KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – A next-game mentality and the bond of the tight end room served as talking points on Tuesday as the seventh-ranked Vols began on-field preparations for this weekend’s matchup against Kent State. UT hosts the Golden Flashes in Neyland Stadium Saturday night, with kickoff set for 7:45 p.m. ET on SEC Network.

Defensive coordinator Tim Banks, tight ends coach Alec Abeln and select players spoke to reporters after Tuesday’s practice and have turned the page to Week 3 after collecting a convincing, wire-to-wire victory over No. 24/23 NC State, 51-10, in the Duke’s Mayo Classic this past Saturday.

Banks’ unit has not allowed an offensive touchdown in its last 12 quarters and most recently showcased its dominance in Charlotte, limiting the Wolfpack to 143 total yards and racking up 13 tackles for loss. The fourth-year coordinator is not focused on the stats, however, and keeps his attention forward to the task at hand.

“I tell our guys all the time, we are in a next-game mentality,” Banks said. “Every game is different. We just want to go out there and be the best that we can be every single rep. As cliché as that sounds, that is the honest to God truth. I do not look at stats. I told you guys that when I first got here. I had no idea (about the 12-quarter streak without allowing a touchdown); we just know from snap-to-snap that we want to be at our best. If that is what the result is, so be it.”

Abeln’s tight end room has showcased its depth early in the season with three key contributors — Ethan Davis, Miles Kitselman and Holden Staes. The trio has each logged one receiving touchdown in the first two weeks of the season, with Kitselman and Staes hauling in their first scores as Vols this past weekend. Tennessee’s tight ends have scored at least one receiving touchdown in four straight games, dating back to last year’s regular season finale vs. Vanderbilt.

The second-year position coach fielded questions about the rotations and personnel groupings his tight end room has seen this year and how their bond helps the overall support and success of the unit.

“Obviously with the tempo, you’re going to play multiple guys,” Abeln explained. “I think everybody kind of understood that coming in. It starts with having great human beings in the room. We’ve got a roomful of awesome human beings that get excited for each other, root for each other, coach each other. It’s really cool to be around that group because of the way they support each other. It’s a bar set by J (Jacob Warren) a year ago and really has carried into this group as well.”

Full comments from Banks and Abeln can be viewed below, along with select quotes from redshirt freshman running back DeSean Bishop, redshirt freshman placekicker Max Gilbert, sophomore defensive back Jermod McCoy and redshirt junior defensive back Jakobe Thomas. 

Tennessee Football Press Conference | Sept. 10, 2024

Defensive Coordinator Tim Banks

On if this defense has exceeded his expectations thus far…
“I don’t know about exceeded, but we are definitely playing hard. Like I tell guys all the time, we have been building this thing since day one, since we got here. I have a really good staff, and we have good kids playing hard. I was not surprised at how hard we played. Still obviously a lot of things we want to get better at and things we want to improve on, but our standard is our standard in terms of how hard we want to play and how tough we want to be. So as long as we continue to do that, we think we have a chance to continue to build.”

On the ability to rotate players on the defensive line being best case scenario…
“Absolutely. We had a plan going into this fall that we wanted to play a lot of guys at every position. If the guys work hard, we want to give them what they deserve. We think our front is our strength, just based on the sheer number of guys we have that we feel like can play at a high level, so that is who we want to be. That is who we wanted to be day one when we got here, and we are finally being able to show that.”

On if the defensive line rotation is more than just an early-season experiment…
“Yeah, that is our plan. As long as guys continue to play at the standard we talked about earlier — playing fast, tough, smart, all those good things — they will continue to play. We have a lot of good guys there, and we have a great mixture of youth and veteran guys that have been around here. So as long as guys continue to play hard, they will continue to play.”

On what it means that the defense has not allowed a touchdown in 12 quarters…
“To be honest, I did not know that. I tell our guys all the time, we are in a next-game mentality. Every game is different. We just want to go out there and be the best that we can be every single rep. As cliché as that sounds, that is the honest to God truth. I do not look at stats. I told you guys that when I first got here. I had no idea; we just know from snap-to-snap that we want to be at our best. If that is what the result is, so be it.”

On what it’s like to see linebacker Keenan Pili back out there…
“For me, it is very satisfying. He is a kid who has worked his tail off. He got hurt early in the season last year. I know how tough that was for him, but he stayed locked in. He stayed with the team. He continued to push guys and learn our defense, so to finally see him see the fruits of his efforts, man listen, I feel like a proud dad to see him go out there and do what he did. He is a big athlete, we knew that. He has great stamina. We think he is only going to get better as he continues to grow in this defense, so we are excited for him.”

