Everything Tennessee tight ends coach Alec Ablin said following Vols Saturday workout

Tennessee tight ends coach Alec Abeln is in his second season as a Vol assistant coach and after having veteran tight end Jacob Warren last year to help the transition, Abeln in year two has a position room that features a second year player and two transfers. 

With a week of spring ball left, Abeln likes this way his position group has developed over the last month as transfers Holden Staes and Miles Kitselman get settled into a new offensive system. 

Abeln met the media on Saturday to discuss the growth of his room and their keys for this off-season. 

What have you seen 10 practices in from your group, including the transfers? 

It’s been really good. Honestly, a lot of new faces, a couple guys back, but the new guys have done such a good job as far as learning the system, operating, playing fast, made a bunch of plays. I’ve been really pleased with how they’ve worked and what they’ve done so far. 

You’re now in your second year as a full-time staff guy, what is something you kind of took from your first year that you’re trying to to use now as a coach that’s you feel maybe is helping out, whether it’s coaching your players, recruiting? 

I think coaching in particular for me this off season there was such an emphasis in growing in the routes and wanting to get better in that area. Obviously everybody knows I’ve been a line guy that really wanted to be elite in that area, so that’s been a huge focus for me and we’ve got really talented guys that can put a bunch of that stuff on the field. Recruiting wise sleeping a little bit better. Got some good ones in the boat and this off season obviously with the December calendar it’s a little bit different than it used to be and that was a crazy month. 

Obviously Holden came in with a lot of acclaim to him out of the portal, but Miles Kitselman kind of slipped in under the radar after the fact. What, what have you seen outta him that’s impressed you this spring? 

I’m really excited about Miles. All that guy does is work. We knew he’d stick his face on people. We knew he’d be physical. I think what he’s done in the space has been, not necessarily a surprise, but really pleasant. He’s done a really good job for us and just works his butt off every day. Having two guys come in, that both do everything we want has been really cool. 

From what you saw on film with Holden, how has that translated?

I think so. I mean, on the tape you saw a guy that made a bunch of plays, a guy that played really fast, has elite hands, understands space. I think as we do a little bit different stuff in the scheme side of it, both run and pass. He’s learning and adjusting to that, but he’s done a great job as far as just the raw speed, the hands ability to make plays in space. He’s been everything he saw on tape. 

What have been the areas of progression for Ethan Davis? 

We talked about a lot last year. Ethan would flash all the time, but he was 225 and initially doing some of the things we asked guys to do. At the same time, learning the new system, adjusting to the speed of the game at this level. This spring he’s done such a great job, one getting his body right that he was 242 last week and you know, he’s so comfortable now with where to be, what to do. There’s still detail in everything that he’s gotta continue to clean up. 

But I told him this, he’s gonna be an elite player.. He’s got so much twitch pop. He’s not scared of anything. As he continues to get better with the fundamentals of it, he’s gonna be really, really good at it. 

We’ve seen the tight ends kind be very versatile in this offense. How comfortable you with this group’s versatility?

I’m really comfortable. We’ll see if anybody can carry the ball here like Princeton did. But you know, as far as what gets put on our plate, being out in space and being in the box, being in the box, running some really deep routes, like there’s a lot that’s asked of those guys and the challenge is finding guys that can do all of that where you’re not having to call certain things when certain guys are in. I feel like we’ve got that in our room. 

You lose two veterans in that room from last season. Who have you seen stand up and kind of be the voice in the meeting room? 

I think for the transfers coming in, there’s a maturity level of, they’ve been in rooms, they’ve been in places where they know what it kind of looks like and it’s always a little bit awkward for you when you’re stepping in a new, a place where you want to lead. You want to be a veteran voice, but you’re also respect and trust your teammates. I can’t give enough credit to Titus Aurora and Charlie Browder for the role they’ve had in our room, just as far as helping bring those guys along. Kind of showing those guys the way that we do things a little bit different here, but really, you know, it’s different than last year. 

We had two guys that were clearly the old heads and then a bunch of young guys. Man, I hope everybody in my room can be a leader. And not just with how they act, but by how they bring each other up. 

It’s kind of in a two man show at the time position since you guys have been here, but coaches have made the comments on saying you really need three. How close do you think you are to having three guys that can, you know, play a lot of sounds for you?

“They’ve all got stuff to improve on and stuff to work on, but I do feel like we’re in the right direction there for sure, which is really exciting.”

Last spring, McCallan [Castles] talked about just how challenging it was to learn this offense and how much Jacob [Warren] helped him with it. Where do you think you are with this group in general with their development?

“I don’t want to crown them too early, but they’re doing a really good job. Macallan [Castles] is probably on the curve that most guys are on where it is a spring of just trying to learn how to operate and there’s a lot going on. It’s happening really fast. Without getting their egos too inflated, the two new guys that have come in are really ahead of schedule in terms of where I thought they would be. Just the ability to line up process and play and we probably put more on their plates because of their ability to learn so fast.”

What do you feel and see from Nico [Iamaleava] with your group communicating and working together on offense?

“I think he stepped up in a big way. The guys love Nico and they trust Nico. He’s different, more like Hendon [Hooker] in terms of how he approaches the guys and just the conversations they have. He’s been awesome with our group.”

With Miles Kinsman, when you guys brought him in, it looked like an obvious guy that would be just a blocking tight end. Has anything surprised you about him as a pass catcher or as a route runner?

“I got to give credit to Cody Cook. He was a guy with us last year and he coached Miles at Hutch [Hutchenson Community College] and was telling me on tape that this is kind of what we can see. And there wasn’t a lot of evidence of the other piece of that equation. And he stood on the table. Once I listened, man, I coached this guy for two years. I know what he can do and Cody’s the lead receivers coach and that skillset, you can tell he’s been coached by Cody because there’s a lot of stuff that’s showing up on tape. That’s really good.”