Dad of Vols starting wide receiver leaves no doubt on how he feels about Tennessee wide receivers coach Kelsey Pope

Calvin Mattheis/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Dad of Vols starting wide receiver leaves no doubt on how he feels about Tennessee wide receivers coach Kelsey Pope

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Zach Ragan | Last updated May 31, 2026 12:42 PM ET

Kelsey Pope is entering his fifth season as the Tennessee Volunteers’ wide receivers coach, and his fifth season overall on Rocky Top.

Brian Staley, the dad of Tennessee Vols wide receiver redshirt sophomore Braylon Staley made it quite clear this weekend how much he likes UT wide receivers coach Kelsey Pope.

Pope is entering his sixth season at Tennessee and his fifth as the wide receivers coach. He’s developed into one of the top recruiters in the country after landing players like Staley, Mike Matthews, TK Keys, Travis Smith Jr, Radarious Jackson, Tyreek King, and Joakim Dodson.

The elder Staley tweeted on Saturday night that Pope is “the best” wide receivers coach in the nation.

Not one of the best! The Best!!
https://t.co/0brRsBNs1i
— Brian Staley (@BrianStaley_12) May 31, 2026

Pope has certainly been impressive over the last several years. He’s been incredible on the recruiting trail, and he helped Staley, Matthews, and Chris Brazzell combine for 183 receptions for 2,667 yards and 19 touchdowns last season (Brazzell was then drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft).

The exciting thing about Pope for the Vols is that he’s still early in his coaching career. Pope just turned 34 in May. As much as he’s grown as a coach in the last few years, he’s only going to grow more in the coming years.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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