KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee football turns the page to its final week of spring practice after the Volunteers went through their 11th workout on Saturday at Haslam Field.
Tight ends coach Alec Abeln and new special teams coordinator Evan Crabtree both addressed the media following the practice. Tennessee will have a quick turnaround with a scrimmage set for Monday morning in Neyland Stadium. The scrimmage is closed to the public.
Abeln and Crabtree originally joined Josh Heupel’s staff as analysts and worked their way up.
“I think one, it’s credit to Heup (Josh Heupel) for giving trust to the guys, putting the vote of confidence,” Abeln said. “I know I can speak to that really to a high level, but I also think it’s something that it’s not just, ‘Hey, you’re the next in line, so you’re the guy.’
“I think everything in this building is merit-based,” Crabtree said. “There are young guys, there are young guys that are grinding every day on this staff. You see it on the team with our players. Coach Heupel has created a culture where he allows guys to move up and guys can show what they can do. He puts a tremendous amount of trust in us and we have a tremendous amount of trust in him.”
Tickets for the Orange & White Game presented by Cherokee Resorts & Entertainment are on sale now at AllVols.com. Start time is 2 p.m. ET next Saturday in Neyland Stadium.
Saturday quotes from Abeln and Crabtree are below.
Tight Ends Coach Alec Abeln
On how different Ethan Davis is compared to where he was last year…
“He’s taken a huge step. One, just having an offseason where his body is healthy going into it allowed him to really get stronger, not just putting on weight but really changing his body. Off the ball through however many days it’s been, he’s been doing a really good job. (He’s) got to clean up some in the line, but he’s really taking a bunch of steps and he’s got to continue to do that.”
On Miles Kitselman embracing a new role…
“(It’s) not too different from when he was out there practicing with us. He’s always kind of been that guy. I think for him it sucks, but it’s an opportunity for him to get his lower half where he wants it and (to) really be intentional with the young guys, where he’s not having to worry about his reps right now, he’s able to be in those guys’ ear the entire time, and (I) can’t say enough about the way he’s embraced the challenge of what he’s going through and just continuing to make us better.”
On how consistent Ethan Davis has been this spring and how he’s maximizing his potential…
“That’s the name of the game. There were moments last year throughout the season that he’d do really good things and it’d flash and be like, ‘Man, if we could just do this on a consistent basis, we can really trust him more.’ It’s been really consistent, and I think it starts really with having consistent energy at practice and understanding that as he grows up and matures. It’s really cool to think about where he was when he walked in the door, not only as a football player but really as a human, and how he attacks everyday and how his enthusiasm is so contagious for our room, but I think being consistent on the field starts with having a consistent mindset. I think that’s been the biggest thing for him this spring.”
On Ethan Davis and the rest of the room’s sense of urgency to step up with Miles Kitselman’s injury…
“I think it’s been awesome for the other guys. Awesome is maybe not the right word, but it really forces him for sure to step up, but there should always be a sense of urgency in the room. I think our guys know this isn’t a one-man room. The amount of guys that have an opportunity to play and the guys that are fighting for those reps, there’s always going to be an urgency, but I do think it’s been awesome for Ethan (Davis) from a leadership perspective, from an on-field leadership. Like, you lead with your words for sure, but you lead by how you attack the day and how you approach the day, and really since Kits (Miles Kitselman) has been down, it’s something that that responsibility has fallen, and I need to make sure the whole group is rocking and rolling.”
On the culture and perspective of analysts and graduate assistants and the opportunity to move up…
“I think one, it’s credit to Heup (Josh Heupel) for giving trust to the guys, putting the vote of confidence. I know I can speak to that really to a high level, but I also think it’s something that it’s not just, ‘Hey, you’re the next in line, so you’re the guy.’ Like, Crab (Evan Crabtree) earned that every single day he was here in his role before. He brought a lot to the table and has done a really good job through the spring of continuing to add value, challenge the way we do things and ultimately make us better.”
On how much did the advent of the two tight ends change his job?
“It’s something we have always had when we have had the ability to do it as far as when we have three bodies. Man 12 (personnel) has been a part of the offense since I was playing in it. Obviously, it’s nice to have those guys, and I think as we continue to grow and it becomes more normal for them. It just expands what you can do from it.”
On how Jack Van Dorselaer has grown this spring and what he has seen from him…
“First things first, through winter workouts, absolutely crushed it. I think for him, coming in was everything thought, and recruiting as far as a guy that cares at a really high level. He plays really tough. As far as just day one, lining up doing his job executing, like tons of stuff to clean up fundamentally, but as far as just a lineman assignment, execution better than any of the transfers we have had, just as far as day one, being able to operate. He’s got to clean up a bunch of technique stuff and continue to get better, but I really can’t say enough about how much he prepared in the offseason to have had the spring he has had so far.”
On if the process as a coach is different teaching transfers versus freshmen…
“No, not really. I think our urgency with every guy that steps in the door is urgency to get them ready to play, and every guy is going to start at different spots. Whether, you are a transfer or not, there’s guys, we have had three of them, that all commit at radically different spots in terms of their knowledge and in terms of their understanding. The same goes for the high school guys. I think our job is to really meet them where they are when they are walking in the door, and ultimately, we got to get them where they need to be in the fall. As far as urgency and getting them ready to play, it’s no different for a high school senior as it is for a transfer.
