Tennessee football: 10 senior Vols who need a good spring practice

6’4″ 243 pounds

After entering the transfer portal and then deciding to return to Tennessee football, Austin Pope made a huge bet on himself. He moved between fullback and tight end in Jeremy Pruitt’s system, as his primary role was to be the blocking tight end. Moving from a pro style to a spread offense makes it more difficult for that role to thrive.

All of the other factors that applied to Princeton Fant apply to Pope as well. Trinity Bell will get more of a look when he arrives in the fall, and Jacob Warren and Miles Campbell are still competition. Fant is competition too. Bell may be even more competition for him because of his size, as even if there is room for a blocking tight end, being 6’7″ 250 pounds is an advantage.

Health, meanwhile, is another key aspect. Pope missed all of 2020 due to a surgery he had in July. That means in addition to proving his value on a substantial level this spring, he’s got to prove it’s at a level where the coaches should take that risk focusing on him given his injury history.

However, the local fifth-year senior who comes out of Christian Academy of Knoxville has enough experience and proven versatility to potentially take on that role. When healthy, he has shown he can be a receiver too, as he does have seven receptions for 85 yards in his career.