On how he lets James Pearce Jr. know he is affecting the game despite not recording a sack in the first two games…
“I think for me, once again, I didn’t even know that he did not have a sack, because James is playing extremely hard for us. He is getting a lot of attention just like we thought he would, so I think as long as he continues to work hard and play hard, I think the sacks will come. He has not pouted about it. He has not said one word about it. He is satisfied that we are winning. We are obviously playing at a high level. As long as everybody is doing that, nobody cares about quote-unquote statistics.”

On what he has liked about his secondary so far…
“They have been really good. That is again another great point. Those guys are really athletic back there, and they can run. Again inexperience, obviously have not played a tone of football, but where they lack in experience, they make up for with sheer athleticism. Those guys have been very competitive, and we have been able to rotate some guys at that position as well. We think again, as long as they continue to grow week in and week out, we think those guys have a chance to be good here and give us something to be really proud of on that back end.”

On his assessment of Arion Carter as a young linebacker…
“For me, I think I may have told you guys this, the biggest growth I have seen from him is just his football IQ. He was a freshman last year, obviously. He played a lion’s share of running back in high school. To see the growth that he has at linebacker has been amazing for me. He has always been a good athlete. He has always played hard, but him being able to play a step quicker because he understands how offenses are trying to attack it. I have been very pleased. Just again, his overall football IQ. He is blessed with athleticism, but he has really worked hard to make sure he understands not only our defense, but how our opponents are trying to attack us.”

On two players at STAR, Christian Harrison and Boo Carter…
“I think the same thing. We are really athletic at that spot. We are a little green. Neither one of those guys have played a ton of football — obviously collegiately — at the STAR position. But the athleticism shows up. When we bring those guys (on a blitz) occasionally, we have seen some effort there and the results we want when we are blitzing those guys. I think the more they play again, we will continue to see different sets and guys trying to attack them differently. I think they will continue to grow, but right now I am really pleased with what we are getting from the STAR position.”

On the biggest area of growth from Tyre West…
“Man, I think along the lines of what I said with (Arion Carter). Just the mental part of it. Understanding leverage and being where he is supposed to be when he is supposed to be there. He has always been a really good athlete. He has always played with great motor. He is in tremendous shape right now. He is playing extremely hard. I just like the details that he has been playing with until this point.”

On balancing helmet communication on the defensive side of the ball…
“It is a work in progress. I’m one of those guys, I try not to over-coach them and give them a chance to play. Different teams are different, j ust how much time is left to be able to give them the information that you want to give them. Like I said, (Keenan Pili) is a pro. He works at it. The communication we have had has been good, but I think every game is a little bit different. I think the first game was OK. I thought it was better this game, and hopefully the next game this weekend will be even better.”

On the effort of the defense over the final five minutes of the NC State game, leading 51-10…
“Listen man, the standard is the standard. We have been saying that since we have been here. When the guys are in the game, we have always played vertical. We try to get those guys an opportunity to play. We want to see the same results. We want the guys to play within the framework of the defense, and if that gives us a chance to play on the other side of the line of scrimmage, then so be it. It was encouraging being able to put those guys in there and guys not busting, guys knowing what they are doing and more importantly, playing hard.”

On Heupel’s statement of the standard at Tennessee being to have elite defense…
“Again, I think it speaks more to just playing hard again. You know, that standard has been the same since we stepped in the room when I took the job three or four years ago. We wanted to play great defense here. People said it would be a challenge for us. For me personally, I never run from a challenge. We wanted that. I have been blessed to be at a lot of programs where we have been able to play great defense, and I knew if we had a chance to continue to grow this program that we would play great defense. I always tell guys ‘At the end of the day it’s game by game.’ We know what that is, but to this point, the guys are playing at the level we thought they would play.”

On the growth and progress of Edrees Farooq…
“He is a super smart kid. We have really had to force feed him to play both sides. He has played field safety, boundary safety for us, and even played him a little bit at STAR in practice. I just love his instincts. He is always 100 miles an hour. Like I tell him, ‘Every open field tackle doesn’t have to be a knockout shot.’ I think he is starting to learn that. He wants to be able to play under control, but man, when we get him close to the box, he is extremely efficient. He has good footwork. He is a willing tackler. He is aggressive. But I think the main strength that I love is that he is coachable and extremely smart.”

