Tennessee football’s annual spring Orange & White Game is scheduled for this Saturday as spring camp nears its conclusion. On Thursday morning, Vols tight ends coach Alec Abeln met with the media to give his thoughts on the room.
He talked about the evolution of Ethan Davis, the progression of Dasaahn Brame, incoming transfer Trent Thomas and more.
Here’s what he said.
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On what he has seen from Tennessee’s new tight ends Luca Wolf and Trent Thomas this spring
“Really impressed with the new guys. Obviously, Trent played football for two years (at South Alabama). Not his first rodeo, so he kind of understands what it looks like and has done nothing but just put his head down and grind. And Luca, with him coming from NFL Academy, four years ago, when we took Emmanuel Okoye, where Emmanuel started was a radically different place than where Luca started. And just the amount that program has improved and what they’ve been able to get done over the last four years, without crowning him too early, through the first block of practices, he operated as good as anybody we’ve ever had in that first spring. Now he hit a little bit of the freshman wall, and that’s to be expected. Things get sped up a little bit. New stuff gets thrown at you. But really both those guys have attacked it and have been awesome adds to the room.”
On how he would grade the physicality of Tennessee’s tight end room
“I think it has been good. I think Ethan in particular, man, if there was any question about him in the core going into a year ago, there’s zero doubt in my mind now. Really cool to see guys that come in at that spot and develop over the time that they’ve been here. Not just technique and fundamentals, but mentality, embracing it and enjoying it. I do think they still need meat on the bone for the whole unit for sure, and I think we’ll get there. But they don’t feel like a bunch of receivers every day, you know?”
On how much Dasaahn Brame has progressed in his physicality
“Yeah, man, same deal. Bunch of steps. And I think similar path to Ethan. He probably started a little bit ahead in the box just because he’d done some of that stuff in high school. It’s a constant blend between technique fundamentals and having your arousal level right. And I think what happens with guys, arousal level will be great, technique goes out the window. And then, man, they’re focused on their technique, and they’re not quite turned on as much as they need to be. And there’s a little bit back and forth of that every day, where guys are focusing on something fundamental and maybe lose a gear of how hard and how physical they need to play. But overall, man, he’s taken a bunch of steps this spring and we’ll need him to continue to do that.”
On the mindset and mentality of Tennessee tight ends having to be physical
“I think a couple things go into it. One, they understand that to play at the next level, if you’re truly a one-trick pony, there’s limited spots and there’s limited opportunities. And the lifespan of those guys at the next level is smaller than what it is if you can do more. Flip side of it, too, for guys, I’m not making a Masters week joke, but with golf when you hit it off the heel, you hit it off the toe, it doesn’t feel real great. But when you flush one, it feels different. And I think it’s the same thing with the contact, that when you really do strike somebody the way you’re supposed to, that feeling becomes something that you chase and something that becomes, one, that you want to get after again and again.
“And understanding, man, they’re not always going to be perfect hits, but it’s contagious for the group that when one guy sets a tone and plays hard and plays physical, the other guys see that and want it. And then once they try it and once they feel it right, it’s like, ‘Oh, this is fun. I should be enjoying this.’”
On what they saw from Trent Thomas in the transfer portal
“I turned on the Auburn game and the dude dominated the C-gap. And just with what was in the room already, what was coming back, knew that for us to be successful, first and foremost, needed a guy that felt really good about in that area. And man, absolutely he’s got the tightest hands coming out that we’ve had. Does a really good job in that area. I do think in the route, man, he’s continued to develop and get better. But no, I just turned on the Auburn game, watched the tape, and said, ‘Does this guy help us win?’ And the answer was absolutely.”
On how Tennessee’s Cole Harrison has progressed
“Coming along really well. I’m excited for Colt just because this has been his first offseason where he’s been healthy and had a true way to block, to get work and get physically ready to do it. Mentally, man, he’s playing more confident. There’s still a ton of things to clean up, and I think he’d be the first one to tell you that the confidence piece of it, we talk about it being earned all the time. You don’t just roll out of bed confident with a lot of these things. He’s earned the right to be confident and time to start continuing to play with more of it.”
