Sometimes, being a college football fan feels a lot like being a parent. You follow a group of kids over the course of a few years, cheering their successes, lifting them up when they fall, and hoping for bigger and better things when they leave the nest.
As many know, 2023 was VFL tight end Jacob Warren’s sixth and final season with the Vols. A proven leader on and off the field, Warren caught 53 passes for 607 yards and eight touchdowns during his tenure at Tennessee.
But not all college players leave their mark on a university’s program after they’re gone. Though, if you ask tight ends coach Alec Abeln, he will tell you Warren did just that.
“It’s huge,” Abeln said of the bond between the tight ends. “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 (Jacob Warren) a year ago and really has carried into this group as well.”
So, did Warren leave Tennessee a little better off than when he got there? How much deeper is the current team than say, his 2022 season? Warren thinks experience and coaching is key.
“It has to do with getting guys in the system and knowing who your personnel is,” Warren told Off the Hook Sports on a recent episode of “The Dave Hooker Show”. “But I mean, a lot of the guys that are making a lot of plays and stuff for the team right now have not been… obviously Nico’s pretty new, right? He played a game last year, but starting-wise and experience-wise he’s pretty fresh and you got some young guys on the defense making a lot of plays. You got a lot of new guys. Maybe not young guys, but new guys on the offense that are doing really well. And I think it’s just, you know, a testament to the coaches and what they’re able to communicate to the players.”
Even though he doesn’t spend his days in the Vols’ tight end room any longer, Warren has been keeping a close eye on any new and positive changes to the Tennessee offense. And he recognizes the impression he’s left on the team.
“I love to see those guys being successful,” Warren said of Tennessee’s current tight ends. “Those guys, from what I can tell, learned a lot from me. And I think I had my impact on them… I’ve been there, I’ve hung out with them outside of football and been able to just talk ball, talk different things. And I’m not saying the only reason they’re successful is because of me. But… I feel like I’ve had my hand in kind of preparing them for what they’re going to see here and there, and they’re doing a great job. Miles (Kitselman) is blocking his butt off and just working super hard. And obviously Holden’s (Staes) made some plays and I’m just happy to see Ethan (Davis) come along.”
Warren’s post-Tennessee career is in a state of flux right now. After signing to the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent, he was released from the team before the 2024 season began.
Even though his football future remains uncertain, Warren is optimistic that an NFL career is still possible.
“I spent two months or so with the Patriots and did well in training camp and felt like I performed well,” Warren noted. “I felt like I was a good coworker. I carried myself really well around the building and did all the things that I knew I’d be good at. And I think I found that I can play in that league and I can compete with those guys.”
All the Tennessee moms and dads are rooting for Warren to get another chance to show the NFL what they already know – Warren would be an asset to any team he plays for.
