Tennessee Tight Ends Coach Alex Abeln Spoke With Media Ahead Of The Vols Matchup Against Mississippi State

Tennessee tight ends coach Alec Abeln talked to the media this week as he looked at previewed the upcoming game against Mississippi State in Starkville. Here is everything he had to say in his press conference.

On managing Miles Kitselman reps through the grind of a season…

“There's no doubt this season's a grind. The way that we play, as fast as we play, you've got to be able to manage some reps here and there. It was awesome for Jack (Van Dorselaer) to get some burn on Saturday. I do think he's done a really good job as far as true freshmen coming in, being ready to be out there for sure. Now, being ready to be out there and functional versus being ready to be out there and be dominant like that's the next step for him. I thought it was good for him to get another taste of it on Saturday."

On seeing the offense grow and expand and have more formations…  

“It's been a lot of fun, honestly. Credit the Heup. Like, he's always a step ahead as far as what defenses are going to be doing a year from now, what we need to address a year from now. I think it's just giving our guys the best chance to be successful. I think a lot of it has been cool as a staff just pulling from everybody's backgrounds. None of it's necessarily reinventing the wheel, but just other things that we've all done and been successful with while still being who we are, still playing fast, still running the ball. Like it's been a really fun offseason, a really fun season to this point offensively.”

On what he has seen in DaSaahn Brame’s development…

“I think one, just real maturity as far as understanding where he's got to get better and working at it every day. I think obviously everybody wants to play right away, and I think he's absolutely talented enough to where he feels, man, I can go do it, and I think he understands what he's got to fix to get more of that. I think the more that he's able to be out there, the more the game slows down. I think that's really the biggest thing for any young guy, but really for DaSaahn it's just getting confidence out there, not thinking about what you're doing, but just being able to go play.”

On what he has seen from Kitselman…

“He's still knocking some rust off for sure. There's a lot of stuff off the ball in the insert game and the counter game that's a lot of feel and a lot of just banked reps and understanding how to get your feet into the right spot, how to get your leverage right. I think some of that, as this season's gone, he's taking steps to get that back. It's tough when you don't get to do that all spring and all fall camp and then go into it live bullets. He's been everything you could ask him to be for us.”

On how Joey Aguilar’s success is helping with the development of the tight ends…

“Yeah, I mean, it's no secret. It starts with the quarterback, and it starts up front. When those guys are right, it makes our job a whole lot easier. I think just the vibe in the building, too, is a really positive one. I think the guys can rally around him. He leads these guys and is a calm in the storm, is an energy giver when he needs to be. It's been awesome having that guy."

On how the team self-evaluated and evolved after the Ohio State loss in the playoffs…

“That's a great defense we played. They had a really good plan. We didn't execute some things that, you know, when you watch it, with who we were a year ago, you're still not far off. There are still a lot of blocks that, man, this one block gets made, this one catch gets made, this one decision gets made. It's got a chance to feel different, but certainly every off-season we look and say, man, where do we grow? How do we get better? What are the things that still fit us, but give defenses one more thing to prepare for.”

On what stands out about Mississippi State’s defense….

“I mean, they're exotic, play rush off the ball a bunch, three safety structure a bunch, which I know you guys love talking about. They do a great job. They play really hard. They're well coached. They certainly make you earn it on Sunday and Monday from a game plan perspective. The biggest thing on tape from a year ago, they've upgraded personnel at a couple of positions. They play with their hair on fire. It's a really good defense that we've got ahead of us this Saturday.”

Watch the full interview here: