It has been a busy week for Arizona tight end Dillon Hipp. The class of 2024 prospect has been on a tour of the southeast. Part of that trip included a visit with Tennessee football.
The three-star prospect was able to sit down with Tennessee’s coaching staff. Since he has been to Tennessee before, he was able to do more of that rather than touring campus.
“We just talked about a little bit of everything,” Hipp told Off The Hook Sports. “Personal stuff, which was nice because it’s good to get to know a coach on a personal level just so you can relate to them more.”
As well as eating dinner with the staff at Calhouns on the River, the 6-foot-6 and 230-pound tight end sat down with Tennessee football tight ends coach Alec Abeln to watch film. Hipp said he was impressed with the freshly promoted Abeln.
“I like him a lot actually,” Hipp said. “I think he’s a great candidate for the job and I’m really glad he got it. He going to help that room get better because of his coaching style. He has a background with that type of stuff and I think he fits in really well.”
Following the 2023 season, Tennessee will be in need of a tight end. With transfer McCallan Castles and current tight end Jacob Warren exhausting their eligibility, the Vols will be left with incoming freshman Ethan Davis. Hipp could come in and fill a void.
While watching film, Hipp said Abeln emphasized how players have to be all-around tight ends to thrive in Tennessee’s system.
“He said that if you have a tight end who can do it all, then they don’t have to come off the field and it can really be a mismatch at all level,” Hipp said.
Tennessee football was one of the first schools in Hipp’s recruitment. The Vols were the first school east of Northern Iowa to extend an offer to the prospect out of the Desert Mountain High School in Scottsdale, Ariz., doing so in June of last year.
UT’s consistent recruitment as well as his visit have put the Vols as one of the top schools vying for his talents.
“They’re definitely in my top list of schools,” Hipp said. “I think as of right now, they will be one of (my official visits).”
Hipp is also looking at Ole Miss, Louisville, Auburn, Baylor and Miami during his southeastern tour. He said he expects to narrow his choices “within the next month” and he plans to commit during the summer.
