KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Rain kept the Vols indoors Thursday morning for the second practice of preseason training camp as Tennessee football completed a 19-period workout in helmets and shorts on the turf field inside the Anderson Training Center.
Recently named to 247Sports’ 30 Under 30 rising coaching stars in college football, UT tights ends coach Alec Abeln met with the media after practice. Topics of discussion included the veteran tandem of sixth-year senior Jacob Warren and graduate transfer McCallan Castles and the development of Nigerian newcomer Emmanuel Okoye.
Warren enters his sixth year with the program in 2023 and brings a tremendous amount of SEC experience to Josh Heupel‘s high octane offense. The Knoxville native serves on Tennessee’s leadership council and provides a confident, veteran presence for Abeln’s tight end room, which the first-year position coach addressed on Thursday.
“I started sleeping a lot better,” Abeln said of Warren’s decision to return for a sixth year. “I mean, it changes everything in terms of you knew that you had at least one guy who you could count on to go to war with, and at that point just trying to find the pieces of who else was going to be there with him. But man, it really made it easier for us.
“I think he’s going to surprise a lot of people in space this year, and I think he’s gotten a lot better at that stuff just from a fundamental level. He has to continue to get stronger, continue to work on every aspect of his game. The biggest thing to me is just playing with more confidence.”
The Vols added five tight ends to the roster this past offseason, including Castles who joined the program in December and went through Orange Bowl practices before enrolling at UT in January. The redshirt senior from South Lake Tahoe, California, started 28 games at UC Davis, reeling in 68 catches for 928 yards and nine touchdowns over the course of three seasons with the Aggies.
“From McCallan’s UC Davis tape you see a playmaker, really athletic,” Abeln said. “You see a guy not afraid to stick his face in it. A guy that’s played in a bunch of different systems and knows football at a base level pretty well. This spring, kind of the same thing with (Ethan Davis), he’s trying to figure it out. He’s obviously older, he’s played a lot more, so he came a little bit cleaner form. But now that he knows what he’s doing, being able to really focus on the details and play fast.”
Another newcomer tight end whose measurables stand out is Okoye, a freshman from Anambra, Nigeria, who stands 6-5 and weighs in at 230 pounds. He enrolled at Tennessee in the summer of 2023 after spending a year at the NFL Academy in Loughborough, United Kingdom, and has already been acknowledged for his athleticism by Heupel and Abeln during early preseason media sessions.
“(Emmanuel) has a chance to be the most athletic guy to play the position,” Abeln said. “I truly believe that. He is as physically gifted as anyone I’ve ever been around. He’s got to continue to make steps every day, but just from a raw athletic standpoint, the ceiling is unlimited.”
Intensity will ramp up Friday as the Big Orange will put on shoulder pads for the first time this fall. Linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary and select defensive players are scheduled to meet with the media afterwards.
Freshman linebackers Jalen Smith and Jeremiah Telander also spoke with media on Thursday, praising their position coach and the culture built by Heupel and his staff over the last two years on Rocky Top.
“Coach BJ, he’s like my second father, being away from home,” Smith said. “I really love him. He’s a great guy. That’s one of the reasons that I came here. He stays on me, but it’s really just a loving relationship. He helps keep me on the right page.”
“I believe the coaching staff, with the past two seasons they’ve had, the culture here is one of the best in college football,” Telander remarked on his decision to come to Tennessee. “I think we all saw that, and that’s why we came here. The culture, the coaching staff, just the whole place itself.”
Okoye, freshman tight end Ethan Davis and freshman defensive lineman Nathan Robinson also met with the media following Thursday’s practice. Their full comments can be viewed on UTSports.com.
Tennessee Tight Ends Coach Alec Abeln
On Jacob Warren and McCallan Castles relationship…
“One, it speaks to Jacob (Warren) and the type of leader he is that knows it’s going to take a whole bunch of guys to go win and know we are going to be counting on McCallan (Castles) to make a bunch of plays this fall. Speaks to really both of them, just an ultimate pro mindset. Attacking it every day, trying to get better. It’s a brand-new offense for McCallan and I think a lot of times in the spring you are kind of learning on the run. In the summer it’s about getting the details down, it’s about building chemistry with the guys you’re playing with. It’s awesome when the guys in your room are close like that.”
On what it’s like two have two veteran players combined with two true freshmen…
“It’s awesome. During the summer, the way the lift groups are split up, you’re able to meet a lot one-on-one and able to kind of cater the meetings to who is in your room. Fall camp is definitely interesting because you got old guys that you want to talk about some really deep stuff or nuanced stuff (with). Then, you got other guys that are literally learning the game of football (Emmanuel Okoye) to Ethan (Davis) who has come a long way from the spring in terms of what he knows but is still a young guy just learning how to play. Definitely makes it a challenge and credit the old guys for being patient. A lot of times they’re coaching the young guys before I even have to, which makes it really pretty cool.”