On how much Jack Van Dorselaer’s size could help him make an immediate impact…
“It’s no secret. It’s a grown man league. You better be strong. You better be physical. You better be able to last in there, and I think, credit to one, the work he put in before he got to campus to be where he is at. Also, understanding, he has done a great job, but there’s still more meat on the bone that he’s got to put on and still some more that you come in as a ready product. We have to continue to push what we can do with our bodies.”
On what he sees out of Cole Harrison for this upcoming season…
“Outside of getting tackled, he has pretty full go right now. I think that has been awesome for him. I am really excited about where Cole was through fall camp and being able to have him back for the spring and really getting to play with a bit more confidence. I think he is similar to Callie (McCallan Casltes) more than anybody else in the room in terms of you know what you are doing now. You understand your job. Let’s go play with confidence. He has earned the right to play more confidently. I think when he does, it is going to be really good.”
On what kind of growth he has seen from DaSaahn Brame…
“Obviously, it is a challenge when you come in and there are setbacks injury wise that are keeping you from being able to go. I know he is so hungry. Just like Kitselman, it kills him to not be full-go through this part of the spring. I think at the same time, being a great teammate, being engaged, continuing to chase the mental reps of it and maximizing every snap whether in or not, I can get something out of it. He has done a great job of staying positive, staying present so that when he does come back it is not day one.”
Special Teams Coordinator Evan Crabtree
On the dynamics of working with John Bonamego and his relationship with him…
“It has been awesome. I did not know him personally before he got here. However, I played against his team when he was a head coach at Central Michigan. I need to look back on his scouting report of me as a snapper and see what he said. He is fantastic. His wealth, knowledge, experience and scouting board. To have another guy in there that has been in the fire and at a high level, I think it is important. To have another guy in the room that brings more experience and more ideas and things like that, it is important to have the strongest units that we can have.”
On how the room feels without Matthew Salansky…
“We are missing the number 47. For five years, he has been consistent and a really great player and an in-state guy that has worked and worked and earned it in his own way. It will be different without Mattie but we have a great one who has been learning and that has been right behind them for the better part of three years. I am really excited about Bennett (Brady) and everything he has done. We have some guys coming in too. He is putting himself in position to have a great career just like Matte did.”
On if he had any connections to the staff prior to his time at Tennessee…
“I didn’t have any strong connections. It is funny because the old offensive coordinator, Alex Golish, is from my same hometown, but I did not know him previously to being here. The guy that I was a graduate assistant for at Miami of Ohio worked with Coach Heupel at Oklahoma. So, that was kind of my way in.”
On whether he thinks that his promotion was more merit-based, without having a direct connection to anyone at Tennessee…
“I mean yes, I think everything in this building is merit-based. There are young guys, there are young guys that are grinding every day on this staff. You see it on the team with our players. Coach Heupel has created a culture where he allows guys to move up and guys can show what they can do. He puts a tremendous amount of trust in us and we have a tremendous amount of trust in him.”
On the biggest thing that is standing out about Max Gilbert right now…
“He is striking the ball well. He has a tremendous talent with his leg. We have two kickers right now that have unbelievable ability. Max has been consistent and consistent in the season. Just continuing to train him and Josh Turbyville as well, to put them in the same situations, when we play in Neyland, we play at Alabama, Georgia, Florida. We are getting them ready for that moment.”
On what he thinks led to him being elevated into this new role…
“I have been given every opportunity behind the scenes to show what I can do. I have been around great people in this building that have molded me to be a coach that Coach Heupel wants in this building. Working hard is something that everybody in this place does, but just try to take every day like it was my personal responsibility to make an impact whether that be on special teams or with our team in any capacity.”
On his background with special teams…
“My background as a player, I was a long snapper in college, and I had a lot of times in meetings as a player to sit in with every unit. I have had a lot of great coaches that have molded me and that are continuously pouring into me from all of the things that they have learned throughout their history. Special teams is a passion for me because it is a team-based unit, and you get everybody involved, like offense and defense. I had a passion as an offensive lineman, but when I stopped growing, I became a snapper. I just started learning those phases. Spending time here the last three seasons, that is also where I have learned a ton. Within what we do, but what Coach Heupel expects from a culture standpoint and how we approach every single day.”
On how he plans to put his own imprint on his group…
“There is a tremendous foundation here. Starting with Coach Heupel and Coach (Mike) Ekeler is one of the guys that has molded me into being a special teams guy and conceptually just having a good understanding of what we are trying to accomplish. Just every day that we do special teams, there is a standard and an expectation that our team is involved in and our coaches are involved. Schematically there are some things that maybe we go down the way that maybe that look a little bit different or maybe they are similar, but right now we are so focused on the technique and developing our young team that we have, because there are a lot of really good tools to use on all our of units. Right now, it has all been technique and just foundational work, which we have a pretty good foundation of right here. “
