Tennessee's players avoided trash talk during SEC Media Days, but one Vol sent a subtle message to Alabama
The Tennessee Vols, despite some strong attempts by various media members, mostly avoided talking trash at SEC Media Days in Atlanta on Tuesday. Vols senior tight end Miles Kitselman, however, managed to fire off a subtle message to the Alabama Crimson Tide. Kitselman, who started his career at Alabama before transferring to Tennessee, told ESPN's […]
The Tennessee Vols, despite some strong attempts by various media members, mostly avoided talking trash at SEC Media Days in Atlanta on Tuesday.
Vols senior tight end Miles Kitselman, however, managed to fire off a subtle message to the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Kitselman, who started his career at Alabama before transferring to Tennessee, told ESPN's Chris Low that folks shouldn't be surprised this year when they look up and see that the Vols are 7-0.
"I just love it how we truly do have this chip on our shoulder and that there's not a whole lot of spotlight on us right now," said Kitselman. "There's a lot of people that don't expect anything out of us, and I absolutely love that you guys [the media] are going to look up at midseason and go, 'Tennessee is 7-0. They're doing it."
That seems like an innocent enough comment from Kitselman, but 7-0 is a very specific number.
After reading that comment from Kitselman, I immediately looked at Tennessee's schedule to see who they play in the first seven games of the season.
And guess who the Vols play in the seventh game of the season…
That's right. Alabama.
Maybe Kitselman just threw a random number out there. Or maybe it was some sort of Freudian slip by the former Alabama tight end. Either way, it's a comment that will certainly be noticed in Tuscaloosa.
Kitselman, by the way, admitted during a conversation with 104.5 The Zone's 3HL that Tennessee's win against Alabama last season was a little more "personal" than the others.
"Obviously, I'm going to tell you that every win is awesome, it's week by week," said Kitselman. "But that was awesome going out there and winning in Neyland stadium and being able to play those guys and being able to beat them. That's a great squad over there, and I still have a lot of friends over there. A lot of respect for those guys. But yeah, that one was a little more personal than the others."
No one (except Kitselman) knows whether or not the 7-0 comment was directed squarely at Alabama. What we do know, though, is that this Tennessee team is extremely confident heading into the 2025 season, even though the national media isn't giving the Vols much of a chance to recreate last season's success.
‘Where’s the voice on this team?’ – Vols team leader confirms suspicion about Tennessee’s offensive struggles last season
Good sign for the Vols in 2025
