Former Georgia Bulldogs star says Tennessee Vols have the tight end he's most looking forward to seeing play in the SEC in 2025

Former Georgia Bulldogs tight end Benjamin Watson, a first-round selection in the 2004 NFL Draft, said this week the Tennessee Vols have the tight end he's most looking forward to watching in the SEC in 2025.

Watson, who is now an analyst, told 104.5 The Zone's 3HL that he's most excited to watch Tennessee senior tight end Miles Kitselman this fall. 

"Kitselman, right?" said Watson. "I'm not just saying it because I'm with you guys (104.5 The Zone, which is based in Nashville). I think Georgia has a stellar tight end room. You know, Oscar Delp and Lawson Luckie. But when I watched Tennessee's run game last year -- which it's kind of weird that we always talk about Tennessee's run game like it's always a surprise. But it's every year. It's always consistent. It's 200 yards a game every single year that (Josh) Heupel's been there.

"But we talk about it like, 'Man, did you realize they have the No. 1 running game?' Like, of course they do. And they play good defense. But when you look at their run game, Heupel does a great job of using the tight ends in the run game. There's a lot of inserts on leads. There's traps and counters. Those guys have the ability to pull, to insert, then off the insert, you get the play action pass in the middle. I have a lot of respect for the position."

Kitselman caught 22 passes for 301 yards and four touchdowns at Tennessee last season. His impact on the offense, however, was felt beyond those stats. 

As Watson noted, tight ends are extremely important in the run game in Heupel's offense -- even though the tight ends don't often get praised for the dirty work they do in the trenches. 

Kitselman, who is also a key team leader for the Vols, was named by PFF earlier this spring as a player to watch in the 2026 NFL Draft.