Let’s give Tennessee tight end coach Alec Abeln some love. He certainly deserves it.
Roll things back to January and look at what Abeln was staring at. His top two tight ends, which were the only ones that played significantly last season, were gone as former Vols McCallan Castles and Jacob Warren were out of eligibility. In short order, Tennessee picked up two tight end transfers: Miles Kitselman from Alabama and Holden Staes from Notre Dame.
That means Abeln headed gung-ho into a offseason in which he had three tight ends that had played a grand total of three games in a Tennessee uniform. Thank goodness for redshirt freshman Ethan Davis. If not for the then 19-year-old, Abeln would have no experience in his position group at all. Now, the Vols may have the best set of tight ends in the SEC – at least if you base it off of the way Davis, Kitselman and Staes have played this season.
Davis caught a touchdown pass in the season-opening game against Chattanooga. Kitselman and Staes were THE game plan against North Carolina State as the Vols relied on two tight ends throughout the game to corral the Wolfpack and even make some plays in the passing game.
“It’s awesome,” Abeln said of utilizing the two-tight end set against N.C. State. “Obviously, you can attack your opponent a lot of different ways. It’s something that we’ve wanted to do a lot in the past and just haven’t had the depth. A year ago, if J (Warren) or Cally (Castles) gets nicked up, now you’re looking at a real tough spot. Now we’ve got the ability to play in that as much as we want.”
Thanks, in part, to Kitselman. Let’s be honest. No one expected the former Bama backup to emerge as a receiving threat. Yet, there he was in preseason practice, just making plays downfield in the passing game. Kitselman caught two passes for 18 yards with the Crimson Tide in two seasons. He has already caught three passes for 39 yards and a touchdown in two games as a Vol.
“I think the biggest thing from him from Day One was just confidence,” Abeln said. “Knowing that you do belong at this level. You do belong at the next level and trusting that and going and attacking it that way. I think Saturday was great for him to get some production. I think there’s still more. Kind of just scratching the surface of what you can see from him.”
So Kitselman needed some love. He probably wasn’t the only one as Staes and Davis had to pick up a new offense and add weight, respectively, to get on the field and be productive. As they did so, Abeln toiled away on the practice field where no prying eyes could see what he was assembling. As for media questions, he dodged those as well.
“I know I was trying to be sly and not say exactly what we were working on,” Abeln said. “But man, that was a huge part of what we were able to really get through the summer and fall camp and even spring ball…They did such a good job investing into the base stuff that you felt comfortable putting it on their plate.
“I think the other side of it is anytime you have a chance to be playing more guys, that naturally kind of motivates guys to invest and learn it.”
The challenge, of course, will be making all three tight ends happy with their amount of playing time going forward. Kitselman and Staes want to be ready for the NFL and showcase their skills to pro scouts. Davis isn’t thinking of that yet, but the decision to start him in the Vols’ season opener against the Mocs is a clear indication that he’s earned his playing time since signing with the Vols in 2023. Can everyone just get along?
“It’s huge,” Abeln said of the chemistry between the tight end trio. “Obviously, with the tempo, you’re going to play multiple guys. I think everybody kind of understood that coming in. It starts with having great human beings in the room.
“We’ve got a roomful of awesome human beings that get excited for each other, root for each other, coach each other. It’s really cool to be around that group because of the way they support each other. It’s a bar set by J (Warren) a year ago and really has carried into this group as well.”
So, will we see more formations with two tight ends? Probably, but Abeln isn’t saying when, why or how. Shhhh. It’s a secret.
“Certainly don’t want to help anybody prepare for something that you feel is going to be really good against them,” Abeln said. “We’ve had the ability to go in it for a long time. So, I guess in some way, we’ve been keeping it a secret by not putting it on tape, but it’s not been a secret around our building at all.”
That makes one wonder if there’s another secret floating around Tennessee’s football offices. If so, the Vols won’t pull out any new tricks against lowly Kent State. Here’s looking at you Oklahoma.
