KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee football continued its spring practice slate Monday with its ninth official session of the semester, holding an individual workout inside the Anderson Training Center.
Following the workout, pass game coordinator and wide receivers coach Kelsey Pope met with the media to discuss the development of his unit, pointing to noticeable strides from several key contributors.
Pope highlighted the growth of returning receivers Radarious Jackson and Travis Smith Jr., noting their progression over the past 12 months as they head into their sophomore campaigns.
“Both of them are playing fast … they’re both urgent; they’re both competitive. Both of their bodies are changing a lot; they look like completely different people than a year ago.”
Freshman TK Keys arrived in January as one of the top prospects in the country and has made an early impression this spring, particularly with his approach and preparation.
“From a readiness standpoint and a preparation standpoint, he’s been as good of a freshman as I’ve been around,” Pope said. “He’s competitive, he cares, he’s a sponge, he wants to go over the little things.”
In addition to individual development, Pope praised the leadership of Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley, who have emerged as tone-setters within the receiver room. The duo, along with Chris Brazzell II, combined for a monster season in 2025, as Tennessee was the only school in the country with three receivers over the 800-yard mark last season.
“It feels like just yesterday they were coming in here, and they were the younger guys that everyone wanted to know about. But it’s gratifying to see those kids come in with big eyes, curiosity and not really knowing what’s to come,” Pope said. “Now they’re preaching the same things that I’m preaching … I’m super proud of the way that they have taken on that role off the field.”
As Tennessee continues through spring practice, Monday’s individual-focused session provided another opportunity for growth, with the wide receiver group continuing to blend experience, leadership and emerging talent as the program works toward the Orange & White Game on Saturday, April 11.
Tennessee Football Press Conference | March 30, 2026
Pass Game Coordinator/Wide Receivers Coach Kelsey Pope
On what he has seen this offseason from Radarious Jackson and Travis Smith Jr. and the vacancy left by Chris Brazzell II…
“Funny you mention that. We kind of try to always pull video evidence of where guys started and where they are now, and today we had one of those sessions and singled out those two from a year ago, what they looked like to now. Both of them are playing fast. The growth opportunities are in different directions, but they’re both urgent; they’re both competitive. Both of their bodies are changing a lot; they look like completely different people than a year ago. I’ve been pleased. With the rest of spring ball and going into fall camp, just guys continuing to do the little things to separate themselves, so that’s the emphasis the rest of the way for those two specifically.”
On the comparison of skill sets between Radarious Jackson and Travis Smith Jr. …
“Similarities are the glaring thing; they’re both really big receivers. Both of those guys have a lot of length, big frames, they look like SEC guys. For a guy like Ra (Jackson), he brings a tenacity and physicality that you can’t coach. He reminds you of the old school wideouts back in the day, where there were no rules and everything went, you know? That’s helped him a ton. Travis (Smith Jr.) is a bigger athlete, but he’s so fluid for his size. The things he can do at his size are special because of his hips, the way that he’s loose, and his ability to have ankle flexion at the top of the route. What I try to preach to those guys is to just be you. Don’t be something that you feel like Coach Pope thinks you should be, or something you’ve seen. You go be you, and the rest will take care of itself.”
On the growth and motivation of TK Keys after a clip from practice circulated online…
“I think it’s a bunch of different lessons in those instances. Clips go around all the time. A year ago, a clip went out of us dropping a ball in spring practice, and everybody went crazy. And then, these guys came out and had one of the best years from a receiving corps that you’ve seen in school history. So, the first message is we never pay attention to what’s going on online. Even if you’re aware of it, you just have to let it go and do you, trust your process and whatever that is. But Tristen (Keys), from a readiness standpoint and a preparation standpoint, he’s been as good of a freshman as I’ve been around. He’s competitive, he cares, he’s a sponge, he wants to go over the little things. He almost sometimes wants to know too much, and you’ve got to slow him down because he just wants to take in all the information at once, which can be harmful sometimes to freshmen, but he’s been really good. He’s in the building every time that you need him to be, he’s in the building extra, he’s coming in early, he’s staying late, so from a preparation standpoint, he’s serious about what he’s doing and where he’s trying to get to. For us as a staff, we just have to make sure we are intentional with his workload and the physical capabilities we’re putting him under, but he’s coming along. His timeline is ahead of schedule, and we’re looking forward to him getting back here pretty soon.”
On catching passes from different quarterbacks and what that transition is like as a receiver…
“In general, there’s really not. Some guys have more zip on the ball than others, but both of those guys (George MacIntyre and Faizon Brandon) are pretty comparable. The only time you talk about a difference from a receiver’s perspective that you have to get used to is when you have a left-handed guy. I think that spin is a little unique; we have to work on some things to emulate that. But with both of those guys being righties and Staub (Ryan Staub) being a righty, we’re just kind of playing ball and controlling what we can control no matter who’s back there.”
On earning the passing game coordinator title…
“It’s a cool title, but I’m just still doing the same things. I’m trying to invest every day. I’m trying to come up with new ways for us to use certain skill sets that we have. We have a lot of different skill sets in the building now than what we’re used to. You have three or four guys that are standing over 6’2″, 6’3”. You have three or four guys that are hitting 21, 22 miles per hour consistently. So, we’re getting more volume with high-caliber athletes, so for me, from my perspective, I want to go find new things that can help us, and that fit us, but new things to where we can expose defenses and take advantage of those types of skill sets. So, in general, I’m doing the same things that I have been doing. I would like to think that I’ve operated with that title before it was given to me. Coach (Josh Heupel) was just gracious enough to go ahead and do that. That’s the only difference.”
