Kesley Pope and Rodney Garner, two Tennessee football assistants, receive raises; Willie Martinez just has one more year left.

Kelsey Pope, the wide receivers coach for the Tennessee football team, received a pay raise with his new deal.

The third-year assistant coach is one of three Tennessee coaches to earn new contracts, raising his salary to $550,000 a year. Pope, defensive backs coach Willie Martinez, and defensive line coach Rodney Garner’s contracts were made public by UT on Friday.

With his new deal, Garner also got paid more.

After the 2021 season, Pope moved up from offensive analyst to wide receivers coach when Kodi Burns left to take a similar role with the New Orleans Saints.

In his two seasons, the Vols have been extremely successful at wide receiver, which is why he received a raise. His agreement expires on January 31, 2026. Prior to the increase, his salary for the 2024 season was scheduled to be $275,000. After earning $225,000 in the first year of his deal, he made $250,000 the previous season. January 31, 2025 was the expiration date of his first contract.

As the wide receivers coach, Pope is about to begin his third season. In the 2022 season, he coached Jalin Hyatt, the recipient of the Biletnikoff Award.

At UT, Garner was granted an extension for a second time. His yearly salary was increased to $900,000 for the following two seasons. His agreement ends on January 31, 2026.

Since his hiring, Garner’s base pay has been $290,000. Each increment has resulted in an increase in his supplemental compensation, which formerly included an annual increase. The additional income under his new contract is set at $610,000 per year.

His prior deal had a $495,00 maximum supplemental income.

Last season, Martinez had a one-year deal that ended on January 31. He continues to get the same $540,000 in pay that he did the previous year.

The agreement with Martinez ends on January 31, 2025.

Mike Wilson writes about athletics at the University of Tennessee. You may follow If you like Mike’s reporting, you might think about getting a digital membership so you can read it all.