Meet the Tennessee Football Newcomers: Vols Tight End Austin Pope

Here is an analysis of incoming 2016 Tennessee football recruit Austin Pope, who joins the Vols as a tight end.

In trying to build depth at certain positions, Butch Jones will not hesitate to go out of his way to find a home-grown local guy to fill the void. That is exactly what he did by bringing in Austin Pope out of Christian Academy in Knoxville, Tenn.

Just like we mentioned with Devante Brooks on Friday, Pope adds to Jones’s and Mike DeBord’s philosophy of depth at the physical skill positions, and they are not taking the tight end spot for granted.

Pope is another hometown guy that fits Jones’s recruiting idea in every way: he keeps a local and state presence on the roster and provides even more depth at a critical position for the system that he wants to run.

A three-star on Rivals, Pope stands at 6’4″ and just under 220 pounds. He committed to the Vols back on June 16, 2015, choosing them over some high profile schools going after him like the Arkansas Razorbacks and Mississippi State Bulldogs.

With a solid size, Pope will probably want to put on some pounds to be the player he needs to be at tight end for the Vols, but he already has a versatility advantage that he likely does not want to lose.

Early Analysis

Pope already has the best hands of any incoming recruit this year for the Vols, and he might already have the best hands on the football team period. Yes, it is safe to say that if you look at his highlights. He spent a high school career making up for poor quarterback play with his amazing hands.

From an athletic standpoint, Pope is everything you need at tight end. He is quick enough in pads to get to the right spot, and he has a clear understanding of angles and making the right steps, evidenced by how lethal he can be at linebacker.

Right now, the biggest thing for Pope has got to be adding on some more pounds to make him fit to play tight end while not giving up his athletic advantages at the same time.

Fortunately, that won’t be as hard for him because he already has the hands, and they won’t go away if he puts on some strength.

As far as intelligence and understanding the game, Pope has incredible awareness for a high school player and understands all the nuances of being in the right position, something that will not go away in college if he picks up the speed.

must read: 10 Dumbest Coaching Hires/Fires by Vols ADs Since 2000

What Austin Pope Brings to Tennessee

Just like Devante Brooks, Austin Pope brings immediate depth at the tight end position even if he is not likely to see the field his first year on campus.

Pope right now is more of a receiver-based tight end due to his elite hands, but he unfortunately doesn’t have Brooks’s athleticism to go with that. Still, his hands are so incredible that Butch Jones and Mike DeBord will not want to waste him.

Whether or not it’s this year or two years down the road, Pope will definitely see some action on the field and has the potential to become a very reliable receiving tight end for the Vols, even beyond what we expect to see from Jason Croom this year.

But the first order of business has got to be putting on some weight and not losing the athleticism he has in the process.

After that, he could become a star player for the Vols in the future.

Home/Vols Football