, what our personnel department is doing to bring talent in here. And it’s also affecting our room in a positive way. Guys are competitive on and off the field and it’s helped us grow, helped those guys individually.”
On what Chas Nimrod has done over the offseason
“He’s done a great job, for one, of changing his body. He’s gained a lot of muscle. He looks different on the field because of that and he’s competing his butt off right now. He’s had a really good camp. Today was probably his best practice that he’s had since he’s been here, just from a consistency and competitive standpoint. So I’m looking forward to seeing more out of him as he continues to train. He’s done an awesome job so far.”
On if he worries about how he’s going to get so many Tennessee receivers on the field or if that’s a good problem to have
“All of our guys play multiple spots, right? Just on a given day they might be in one spot, but each one of our guys have to play multiple positions and that’s why. Because you have to have some position flexibility. So there may be times where Bru (McCoy’s) got to go to slide (inside), Mike (Matthews has) got to go outside. They’ve got to know positions. And I think that depth has forced those guys to put more on themselves, to learn different positions so I can add value and get on the field however that may be. So even if on a given day, if you see Squirrel (White), Chas and Mike at a spot, those guys can go play anywhere in our system.”
On how Bru McCoy reacts to being held back at times and the progress he’s made coming back from injury
“If you know him, you know he’s anxious to go play and compete, which is a good thing from my standpoint. I would much rather hold a guy back and tell him hold up than have to get a guy to be aggressive. So it’s actually a positive for him, it is. For him, it’s just giving him the big picture. Our plan for him, kind of our workload plan for him, not getting back in there too soon and putting a bunch of volume on. He’s done a good job of trusting that he’s done an amazing job of leading his room. He’s one of the best leaders I’ve ever been around, player or coach, in my career. So we’re, we’re fortunate to have him in that role.”
On having a veteran and leader like Bru McCoy that can be another coach on the field and in the meeting room for Tennessee’s wide receivers
“It is awesome. I think for me it challenges me because I think kids like that you can take for granted as a coach and just assume a lot because they’re always in the right place, they’re always doing extra. So for me as a coach, it challenges me like, how can I do things that may be out of the box or unorthodox or put him in situations where he’s uncomfortable so he can continue to grow? I do think also that when young guys see me coach him and challenge him, those guys realize that everybody’s getting coached the same way. Everyone is getting challenged and there’s a respect in the room, that means everybody has to compete to kind of earn their place and create their own value.”
On the difference in Tennessee transfer Chris Brazzell between the spring and now
“He’s dialed in, man. 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. And I think as long as he does that and continues to do that, he’ll give himself a shot, right? 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.”
On the difference in Dont’e Thornton now versus a year ago
“As transparent as I can be, I think mindset. I think when he got here, there’s a ton of nervousness, there’s a ton of anxiety. He put pressure on himself a lot. I think the biggest thing that kid has done this off season, he’s just allowed himself to work as hard as he can and let the chips fall where they may. And a lot of times when you do that as an athlete, you make more plays because you’re a lot looser when you’re playing. You’re not so wound up and tightened up and put pressure on himself. So he’s come a a very long way as far as his mental makeup. He’s built a lot of confidence and it’s because of a lot of work that he’s done this offseason to gain the confidence. Dont’e is in a good spot as well.”
On what he wants to see from Tennessee’s receivers in Friday night’s scrimmage
“I think for me, I want see those guys compete in every facet man. I want to seet them compete in a run game and get nasty and block their butts off. And obviously when we got the ability to go make plays down the field, I want to see us do that. But I think a lot of times we think about those plays, feels like a while ago, but the things that makes receivers good are the details on third down. And being able to move the chains. It’s being able to play a game within a game and understand how to influence my opponent in one game as well as in pass and help myself with my split. So really, those little things are the things that I want to see us compete at, not necessarily just the big plays and winning the balls in there. I want to see us compete in those small facets that kind of make up the game.”
