Unfortunate news that popped up during spring practice could be a blessing in disguise for the Tennessee Vols
The Tennessee Vols received some unfortunate news late last month when it was revealed that senior tight end Miles Kitselman will miss the rest of spring practice after suffering a pectoral injury. According to the initial report from VolQuest's Austin Price, Kitselman has already had surgery to repair the injury and he should be back […]
The Tennessee Vols received some unfortunate news late last month when it was revealed that senior tight end Miles Kitselman will miss the rest of spring practice after suffering a pectoral injury.
According to the initial report from VolQuest's Austin Price, Kitselman has already had surgery to repair the injury and he should be back on the field for fall practice, though the exact timeline for the tight end's return is still to be determined.
It's obviously never ideal for any player to suffer an injury. But Kitselman, who is viewed as an NFL talent, should be able to jump right back into the mix once he returns this fall thanks to the year of experience he has in Tennessee's offense.
With Kitselman sidelined, there are now more reps to go around for Tennessee's tight end group, which features quite a bit of youth outside of junior Ethan Davis (Davis is expected to co-headline the Vols' tight end room in 2025).
Tennessee's youthful tight end room is full of elite talent, but that elite talent lacks important experience. The extra reps that those young players (Cole Harrison, DaSaahn Brame, and Jack Van Dorselaer) gain while Kitselman is out will be invaluable when it comes to their development.
The Kitselman injury is also putting Davis in a position to be more of an on-field leader for the tight end room.
"I think it’s been awesome for the other guys – awesome is maybe not the right word – but really, it forces him (Davis), for sure, to step up," said Vols tight end coach Alec Abeln this past weekend. "There should always be urgency in the room, and I think our guys know this isn’t a one-man room. The amount of guys that have an opportunity to play, and the guys that are fighting for those reps, there’s always going to be an urgency.
"But I do think it’s been awesome for Ethan from a leadership perspective, from an on-field leadership (perspective). You lead with your words, for sure, but you lead by how you attack the day and how you approach the day. And really since [Kitselman] has been down, it’s something that that responsibility has fallen on [Davis] to make sure that the whole group is rocking and rolling."
Tennessee's tight ends play an extremely important role in the Volunteers' offense. And right now, outside of Kitselman and Davis, that position group doesn't have much experience. There's a good chance that at least one of the youngsters will be asked to play some key snaps for Tennessee in 2025 (those guys are just one snap away from being a starter). The on-field experience that they gain this spring, and likely in the early part of fall practice, will be huge for their development.
It's unfortunate that Kitselman suffered an injury during spring practice, but fortunately for the Vols, there's some good that will come from it.