On Will Brooks’ pick-six and the importance of scoring on defense…
“That is always important. God is good, brother. I think seeing Brooks do what he did and knowing where he’s coming from, it was very satisfying as a coach. The kid works extremely hard. Whether with special teams, whether it was being a rotational guy to being a starter, he has always been the same — extremely smart. For him to be able to make that play and give us a boost on defense was really satisfying for me, and I am just happy for him.”

Tight Ends Coach Alec Abeln

On how different it is being able to play significant snaps in 12 personnel…
“Yeah, it’s awesome. Obviously, you can attack your opponent a lot of different ways. It’s something that we’ve wanted to do a lot in the past and just haven’t had the depth. A year ago, if J (Jacob Warren) or Cally (McCallan Castles) gets nicked up, now you’re looking at a real tough spot. Now we’ve got the ability to play in that as much as we want.”

On the areas where tight end Miles Kitselman has made the most improvement since arriving to campus…
“I think the biggest thing from him from day one was just confidence. Knowing that you do belong at this level. You do belong at the next level and trusting that and going and attacking it that way. I think Saturday was great for him to get some production. I think there’s still more. Kind of just scratching the surface of what you can see from him.”

On the job of coaching up two transfers and a young, inexperienced player…
“One, I think going back to the spring, and even fall camp, the work that the new guys did investing into learning this thing made it really easy where you were able to continue to put stuff on their plate. I know I was trying to be sly and not exactly say exactly what we were working on, but man that was a huge part of what we were able to get really through the summer and fall camp and even spring ball just because they did such a good job investing into the base stuff that you felt comfortable putting it on their plate. I think the other side of it is anytime you have a chance to be playing more guys, that naturally kind of motivates guys to invest and learn it.”

On how the tight bond between the top three tight ends has played into their success through two games…
“It’s huge. Obviously with the tempo you’re going to play multiple guys. I think everybody kind of understood that coming in. It starts with having great human beings in the room. We’ve got a roomful of awesome human beings that get excited for each other, root for each other, coach each other. It’s really cool to be around that group because of the way they support each other. It’s a bar set by J (Jacob Warren) a year ago and really has carried into this group as well.”

On if Holden Staes and Miles Kitselman were coached similarly to 2023 transfer McCallan Castles…
“Not radically different in any way. I think every guy is going to be different in how they learn. Nobody ever comes in and says, ‘hey, I learn best by sitting and hearing it on a PowerPoint presentation.’ There is a level of work that goes into it and understanding that the more you can attack reps full speed, the faster it happens for you. When you’re out there thinking and trying to be perfect all the time, it makes it really tough. I think those guys, whether they were right or wrong, from day one were going to attack it full speed. I think that accelerates the learning process, but as far as stuff that we did differently, not a whole lot, honestly.”

On if Holden Staes, Miles Kitselman and Ethan Davis have exceeded expectations through two games…
“Yeah, absolutely. I think there’s always more. There’s always another step to it. I think the guys were really happy about how they played and performed on Saturday, but at the same time they all understand that it’s week three. There’s a long season ahead with a lot of good teams. We have to continue to get better every week, and they’re ready to do that.”

On how increased production from the tight ends helps in recruiting…
“Yeah, it certainly helps. I think with this cycle we fight production a lot. A year ago, we were second in the league in touchdowns and had two guys that both had fairly productive seasons. Even through spring, you kind of could see what was coming in a lot of ways as far as our ability to be weapons in the pass game. Through the summer, you’re obviously selling that in recruiting, but I think everybody is going to sell, ‘oh, we’re going to get the ball to the tight end and we’re going to produce.’ It’s one thing to talk about it, it’s another thing for it to show up on Saturday. I am fired up that those guys have had the success they’ve had so far.”

On how the top three guys are reacting to both pre- and post-snap adjustments…
“To be honest with you, that’s one of the areas where we’ve got to grow and get better. I think a couple of the reads we made in the pass game; we can make a different read. It’s never going to be perfect. A lot of times, there’s grey area, where you try to make it as black and white as you can, but at the end of the day, they’ve got to go execute and make a decision. That’s certainly something, pre-snap and post-snap this week, I think in the core there was a lot of stuff that they kind of had to figure out on the fly, and I thought they did a really good job of handling that.”

