Tennessee football makes cut for in-state 2022 WR Kaydin Pope

Although wide receiver isn’t a major position of need for Tennessee football in the immediate, Josh Heupel continues to load up at the position for the future. Given his tempo-based offense, that’s probably an important thing for him to do.

Well, over the weekend, he got the Vols one step closer to landing a target close to home at the position. The Vols made the top four for in-state 6’1″ 175-pound wide receiver Kaydin Pope, a three-star on Rivals and 247Sports.

Joining Tennessee football on the list for the prospect out of Hardin County High School in Savannah, Tenn. are the Memphis Tigers, Mississippi State Bulldogs and Auburn Tigers. He announced the schools Saturday afternoon on Twitter.

Currently, the Vols already have two receivers committed. Their top commitment for 2022 is in-state receiver Cameron Miller, a four-star across the board out of Memphis. Marquarius White is the second pass-catcher committed. Both landed on Rocky Top in July.

Given his size, Pope is likely a guy who will be able to play wideout or in the slot, as he probably isn’t done growing. Being an in-state guy and with the Vols led by a head coach known for high-powered offenses, this could be a great fit.

While Velus Jones Jr. is expected to be the star receiver this year for UT, lots of the Vols’ promising talent is made up of underclassmen, including Jalin Hyatt, Cedric Tillman, Ramel Keyton and three newcomers at the position for 2021. However, with none of these guys truly being proven yet, the Vols need to load up on as many players at this position as possible.

There are no predictions yet as to where Pope will land on the Rivals Future Cast. However, Tennessee football is the favorite by a majority on the Rivals Fan Future Cast, and the one prediction on the 247Sports Crystal Ball has the Vols landing him with a medium confidence interval. As a result, it’s safe to say UT is the favorite at this point, but anything could happen.