Player Profile: Austin Pope

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Biography

Austin Pope is a three-star tight end from Knoxville, Tennessee, and attends the Christian Academy of Knoxville. He’s a very athletic player who can do it all and will be a great contributor to Tennessee’s offense as a deep threat and as a blocker.

Rankings

247Sports: No. 35 TE and No. 653 overall in the class of 2016, as well as the No. 16 player in the state of Tennessee

Rivals: No. 20 player in the state of Tennessee

ESPN: No. 14 TE and No. 315 overall in the class of 2016, as well asthe No. 15 player in the state of Tennessee

Offers

Pope received SEC offers from Arkansas, Mississippi State, Missouri, and Tennessee. He received 19 offers in total, most notably from Louisville, Memphis, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, and Pittsburgh. He decided in June that he wanted to come to Rocky Top and play for one of the fastest rising programs in the nation.

Film Review

Looking at Pope’s size, he is an ideal target at 6’4″ but will need to put some weight on, since he weighs only 225 pounds. The first thing you notice when watching his film is his incredible speed. He runs a 4.64 40-yard dash but his film makes it seem like he’s much faster than that. His elusive quickness and athleticism will make him a popular target.

One of the next things you notice are his hands. At around the 2:30 mark in his film, you can see him going up and fighting to bring down the ball. Another good example is around 6:25 when there is a tight coverage and he is still able to pull in the touchdown. If he can put on some weight this upcoming semester, he could provide good depth to what could be a talented tight end group.

Edited by Nathan Odom

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