Tennessee Vols assistant coach drops epic quote about transfer wide receiver Chris Brazzell

Tennessee Vols wide receiver coach Kelsey Pope left no doubt on Tuesday while speaking with reporters that Tulane transfer wide receiver Chris Brazzell is an elite competitor.

Pope was asked about Brazzell, who transferred to Tennessee after the 2023 season, walking out for warmups before the Vols' game against Chattanooga more than two hours before kickoff.

"He’s a gamer," said Pope. "He’s one of the most competitive guys on the team. Right before kickoff, he was like screaming on the sideline, like I was worried that something was wrong. It’s just that’s his demeanor. He’s in it, he’s engulfed, he immerses himself in his game."

“Chris is one of those guys, he’s all or nothing," continued Pope. "He’s going to do something 100 percent of the time [at] full speed. And that’s why you see him out there that much. He loves the game, which gives him a shot to be really successful and really good at this game.”

It's not a surprise to hear that comment from Pope about Brazzell. It lines up with what Tennessee secondary coach Willie Martinez said about Brazzell last month during fall camp.

"Everyday," said Martinez in August when asked if Brazzell challenges the defensive backs in practice. "His speed, his competitiveness. Braz is very competitive and plays with a lot of fire and energy. We better do that on our side of the ball, right? I mean, you gotta have great energy and stuff like that. But a very competitive, high-level player, so that’s only gonna make us better. We got a great group of wide receivers that, they’re gonna be playing on Sundays. So it’s easy for my job to just tell the kids, ‘Hey man, you want, you want a great resume? Put it on video. Put it on video against these guys that are gonna be playing on Sundays'. And Braz is one of those guys. Highly competitive, physical player. Not very quiet, kind of cool. That’s how we like it, you know, but he’s making us better.”

Brazzell caught five passes for 59 yards in the Vols' 69-3 win against Chattanooga last weekend -- an impressive debut considering that Brazzell doesn't have much experience in Josh Heupel's unique up-tempo offense.

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