On if Dont’e Thornton is more comfortable, less anxious playing outside
“I think it is like, these guys read things and they come in with their own expectations and naturally they put a lot of pressure on themselves. So I think when Dont’e came in, it was pressure on himself to kind of go make plays and prove people wrong. And I talked to him a lot this off season about proving himself right. And I think naturally you get a calmness about that when you just make it about you.”
On Nathan Leacock’s growth this offseason
“I think that guy’s done a great job this off season. He caught more balls than anyone this off season. He’s anywhere between like 12 and 13,000 balls, which was a huge area that he had to grow in. He’s changed his body. He’s healthy and he’s playing fast right now. And I think, you guys keep asking about growth from everybody, man. I think the true equalizer is competition. Like we done a great job of putting talent in that room and when there’s talent in that room, there’s an expectation to make plays, right? And as each guy in the room has done that, there’s a guy on the side that’s looking like, man, I gotta go make that play because I got to earn playing time. And that’s been a huge thing this off season that’s helped us be successful so far.”
On Squirrel White being on the Biletnikoff Award Watch List, his relationship with Nico Iamaleava
“All that’s great. That’s more for his family to enjoy than him. Those watch lists and awards, man, like those things don’t help us get results, right? So for him it’s continue to keep the work ethic the main thing, right? You don’t get anything for reputation. It’s great that he’s kind of got a reputation out there, but he’s gotta continue to work. We don’t live off reputation, right? And Squirrel’s doing a great job of being in the building. He’s got some own things that he’s done a good job of managing this off season. He’s grown a lot like as a man. Football’s always been important to him. When he got here to Tennessee, he had some growing up to do. He’s light years ahead of where he was when he got on campus. As a human being, that guy’s grown a ton.”
On how the competition and improved depth will help White
“I think that’s what depth— depth is always a liberty because you don’t have guys like having to play 85, 90% of the snaps. We had a ton of injuries last year, which is going to happen and really didn’t have a lot of depth and we were forced to play him a lot more. And with his frame, maybe you want to make sure that kid holds up, especially with 16, 17 week season this year. So absolutely that depth is going to be a liberty for us. And also, right, like iron sharpens iron. Light sharpens light. The way Bru runs routes is different than Squirrel. The way Chris runs route is different than Squirrel, but you can always take pieces from each guy and help your own game and that’s where the competition’s helping him a ton.”
On what he told Chas Nimrod in post spring practice meetings
“So for me and Chas like his biggest thing is just the rigors and the violence in this league. I want you to play with a ton of physicality. I want you to embrace physicality. And Chas is a good hearted guy, right? Like, he’s always smiling. He’s always in a great mood, but there’s a switch that’s gotta be flipped when you’re on that field. For me to be elite, I got to be able to flip that switch and go compete with anybody in the world. And I think mentally that’s where he’s transformed. So it’s always those little nuggets when I see him. It may be like he’s really into books. We’ve talked about The Alchemist. I’ve given him props and things out of that book, but those are the type of relationships that help guys grow. It won’t always be a football quote or a quote from Coach Lombardi, right? Like sometimes you got to dig deeper and that’s where the relationship piece comes into place and you’re able to tap into guys. So man, that’s helped so far with him and we plan on continuing to trend with him.”
On what excites him the most about this group approaching the season
“Man, I think just playing football, right? Like you think about the stories in his room. Bru would’ve been done last year, like he fought through an injury, but really and truly it’s a second chance for him to put things on tape his last year. You got a kid like Dont’e who comes from Baltimore, he comes to Knoxville and he embraces everything about his community and his role with his football family. You get Squirrel White who’s had an addition to his family, who’s a great kid, but now he’s growing into more of a protective role. Like, I can’t wait to see these guys in their stories be played out on Saturday. I think that’s what gives me an exciting feeling. Like football’s always on, but the stories that attaches you to these guys and you’re going through their journeys with them and then seeing that play out on Saturdays and those guys make plays, that’s the awesome feeling, right? And then once the winds come behind that it’s cherries on top.”
