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Josh Heupel updates health of Tennessee tight end Miles Kitselman for Syracuse game

IMG_3593by: Grant Ramey08/27/25GrantRamey
Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
(Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images) Sep 7, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Tennessee Volunteers tight end Miles Kitselman (87) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the North Carolina State Wolfpack during the second half at the Dukes Mayo Classic at Bank of America Stadium.

When Tennessee coach Josh Heupel was asked Wednesday if senior tight end Miles Kitselman is healthy, he kept his answer short and to the point. In fact, he only needed three words.

“Yeah, he is,” Heupel said during his appearance on the SEC Coaches Teleconference.

And that was that. Kitselman is healthy and ready, according to the head coach, for Tennessee’s season opener against Syracuse on Saturday (Noon Eastern Time, ABC) in the Aflac Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

A pectoral injury Kitselman suffered in the spring required surgery and sidelined him for parts of the offseason. He was a limited participant during fall camp, usually seen wearing a red non-contact jersey in practice. 

‘(He’s) doing a great job with it, but just like you’d expect’

“He wants to do more,” tight ends coach Alec Abeln said during the first week of camp, “and he’s going to push that as hard as he can. He’s ahead of schedule, doing a great job with it, but just like you’d expect him to do it.”

Tennessee’s tight ends should be a strength this season, with Kitselman leading a group that includes redshirt sophomore Ethan Davis and freshmen Jack Van Dorselaer and DaSaahn Brame.

Davis caught 13 passes for 100 yards and two touchdowns during his redshirt freshman season. Brame and Van Dorselaer were both four-star prospects.

Kitselman announced in December that he would be returning for a second season at Tennessee, after transferring from Alabama in January 2024. 

“Got some unfinished business,” Kitselman wrote on Instagram while announcing his return. “Let’s run it back.”

Miles Kitselman was a standout in first season at Tennessee

Kitselman was one of Tennessee’s biggest surprises last season, catching 22 passes for 301 yards and four touchdowns to lead the tight end room. 

He had season highs with six catches for 97 yards and a touchdown in the home win over Kentucky. He caught four passes for 46 yards at Georgia and also scored on a 1-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.

He had three catches for 39 yards and a touchdown in the 51-10 win over North Carolina State in the Duke’s Mayo Classic in Charlotte in September and also had touchdowns against Kent State and Vanderbilt. 

Kitselman played two seasons at Alabama before transferring to Tennessee. In 19 games with the Crimson Tide he caught just two passes for 18 yards, with both catches coming during the 2022 season. 

Kitselman, a native of Lyndon, Kansas, played at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas in 2021. He was a three-star prospect after playing on both the offensive and defensive line at Lyndon High School in Kansas.

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