Lions sign wide receiver and kick returner Ke'Vontae Pope

The Columbus Lions have added another wide receiver to an already talented offense with the signing of Ke’Vontae Pope, a wide receiver and kick returner from Ouachita Baptist University.

Pope is the second wide receiver to be signed in the last week, the first being Desmond Reece.

This may be a familiar name to some Lions fans as Pope signed with the Lions two years ago, but was unable to make it to camp and had to leave the team. 

Pope was previously with the Arkansas Twisters of the United Football League (UFL), signing with the team in 2019. Before that, he was with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League in 2019.

Pope’s career can be traced back to Jonesboro High School where, as a senior, he received All-Conference and All-State honors.

From there Pope went to Ouachita Baptist University and he made an immediate impact. In four seasons with the Tigers, Pope caught 134 passes for 1,849 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was also a dangerous return specialist at Ouachita Baptist University, gaining 1,489 yards on 51 returns and finding the end zone twice. 

During his career, Pope was selected to the All-GAC Team twice, in 2014 and 2015. He finished the 2015 season with 1,197 all-purpose yards, the 7th most in the GAC and he earned the Don Hansen Super Region 3 Return Specialist award. 

When Pope joins the Lions for camp in the spring, they will be getting another versatile threat on offense. 

“He is a burner, 4.3 in the forty and a great return guy as well,” head coach Jason Gibson said.

ABOUT THE COLUMBUS LIONS

The Columbus Lions are members of the National Arena League (NAL). Founded in 2007, the Columbus Lions are starting their 15th season in 2021. The Lions are a 3x league champion and 13 playoff appearances in their rich history. The Lions play their home games at Hughston Field in the Columbus Civic Center. Lions Season Ticket Memberships are on sale now call (706) 322-3336 or visit columbuslions.com. Follow the Lions on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Lionsfootball/, twitter @columbuslions and instagram.com/Columbuslions.

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The National Arena League was founded in 2016 and hosted its inaugural season in 2017 as the premier league in arena football. The National Arena League will kick off its fifth season in 2021. For more information regarding expansion opportunities or partnerships, contact Commissioner Chris Siegfried at chris@nationalarenaleague.com For more information about the NAL visit www.nationalarenaleague.com, facebook.com/nationalarenaleauge, twitter.com/NALfootball, Instagram.com/nationalarenaleague.