Kyle Pope - Assistant Coach / Defensive Line - Football Coaches

Kyle Pope

Title:
Assistant Coach / Defensive Line
Email:
football@memphis.edu
Phone:
901-678-5119

Kyle Pope is in his fourth season leading the defensive line at Memphis in 2023. He added defensive run game coordinator to his duties prior to the 2023 season. Pope came to the Tigers after spending the 2019 season at Liberty as the linebackers coach.

"Kyle Pope has been a young rising coach on my radar for a few years now. His passion, intelligence, and energy as a coach and person are remarkable," head coach Ryan Silverfield said at the time of his hiring. "He has great ties to the South and will be a wonderful asset to our program. Everyone I've met that knows Kyle has bragged about his relationships with his players and development of them on and off the field. We are excited to welcome him to Memphis."

In 2022, Pope helped guide the Tigers to a 38-10 victory over Utah State in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl. Memphis finished the season ranked fifth in the nation in fewest penalties (53), 10th in interceptions (16) and 25th in turnovers gained (25).

Individually, defensive lineman Jaylon Allen was named Honorable-Mention All-AAC after finishing the year with a team-best five sacks and 10 tackles for loss.

In 2021, Pope helped the Tigers to the program’s eighth-straight bowl appearance, as the team was named EasyPost Hawai’i Bowl champions after Hawai’i withdrew from the game. For his effort, Pope was named to 247Sports’ 30Under30 List.

Under Pope, John Tate IV had a breakout year for Memphis to earn Second-Team All-AAC honors. On the season, Tate IV totaled 36 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, four pass breakups and two quarterback hurries.

In 2020, Pope and his unit helped Memphis rank 13^th in the nation in turnovers gained (20), 17^th in the country in interceptions (12) and 19^th in red zone defense (.744).

Following the season, defensive lineman O’Bryan Goodson was named First-Team All-American Athletic Conference after totaling 28 tackles, eight tackles for loss, four sacks, two forced fumbles and two quarterback hurries. Defensive lineman Morris Joseph earned honorable-mention all-league honors as well, posting 52 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, a team-best seven sacks and two quarterback hurries.

At Liberty in 2019, Pope helped the Flames post an 8-5 overall record in the program’s first season reclassified as an FBS program. LU also notched a 23-16 victory over Georgia Southern in the 2019 FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl. The Flames held the Eagles' FBS top 10 rushing offense to a total of 154 yards on the ground, more than 100 yards shy of their season average.

While at Liberty in 2019, Pope guided Solomon Ajayi to the 2019 Phil Steele FBS Independent All-Conference second team. Ajayi led the Flames with 93 tackles in 2019 with five quarterback hurries. He also forced a fumble and finished with 5.0 tackles for loss.

In 2017 and 2018, Pope served as a defensive line graduate assistant for Alabama when the Crimson Tide reached back-to-back College Football Playoff national championship game appearances and won the 2017 national title.

After graduation from Jacksonville State, Pope had coaching stops at Holmes Community College, West Alabama and Presbyterian. In addition to on-field duties, Pope worked with recruiting, breaking down opponents' film and preparing practice plans, while working to develop the student-athletes.

Pope graduated from Jacksonville State in May 2015 with a degree in exercise science and wellness with a concentration in human performance. He was a four-year player for the Gamecocks (2011-14), helping Jacksonville State to the NCAA FCS Playoffs in 2013 and 2014.

Pope At A Glance

Alma Mater	Jacksonville State, 2015
Playing Experience	Jacksonville State (2011-14) Four-year player for the Gamecocks Led Jacksonville State to the NCAA FCS Playoffs in 2013 and 2014

Coaching Experience

Alabama	Graduate Assistant, Defensive Line (2017-18)
Liberty	Assistant Coach, Linebackers (2019)
Memphis	Assistant Coach, Defensive Line (2020-2022) Defensive Run Game Coordinator, Defensive Line (2023-Present)

Bowl Coaching Experience

2017	Sugar Bowl CFP National Championship
2018	Orange Bowl CFP National Championship
2019	Cure Bowl
2020	Montgomery Bowl
2021	EasyPost Hawai'i Bowl
2022	SERVPRO First Responder Bowl