The Tennessee Vols suffered a major loss this week with the news that senior tight end Ethan Davis is set to miss the rest of the season with an ACL injury.

Davis is a talented player who was an important piece for the Vols in the pass game and the run game.

With Davis out for the year, it means that sophomore DaSaahn Brame and South Alabama transfer Trent Thomas are now Tennessee’s top two options at tight end.

The Vols don’t have any proven depth behind Brame and Thomas.

The expectation is that true freshman Luca Wolf, a native of Austria who just started playing football in 2024, will see an expanded role moving forward.

Wolf will be a player to keep an eye on when Tennessee takes on Kennesaw State in Neyland Stadium on Saturday night.

Tennessee needs Luca Wolf to develop quickly

“I think it’s a big night for Luca Wolf, the freshman,” said VolQuest’s Brent Hubbs on Friday on 104.5 The Zone’s Ramon and Will. “Because I think Tennessee knows that DaSaahn Brame has to play and he has to grow, so they’ll play him some (against Kennesaw State), obviously. He (Brame) has to ascend. Trent Thomas has played…he’s getting a better feel for this offense.

“To me, Luca Wolf is one of the more intriguing stories on this football team, and now he puts himself in a position because of the injury (to Davis) that he’s Tennessee’s third tight end. And he’s in his third year of football ever. It’s a tall ask to start playing the game in 2024 for the first time, and then in 2026 you’re going to play in the SEC. But he has to be in their rotation at tight end. So I think getting him as many snaps as you can, and trying to get him acclimated and up to speed accelerate his development starting tomorrow night, will be pivotal for this team with what they like to do with their tight ends.”

Vols head coach Josh Heupel said earlier this week that he doesn’t see Tennessee’s offense — which has relied heavily on tight ends in the run game so far this season — changing with Davis out.

“The next guy has got to step up,” said Heupel. “I don’t see it changing who we are offensively. We’ve got some young guys that we are confident in that we want to see continue to grow, but they gotta take ownership. It’s next man up, and let’s go play ball.”

Ultimately, what the Vols do offensively moving forward will depend on how well they’re able to fill the void that Davis leaves behind.

As for Wolf, Tennessee tight ends coach Alec Abeln said back in August that the true freshman has “a chance to be a real contributor this fall.”

Wolf will get that chance, perhaps sooner than he expected, starting on Saturday night against Kennesaw State.