Tennessee Vols’ Tight Ends Surpass Expectations as Spring Football Wraps Up

With spring football almost three weeks in and the Orange and White game less than a week away, it’s a good time to assess the progress of the Tennessee Volunteers’ various position groupings.

One coach saved everyone’s time during his press conference on Saturday. According to tight ends coach Alec Abeln, the tight end room has outperformed his expectations, especially with his two new transfers.

“I don’t want to crown them too early, but they’re doing a really good job,” remarked Abeln. “McCallan (Castles) was probably on the same trajectory as most guys, where it’s a springboard for learning how to operate. A lot is going on, and it’s happening quickly.

“Without inflating their egos, the two new guys (Holden Staes and Miles Kitselman) have come in and are well ahead of schedule in terms of their ability to line up, process, and play. We added more to their plates because of their capacity to learn so quickly.”

States should be the team’s leading passer. Last season, the 6-foot-4, 242-pound junior from Atlanta caught 15 catches for 176 yards and four touchdowns for Notre Dame. He appears to be the most likely to take over as the team’s primary receiving option at the position.

“I would say I’m progressing well. Each day I’ve tried to improve on something, whether that’s lining up faster, processing the signals faster or knowing my read immediately when the ball gets snapped quickly. Coming from Notre Dame, we would huddle and have time to diagnose the defense before the ball gets snapped. Here, we get the signal, and the play is happening immediately. Overall, I think I’ve been progressing well. Through the end of spring ball, I just want to keep my head down, get better day in and day out and not look too far ahead. Using these last few practices, I just want to finish the right way and go into the summer. Overall, I’m feeling comfortable.” – Holden Staes

Kitselman is an interesting choice. He had only two catches in two years at Alabama, from which he transferred in January. However, former Tennessee assistant coach Kody Cook convinced Abeln of his abilities.

“I have to give credit to Kody Cook,” Abeln explained. “He was a guy who was with us last year and coached Miles at Hutchinson Community College.” He was telling me that on film, this is what we could see, and there wasn’t much evidence of the other side of the issue. He stood on the table and stated that he had tutored the individual for two years and was aware of his abilities. Kody is a top receivers coach. With that skill set, you can tell he’s been taught by Kody because there’s a lot of great stuff on the tape.”

Tennessee also includes Ethan Davis, Emmanuel Okoye, Titus Rohrer, Luke Shouse, and Charlie Browder on its roster. Cole Harrison will also join the team over the summer. Davis and Okoye both redshirted last year, but Davis, in particular, has fascinating upside and might become a viable option if he can show himself as a blocker for the rest of the spring.

Regardless, it appears that the arrow is pointing upwards for this group. On Saturday, the Vols will host their annual Orange and White game at Neyland Stadium, and we will see who shines out.