Everything Tennessee tight end coach Alec Abeln said on Tuesday of Vanderbilt prep

Tennessee football is preparing to take on Vanderbilt on Saturday for the regular-season finale. Ahead of the matchup, Vols tight ends coach Alec Abeln broke things down with the media on Tuesday morning.

On Ethan Davis’ strong return from injury…

“It’s been really cool to see, I think for him, just finally getting the payoff for all that he’s put into it. Understanding circumstances early in the year as far as the injury goes and nothing you can do about it and just being mentally tough, staying emotionally and mentally invested into it (for) when you are back you’re ready to step up and make some huge plays. Something that I feel like I’ve known for a long time was in him and there’s certainly way more for him to be who he could really become. But starting to see the payoff of it for him is really cool.”

On Ethan Davis’ journey to becoming a complete tight end…

“I mean, he’s ready to play – kind of goes back to being functional versus being dominant. Obviously, had a pass protection sack on Saturday and that really just comes down to a day one fundamental that I trust him in all those situations. He’s got to go continue to execute it. But I think the challenge is, man, you can play with him and ask him to do anything we’re going to ask him to do. It’s just about not just being able to do it but being able to be dominant while we’re doing it – I think is the next step.”

On DaSaahn Brame playing some slot receiver…

“I think it warrants the nature of college football with where the rosters are at and just what your depth overall looks like. That he’s done a great job stepping into that role for us in this offense. We run pretty much every route the slot gets asked to run and I think he’s the guy that’s certainly capable of running the whole route tree. I think for him, being in that room more, he’s getting coached probably better by coach (Kelsey) Pope than he is by me, but it certainly plays into his skillset. Big picture for him, he’s got to continue to grow in the core, much like what Ethan (Davis) had to do his first year here. I think he’s still continuing to work towards that and can provide value in that role even right now. But as far as a big athletic guy that plays really hard – the one catch he had on Saturday, you see him catch just a little bubble and it looks a little different. I think the more he plays, the more he’s out there, the more confidence he gets with it, the more he’s going to be able to help. I think eventually when he does move back it’ll be better for us in our room. For sure.”

On Moles Kitselman and what he has meant to him and the room…

“It’s a blessing. It really is. Certainly changed my life for the better and changed our room for the better. Changed this program for the better. Can’t talk enough about just who he is as a human being. Who he is as a teammate. Will probably be a little emotional on Saturday knowing it’s his last time in Neyland. But I really appreciate the work he’s done and continues to do for this team and I’m excited for the future for him.”

On what stands out about the Vanderbilt defense…

“Play hard. They’re fundamentally really sound scheme-wise, very sound really. They run the ball, they play hard, they play physical. It’s nothing crazy exotic, nothing super-scheme-y that’s crazy, crazy unique, but do a really good job playing within their system, playing with that level, playing with hands, playing with technique and effort. It’s really the highlight of what they do and they do it at a really high level.”