On balancing getting players ready to play SEC football while coaching Emmanuel Okoye who hasn’t played organized football…
“A lot of it is one-on-one time, understanding that there is a big picture mission that we are trying to accomplish here in a couple of weeks. That takes precedent over everything. At the same time, for him to get the most out of this fall camp he has to be at a certain level of understanding. A lot of it is one-on-one, where you’re able to focus on him when it’s not the whole group. In the same breath, we understand what’s coming down the pipe and that’s for sure the priority.”
On what level of instruction he has to give Emmanuel Okoye…
“When he first got on campus, you’re drawing 22 bodies on a board and you’re talking about alignments and you’re talking about big picture coverage, whether it’s single high or two high and how the box is affected by that. Very base level, down to labeling the guys, to the point now we are starting to learn how to operate. We’re starting to learn not just what the route is but how coverage dictates what I’m doing on it. Not just understanding what my assignment on the run is, but how my technique will change. The technique piece is probably the biggest thing, just because everything is brand new. When you’re out there thinking about what I’m supposed to do, the how to do it gets really tough.”
On what excites him most about Emmanuel Okoye…
“He’s got a chance to be the most athletic guy to play the position. I truly believe that. He is as physically gifted as anyone I’ve ever been around. He’s got to continue to make steps every day, but just from a raw athletic standpoint, the ceiling is unlimited.”
On why it takes a special player to play tight end in Josh Heupel‘s offense…
“You get asked to wear a bunch of different hats. You play in the core as a fullback, you play in the slot as a receiver, you play outside as a receiver, you got to play in-line, you got to pass block, you got to run block, you got to perimeter block, you got to run a variety of different routes – vertical choice – you got a lot of different stuff on your plate and it’s happening really fast. As far as information goes, how we get our guys’ information, they probably get the least amount of information. A lot of it is figuring out how you fit in the picture and to have an intelligent guy that really knows what’s going on to be able to go do that at a high level.”
On what he wanted to see from Ethan Davis over the summer and what he’s seen during the first few days of fall camp…
“Just an attention to detail. I think a lot of times you can kind of get in the right area and kind of do the right thing, but when your feet are perfect and your technique is perfect, the detail of things has come a long way. I think some of that, he’s got to continue to take steps (because) it’s nowhere near where it will to be, but when you really know what your assignment is, it allows you to focus on that stuff. When you’re swimming just trying to figure out where to line up and what to do, your technique has no shot. He’s gotten to the point this summer where with everything that is in currently, he knows what he’s supposed to do, where he’s supposed to be, how it’s supposed to look. Now he gets to focus on just doing it the way we want it.”
On the value of having multiple pass receiving threats at the tight end position…
“Yeah, it changes everything. I think our wideouts get a lot of attention and rightfully so. As a tight end you want to play in a system where you are going to have the ability to win one-on-one down the field. I think we have guys who can do that in our room. It makes it really tough on a defense if we can do that consistently.”
On what it meant for Jacob Warren to come back for another season…
“I started sleeping a lot better. I mean it changes everything in terms of you knew that you had at least one guy who you could count on to go to war with, and at that point just trying to find the pieces of who else was going to be there with him. But man, it really made it easier for us.”
On where Jacob Warren has taken the next step in his game and gotten a more primary role in the offense…
“I think he’s gotten better with just body control in the route. I think he’s going to surprise a lot of people in space this year and I think he’s gotten a lot better at that stuff just from a fundamental level. He’s got to continue to get stronger, continue to work on every aspect of his game. The biggest thing to me is just playing with more confidence.”
On the development he is seeing from McCallan Castles…
“From McCallan’s UC Davis tape you see a playmaker, really athletic. You see a guy not afraid to stick his face in it. A guy that’s played in a bunch of different systems and knows football at a base level pretty well. This spring, kind of the same thing with Ethan (Davis), he’s trying to figure it out. He’s obviously older, he’s played a lot more, so he came a little bit cleaner form. But now that he knows what he’s doing, being able to really focus on the detail things and play fast.”
On how recruiting has changed now that the program is having more success…
“I mean, it’s no secret that it takes good players to win big games and I think people want to be a part of it. I think the first year you’re selling a vision of what this place can be, and now there’s been a little bit of proof. I understand that there’s still another step that we’re ready to take and I want guys who will go do that. At the same time, for sure you have a chance to recruit the best guys in the country. You’re here at Tennessee, why wouldn’t we?”
On how his background coaching the offensive line helps him with the tight ends…
“I’ll sympathize with them when they’re tired. Run game fundamentals are super similar, there’s a little bit of a difference in terms of aiming points, but I think it’s easy when you’ve run through the hole and put your face in it. You can ask those guys to do that, and they understand what it takes. There’s a little bit of a selfless mindset from o-line that we’ve got to embrace as well.”
On how he keeps track of everybody that could potentially go in the transfer portal…
“I’m glad I don’t have to worry about that until they hit the portal, and then you just start watching guys and try to figure out what’s real and who you think can help you win. But we’ve got a bunch of people in this program who do a great job as far as getting that stuff figured out for us, so we don’t have to worry about it until they are.”
On what he is looking for out of fall camp from the tight ends…
“Just compete. Go play hard every snap.”
-UT Athletics