On how he motivates Braylon Staley and Mike Matthew after a successful 2025 season…
“They are different. They are motivated by different things. I think you see that super early in the recruiting process, once you start to get to know these guys, and you can implement it. The way you motivate guys who have had success, is you motivate them with success. We talk about failure, persevering and getting through hard times, but success is just as hard to overcome because it fattens you, it makes guys big-headed a lot. So, a lot of times that’s exactly what you have to fight, and so I give those types of guys a lot of personal experiences of pitfalls or hurdles that I dealt with in those same instances. And that’s helped me a ton, being able to get through to them early. Mike (Matthews) and Braylon (Staley) are unique because both of those guys are headstrong; they’re both really, really ambitious, and they want to be perfect. They’re perfectionists, so I don’t have to give a lot of speeches for them. I just have to make sure I’m putting things in a big picture perspective for them. And usually when I do that, guys like those two end up meeting that standard and exceeding it every single day.”
On how he’s seen Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley take control of the receiver room…
“It’s weird. It feels like just yesterday they were coming in here, and they were the younger guys that everyone wanted to know about. But it’s gratifying to see those kids come in with big eyes, curiosity and not really knowing what’s to come, there’s really a lot of unknowns. They buy into a program, they buy into a coach, they seek success, and now they’re preaching the same things that I’m preaching. Sometimes I have to stop them because they sound like me, saying the same things because they’ve heard it for two years now. I’m super proud of the way that they have taken on that role off the field; they took guys to spring break, they went somewhere in Florida. They’re actually doing a good job of keeping the camaraderie together in that room. I’m blessed to be in that room because there is no selfishness. Nobody has individual agendas, and it starts with those two; it starts from the top. And so, when those guys go about their business that way, it trickles down, and it has a positive effect on the room.”
On how changes in offensive scheme have helped recruiting…
“That’s a good question. I think in recruiting, people just want to know the truth, right? They go to these schools, and everybody says what they say. When they get here, it’s my job to kind of anticipate that, and before they even ask questions, to already have answers. And so, when they sit down and I’m able to show them those things, I kind of already know what people are saying about us, because I’ve overcome it. We’ve overcome it a ton before, and so, sitting them down and showing them the truth of what we’re actually doing, and giving them proof of concept, I think is the biggest thing. Recruits just want to know the truth. And the other thing I tell them is this. There’s a lot that’s evolved since we got to Tennessee. When I got in this building, we weren’t getting a bunch of five stars in here. We weren’t having SEC Freshman of the Year. Literally everything that we’ve done here has been created on our own. I know a lot of people try to take credit for what we’re doing here, this and that, but Tennessee’s been successful at wide out, on offense, consistently over the last couple of years because of who is in this building. So, they see the consistency, they see the truth, and they gravitate to it. You just try to keep it real with them, and I think people in general will always gravitate to what’s real and realness.”
On Joakim Dodson’s growth as a player…
“I love Joakim Dodson. And I hope somebody clips this up, but I love Joakim Dodson because he’s a kid that, if you tell him something wasn’t right or wasn’t the way you would like it to look, he’s going to stay after as long as he can to get it fixed. Kids like that are always going to find success, and they’re always going to find a way to add value, because they’re that competitive that they can’t leave the building without getting things right. We left the scrimmage the other day, and he had one play specifically that should have been better. It’s a recruiting day, so we have recruits, and I’m with families, and he’s calling me nonstop, and I’m nervous because I think something wrong is going on. I finally get him, and I’m like, “What’s up, man?” He’s like, “Coach, I just need ten minutes, can we go over that play?” Those are the types of kids that, if you can continue to get those types of mindsets in your building and that type of DNA, then you’re going to continue to be successful. That kid, regardless of what he’s doing or what position he’s playing, he wants to do it at a high level, and he won’t stop until he gets it right. He’s one I’ve been super pleased with, just from a preparation standpoint and how to go about the game, prepare and just get himself ready.”
On using video and speeches as a motivational tool in coaching…
“I think two things it comes from is just knowing the crowd and the demographic. These guys have short attention spans. It’s probably why TikTok is so popular, but they have to be able to see things. When I was in college, my coaches could just tell me something and I bought into it, because that was kind of the way of the world at that time. As things have evolved and they’re in more of an information age, you have to be able to give them the why behind a lot, and you have to be able to show them the results, what they can get to. I think you get a lot further with these kids knowing who they are. And so video, for me, is just being able to show them proof. A lot of times, the speeches and the things we watch. We like to watch a lot of Kobe Bryant videos. He was kind of my favorite athlete, but a lot of those are just so those guys can understand and see someone who’s done it at a high level consistently for so long, and what their mindset was every day, and what it took to get there. So, I’ve always found that showing this age of recruits and this age of athletes video, it just helps it stick and register a lot faster than me just giving them my opinion or coaches just saying it. So that’s what we’ve gone with, and it’s stuck because it’s worked.”
