Since Josh Heupel took over as the program's head coach in 2021, no tight end in the Tennessee Vols’ offense has caught more than 22 passes in a single season.

That's something that appears to be hurting the Vols in recruiting. 

2026 four-star tight end Carson Sneed has been committed to Tennessee since last August, but he's considering flipping his commitment due to concerns over how tight ends are used in the Vols' offense. 

"There is some concern about just how often the Vols throw to their tight ends especially as other top teams come in and try to flip Sneed….He’s an in-state prospect and playing in Knoxville is a huge deal but just how often Sneed is going to see the ball is a sticking point," wrote Rivals.com's Adam Gorney last month. 

Sneed spoke to Rivals this week and was asked about the Vols' recruiting pitch amid the noise surrounding how Tennessee uses tight ends. 

"Coach Heupel, he's just been telling me about how he's had previous tight ends — not really in this offense, because he hadn't really had the body types he's liked," said Sneed. "He's had the old staff's. But at Missouri, they had Albert [Okwuegbunam] and people like that. They think I can be the next Albert O, you know, a freshman All-American, go to the NFL and play a couple years. So that's really what they've been telling me."

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Those are some interesting comments. 

Okwuegbunam was certainly a good player for Missouri — especially as a true freshman when Heupel was the Tigers' offensive coordinator (29 receptions for 415 yards and 11 touchdowns). Okwuegbunam ended up being a fourth round selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, so that's a solid recruiting pitch from Heupel. 

On the other hand, Heupel's had several tight ends at Tennessee that he brought to campus. McCallan Castles was a transfer addition in 2023. Holden Staes and Miles Kitselman were transfer additions in 2024 (Kitselman will return in 2025). And Ethan Davis was signed by the Vols as a four-star recruit during the 2023 recruiting cycle (Davis has 15 receptions for 133 yards and two touchdowns during his first two seasons at Tennessee). 

It's been more than two years since Heupel had to rely on the "old staff's" tight ends. 

Maybe tight ends will be more involved in Tennessee's offense in 2025. Maybe the Vols will have a quarterback/tight end combo that clicks. But until then, it's understandable why recruits are concerned about how often tight ends catch the ball in Tennessee's offense. 

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Tough break for the Tigers