As Miles Kitselman gears up for his final collegiate season, he’ll be expected to be one of the most consistent pieces of Tennessee football’s offense in 2025.
Coming off his first year in Knoxville, where he produced 301 receiving yards and four touchdowns, along with a rushing score, the expectation is that he’ll be able to improve on these counting stats as a receiving tight end. That’s not the only area he’s focused on, though.
Kitselman also wants to be considered one of the best blockers in the sport. This all stems from him modeling his game after NFL greats Rob Gronkowski and George Kittle.
“I loved watching Tom Brady and Gronkowski,” Kitselman said. “That’s kind of where the number (87) comes from. I love how Gronk was always great and one of the best blocking tight ends, even in the top 10 tackles whenever he was playing. George Kittle, as well, in that Netflix series that George Kittle had, he says, ‘I take pride for the blocking and I know the rest will come.’ It’s very easy to get wrapped up in how many touchdowns you’ll have and how many receiving yards you’ll have, but this year, I’m going to pride myself on being the best blocking tight end in the nation.”
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That’s what this off-season has been focused on for Kitselman. It isn’t even necessarily one overwhelmingly specific area, either, just a general willingness to improve as a blocker.
Tennessee may need him to take a significant step in this category, as well. The Vols return just one starter on the offensive line from last season in left tackle Lance Heard. The interior is likely going to be made up of a pair of transfers in Sam Pendleton and Wendell Moe Jr., and an inexperienced player in either William Satterwhite or Shamurad Umarov. The other tackle position is likely going to be earned by true freshman David Sanders Jr.
With the questions on the line, getting the tight ends to help create a push in the run game or even pass block in certain situations when needed will be critical.
“Just being able to have this year to look back on and the improvements that I need to look on,” Kiteslman said. “Whether that’s footwork, pad level, just knowing defensive structures, who I’m going against. Just everything that you can dive into that I’m diving into right now in this off-season.”