On if they kept the increased use of 12 personnel quiet…
“Yeah, there’s times when it’s the absolute best thing you want to be in, and it gives you a real good advantage X’s and O’s wise. Certainly, don’t want to help anybody prepare for something that you feel is going to be really good against them. We’ve had the ability to go in it for a long time. So, I guess in some way we’ve been keeping it a secret by not putting it on tape, but it’s not been a secret around our building at all.”

RS-Freshman RB DeSean Bishop

On how he would evaluate his play through two games…
“I think I’ve done solid, a solid job of just getting back to my flow. Being two years out of not playing football, I think I did a good job of attacking that. Things I’m trying to improve on is just my overall play, pad-level and stuff like that. Just trying to get a good feel for the game. I feel like I’ve done a solid job of taking everything, making my reps count that I’m getting.”

On what he has seen from Dylan Sampson in his increased role…
“Dylan’s a dog, man. He takes the week to prepare, and I think that’s how he’s able to perform at such a high level. Kind of helps a guy like me, seeing what he does, and kind of learning from him the way he does so good. He’s definitely improved a lot since last year, especially taking that two-role last year and really making the best of his one-role this year.”

On how the backfield has performed through two games…
“I think we have one of the best backfields in the country. You’ve got a lot of guys that put all the work in, from me, Dylan (Sampson), Cam (Seldon), you know just seeing that good role like that. I really think there’s no falloff. You can put us in the backend and you’re not going to see much of a difference. I think we have a pretty good running backroom this year. (Coach De’Rail) Sims is super hard on us. I think that plays a lot into it, too. He expects a lot out of us, and we have to live up to his standard.”

RS-Freshman PK Max Gilbert

On the competition and getting to be the placekicker for Tennessee…
“It’s definitely been a surreal experience. Growing up in this state just going to Tennessee games, it’s just awesome running out from the T, kicking in front of everybody. It’s great competition all camp, and I’m glad that I earned it. It’s just been surreal really.”

On how pressure situations have been with Josh Heupel in practice…
“Normally fall camp and every single time in spring practice we go up there and he will do pressure kicks, all three kickers. We’ll get to kick in front of the whole team. They make a tunnel around us in front of the snapper. They’re messing with the snapper, they’re messing with Jackson (Ross) the holder, and Heupel is standing right behind me, screaming in my ear. Telling me I’m going to miss it, and it really prepares you. Practice, honestly, is pretty similar to the game in terms of pressure. If I can make a kick with Heupel screaming so close to my ear, I think I’ll be good anywhere else.”

On the Mike Ekeler experience…
“He is the most passionate coach I have ever met in my entire life. That’s a guy you want to play for. Getting recruited here, he was the main reason I wanted to come here. Nobody cares more about his job and the game of football than him. Win or lose, he’s up there every week same attitude, just seven in the morning going nuts. You want to play for a guy like that, it’s awesome.”

Sophomore DB Jermod McCoy

On how the first two games have gone compared to how he envisioned it…
“They have gone pretty well. I wish I would have made a few more plays, maybe a pick. But they have been pretty good.”

On what the first two games have done for his confidence level…
“It has definitely boosted my confidence for sure. It makes me more patient and just knowing I can do what I know I can do.”

On how much the defensive line helps during a game…
“The D-line, they help us out a lot. We know that the quarterback doesn’t have a lot of time to get the ball out, so it has to be quick passes. With us having good coverage and our D-line getting back there, it creates plays for us. It overall makes more plays happen.”

RS-Junior DB Jakobe Thomas

On putting into perspective how difficult it is for the defense to not have allowed a touchdown through 12 quarters…
“That’s hard. That’s hard for any defense, to shout out three teams consecutively with no touchdowns. I didn’t get to play in the Iowa game but watching that game from the sidelines. It’s crazy, that’s something that’s very, very rare to do. We are very proud to say we have done it but we have to keep going this week and the next week.”

On what he thinks his biggest areas he has improved on…
“The mental part of the game. There is definitely a big jump from where I was to where I am now with being able to process and ID formations and things like that. That’s the part of the game I have grown the most in in the last couple of months.”

On the guys being able to affect the game so much behind the line of scrimmage… 
“That’s our biggest thing. Coach Banks talks all the time about playing behind the line of scrimmage and winning the LOS. Us being able to do that can create a lot of openings for our defense and open up a lot of things. It’s the best part of it all. I love it, this defense is amazing and it’s so fun to play in.”