Tennessee's WR3 Battle Is WIDE OPEN... But The Defense Has A BIG Test Coming

The Tennessee Vols' wide receiver room still has a major competition heading into the Georgia Tech game. Kelsey Pope revealed that Tennessee's WR3 battle remains wide open, with three players currently competing for the third receiver spot. While no one has completely separated from the group yet, Pope believes the competition is pushing all of them to get better. Pope also had extremely high praise for Mike Matthews after the sophomore receiver bounced back from an early drop against Furman and finished the game strong. According to Pope, Matthews is a completely different person compared to where he was previously, and that growth has translated into him becoming a better football player. Pope believes Matthews' development can also serve as proof of concept for younger receivers in Tennessee's room. The Vols are hoping that continued competition at receiver gives Faizon Brandon plenty of options as Tennessee prepares for a much tougher test against Georgia Tech. Anthony Poindexter also discussed Tennessee's secondary and what the Vols learned from their season opener. Tennessee's communication was much better in Week 1, even while playing in a loud road environment, and Poindexter said the defense did a good job getting everyone lined up correctly and executing its coverage assignments. That could be particularly important against Georgia Tech. Poindexter explained that Georgia Tech has a talented quarterback, multiple dangerous receivers, a quality tight end and an offense that uses formations, shifts and motion to force defenses to communicate and make adjustments before the snap. The Tennessee secondary will face a significantly tougher test than it did in Week 1, particularly with Georgia Tech capable of pushing the football down the field. Poindexter also discussed the development of Tennessee's young defensive backs and praised the progress of one of the Vols' emerging nickel defenders. How will Tennessee's secondary respond to Georgia Tech? Will one receiver finally win the WR3 job? And is Mike Matthews poised for a breakout season? Watch the latest Tennessee football press conference and subscribe to A to Z Sports Tennessee for Tennessee Volunteers football news, analysis, recruiting updates and game coverage throughout the 2026 season. #TennesseeVols #TennesseeFootball #Vols #MikeMatthews #CollegeFootball Play A to Z Sports Daily Games: https://atozsports.com/games For more VOLS coverage: https://atozsports.com/nashville/volunteers/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/volforlifetn Twitter: https://x.com/BigOrangePod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atozsportsvols TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@atozsportsvols #tennesseevols #tennesseevolunteers #secfootball