Tennessee inks 2 key assistant coaches to contract extensions, per report
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Tennessee signed offensive coordinator Joey Halzle and wide receivers coach Kelsey Pope to 2-year contract extensions, according to a report by On3’s Chris Low on Friday afternoon.
According to the On3 report, Pope will be adding to his coaching responsibilities going forward. Low reports that Pope is adding pass game coordinator to his duties as receivers coach. Low also reported that “several other” SEC programs were after Pope’s services for the 2026 season, but Tennessee was able to lock down Pope for an extended period.
Meanwhile, Halzle directed 1 of the top offenses not only in the SEC but in the country in 2025, despite the Volunteers having an up-and-down 8-4 regular season. Halzle is set to make $1.45 million per year now under this new extension, while Pope will make $825,000 next season and $850,000 in the 2027 season, according to the On3 report.
Halzle and Pope oversaw that high-octane Volunteers offense in 2025, with first-year starting quarterback Joey Aguilar lighting it up in Knoxville. Aguilar threw for an eye-popping 3,444 yards during the regular season with 24 touchdown passes, and he developed an incredible connection with wideout Chris Brazzell II, who caught 62 passes for 1,017 yards and 9 touchdowns.
A lot of that Aguilar-to-Brazzell magic was due to the coaching brain power of Halzle and Pope, and now Tennessee has reportedly made sure that those 2 coaches will be working in Knoxville for the foreseeable future.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
