Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel thinks his team has more depth at a key position than they've had in recent years.
Heupel joined Always College Football earlier this week and he was asked by host Greg McElroy about Tennessee's tight end room, which includes two transfer additions and a sophomore with All-SEC potential.
Tennessee added Notre Dame tight end transfer Holden Staes and Alabama tight end transfer Miles Kitselman to the roster this offseason. The Vols also have sophomore tight end Ethan Davis, a former four-star recruit, who's poised to make a big impact this fall.
"We're deeper at the tight end position than we have been in our growth as a program," said Heupel. "Holden's done a great job this spring. He's played football, he's got experience, he's really calm and mature. He's grasped on to what we're doing offensively. We place a lot on our tight ends within the scope of our offense and he's done a great job.
"Miles Kitselman's had a great spring as well. And a young guy, Ethan Davis, that really had his first offseason in maybe two years because of some of the injuries that he had during the course of his high school career when he first got here. He's just done an unbelievable job, too. I love the growth of that group under Coach (Alec) Abeln's leadership. Expect all of those guys to play a lot football for us in the fall."
Tennessee's had some solid players at the tight end position during the Heupel era. Former UT tight tend Princeton Fant was a key player for the Vols during Heupel's first two seasons. And Jacob Warren, who just wrapped up his Tennessee career, helped provide stability and leadership for the tight end room throughout his career (Warren also provided four receiving touchdowns last season).
The Vols' tight end room entering the 2024 season, however, is the most talented tight end room that Tennessee's had since Heupel's arrival in 2021. And that should mean that UT fans see the tight ends even more involved in the offense (beyond blocking) this fall.
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