Kelsey Pope updates the progress of Tennessee wide receivers during spring practice

Second-year Tennessee wide receivers coach Kelsey Pope met with reporters after practice on Monday morning to update the progress of the Vols’ wideouts:

If Squirrel White and Dont’e Thornton can both be in Tennessee’s receiver rotation as slot receivers

“Absolutely, you can get both of those guys in at the same time. I think another thing you have to be conscious of is having guys play multiple spots. Because you want your best players on the field. Those two are in the group or whatever, you’ve got to have some guys play multiple spots, it allows you to do that.”

How the skill sets are different for Squirrel White and Dont’e Thornton

“I think just body type, for one, body makeup. Dont’e is 6-5, 205, 210. Squirrel is 5-8, he’s around 170 now. I think body type, there’s a big difference. Both those guys have the ability to run. Squirrel is more of a vertical guy. Dont’e can run, he’s adds a little bit more lateral. Little bit more on the line of scrimmage. Both of those guys have a unique skillset that we’re going to have to take advantage of this year. And it will help us win.”

Josh Heupel saying Tennessee receivers Chas Nimrod and Kaleb Webb making plays in Saturday’s scrimmage, what he’s seen from them this spring

“A bunch of growth out of those two guys. A ton of growth. I think those two guys did a great job observing the older guys that were ahead of them last year. You can see some of that starting to play out now. They’re moving around. They’re both gaining more confidence. And I think as we continue to finish this spring, you’ll see those guys make more plays.”

Kelsey Pope on Dont’e Thornton: ‘Dont’e has been phenomenal because he’s all football’

How much of a head start Tennessee freshman Nathan Leacaock is getting as an early enrollee going through spring practice

“He’s been awesome also. He’s been a guy that kind of stands out. Physically, he’s absolutely gifted. Extremely gifted physically. Nate’s biggest thing, and what he’s starting to do and areas he’s starting to grow, is more of the mental, detail technique piece. As a wideout, I can’t be all athlete and get open in this league. There is a method to the madness. You’ve got to be a technician, you’ve got to be detailed oriented in your work. And that allows you to create separation against some of the guys you’ll face in this league. So he’s a physical specimen (and) he’s done a great job the last couple practices starting to hone in on the detail. And you see it play out on days like today.”

His impression of Tennessee transfer wide receiver Dont’e Thornton to this point

“I think skillset wise, the tape that we saw before we got him showed you he had a skillset. Usually when you get transfer guys, it’s trying to understand the person. Dont’e has been phenomenal because he’s all football. He loves it. He’s in the building all the time. He’s the first one in, the last one out. He’s coming in between, trying to get extra work. Days that he’s not practicing, per se, he’s the most excited guy on the sideline, coaching other guys up. I’ve been pleased with him all the way through.”

Ramel Keyton’s growth this spring and building on what he did last season

“Ramel is a savvy veteran. He’s all ball. He’s done a great job taking a leadership role. He’s a quiet guy, just naturally. I think he’s seen himself emerge into that leadership role because he’s seen a lot of football. In that room, he’s seen the most ball. He’s been here the most. And it shows in the level of play. In situations where bullets are flying and other guys might get out of whack, Ramel’s cool, calm and collected. And that allows him to make plays in those situations. He’s been awesome.”

Tennessee’s production value at wide receiver after the departures of Jalin Hyatt and Cedrick Tillman

“I think that’s to be seen. I think that’s why you have to stay in it. I think 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 start to go the opposite way. We could start not the way we want to, start to work and get things going the right way. I think that’s always to be seen. My main focus isn’t 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 are going to take over when bullets are flying.”

His comfort level in Year 2 as Tennessee’s wide receivers coach

“I would say at this level you never want to feel comfortable. I think a continuous pursuit of growth is what I try to maintain. In this league alone, man, you feel comfortable and in an instant you’re probably getting worse. So for me it’s continually being aware of meh players, what they need. Put pressure on myself to get that to them everyday.”

The challenge of having different types of players in the slot over the years, with Velus Jones Jr. and Jalin Hyatt there in the past

“I think offensive football is all about molding a player, right? You talk about Velus and he’s a bigger slot. He was 5-11, 6-feet, 210 pounds, built like a running back. He’s the toughest guy in the world. I think Jalin was 10.4 (seconds) in the 100 meter in high school, a long strider, a completely different skillset. You look at Ced (Tillman), who is 6-3, 210 pounds, he’s a 50/50 ball guy. He doesn’t jump like Jalin. Big catch radius. As an offensive coach, you have to tailer your offensive system, what you do, around your players. I think even more, us being able to be successful with different body types and a bunch of different skillsets, shows recruits that it doesn’t matter what I look like, these guys can put me in position to win and they can help me get to where I want to get to.”

Freshman athlete Cameron Seldon starting his Tennessee career at running backs, if he lobbied to get him with the wide receivers 

“Absolutely. We’re always lobbying for athletes in the wide receiver room. But ultimately what’s better for the team. He’s doing a great job at that position, mastering that. Once he masters that, we can move him on to some other things. So he’s done a phenomenal job of catching on and getting things the way they are.”

Up Next: Orange & White Game, April 15, 2:30 p.m. ET

How comfortable Tennessee would be using four wide receivers if needed

“That’s a great question. Ultimately I think it comes down to matchups. If we feel like we’ve got a better matchup with a tight end, we’ve got guys that can go in and fill that void. If we feel like getting four wide receivers and 10 personnel on the field, we’ve got multiple guys in the room that can fill that void. That’s part of the answer I had earlier. When you’re an offensive-minded coach, it’s not about what we want to do as coaches, it’s how can we put our players in position to be successful? That’s going to be our method here until the end of it.”

The future for Tennessee’s Chas Nimrod and his growth

“I think Chas has a shot to be really special. His versatility is the reason that he has that shot. You can line him up on the outside, he’s smart enough to play slot. He’s nimble enough to get in the slot and make people miss and work through traffic. He has a big enough catch radius on the outside to hold a point and go get balls down the field. For him, he’s grown mentally. He’s starting to develop a dominant trait, a mental dominant trait, similar to what you saw Ced had, where he just wants the ball in his hands. As a receiver, coming from high school to college, especially in a setting like this, that trait a lot of times has to be developed. Because you’re playing against guys, coming into college, who are probably more physically superior. He’s gotten more confidence in himself and it has shown on the field. We’ve been pleased with him this spring for sure.”

Tennessee receivers other than Ramel Keyton who have taken on leadership roles this spring

“Absolutely. A bunch of guys stick out. Bru McCoy. Jack Jancek is one that is a phenomenal leader. You can mark my words, he’ll be an awesome coach one day. Like, elite coach. But our guys, I think, I tell them all the time leadership calls you even when you aren’t ready or feel like you aren’t ready. If the group needs you to step up and do something, we have to be willing and selfless enough to go do that for the greater good of everybody. It’s been a bunch of guys step up and lead. Those are just a few.”