Josh Heupel explains how freshman TE Ethan Davis was 'really good' during spring football
Tennessee coach Josh Heupel didn’t have an update on the injury status of freshman tight end Ethan Davis on Saturday after the Orange & White Game at Neyland Stadium. All the head coach could say was the injury Davis suffered wasn’t related to the shoulder injury he suffered as a senior in high school.
“We’ll know more on the back end of today,” Heupel said during his postgame press conference, the White team beat the Orange team 17-14 in the annual split-squad spring scrimmage.
Davis was targeted eight times, catching three passes for 53 yards before leaving late in the game with the injury.
What Heupel was willing to say is what Davis did before getting hurt in the Orange & White Game is what Tennessee coaches saw from him throughout the three weeks of spring football.
Josh Heupel: Ethan Davis ‘plays long and physical to the catch’
“You guys haven’t had an opportunity to see him other than in some of our individual work at the beginning of practice,” Heupel said. “He’s been really good. He understands space, he understands how to get himself open. He plays long and physical to the catch. He’s done a really nice job throughout spring ball.”
The 6-foot-5, 228-pound Davis, out of Atlanta, was a four-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting cycle out of Collins Hill High School in Georgia. He was ranked by the On3 Industry Ranking as the No. 158 overall player in the class, the No. 10 tight end nationally and the No. 12 overall prospect in the state of Georgia.
Earlier this spring newly promoted Tennessee tight ends coach Alec Abeln described Davis as “really unique” with his size and athletic ability giving him a high upside.
“He’s got a chance to be a really special player,” Abeln said earlier during spring pracitce. “Coming off a shoulder (injury) and not having spent a lot of time in the box in high school. I’m really impressed with where he’s at right now.
“He’s got a long way to go, but as the days keep adding and more wrinkles start coming, he’s got to focus and continue to lock into the details. He’s been really good so far.”
Vols added two tight ends in 2023 signing class, freshman Ethan Davis and UC Davis transfer McCallan Castles
Davis was one of two tight ends Tennessee added in its 2023 signing class, alongside UC Davis transfer McCallan Castles. The 6-foot-5, 223-pound Castles was a four-star transfer prospect.
The Vols return Jacob Warren, Hunter Salmon and Charlie Browder at tight end, but are looking to replace the production lost from do-it-all tight end Princeton Fant, who caught 22 passes for 241 yards and three touchdowns last season. He rushed for five touchdowns on six attempts as Tennessee’s short-yardage fullback on the goal line and one pass for a 66-yard touchdown, too.
“Ethan is really, really skilled,” Tennessee offensive coordinator Joey Halzle said earlier this spring. “He’s bigger than you think he is when you see him out there in pads, that’s a big kid. Really good sized kid, he can run, he’s fluid, he’s got loose hips and he’s been really impressive to watch on the field.”
