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Tennessee football 2018 preview by position: Vols tight ends

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 15: A view of the outside of Neyland Stadium before a game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers on September 15, 2012 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 15: A view of the outside of Neyland Stadium before a game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers on September 15, 2012 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Elsa/Getty Images
Photo by Elsa/Getty Images /

Projected starters

Eli Wolf; Junior; 6’4″ 224 lbs; Minster, Ohio

Yes, with the departure of Ethan Wolf, it’s time for his brother to steal the show. And Eli Wolf may have the unfair advantage of much better coaching. That’s at least what it seems like now. The most improved player in Tennessee football’s spring practice, Jeremy Pruitt and Tyson Helton clearly have a preference for this guy.

I would not have picked him to be a starter. However, him winning that spring award and then being one of the three guys to accompany Pruitt to SEC Media Days shows that he is clearly emerging as a top-notch player for the Vols. As a result, Wolf is clearly going to be a guy who sees the field a lot this year.

At 6’4″ 224 pounds, Wolf looks to be more of a receiving tight end. We haven’t seen much from him his first two years, as he has a total of four catches for 56 yards. But with Fall Camp on the horizon, Wolf looks like he’s going to take the next step. And that is huge.

Dominick Wood-Anderson; Junior; 6’6″ 255 lbs; Spring Valley, Tenn.

One of the best steals of the 2018 Tennessee football recruiting class, Dominick Wood-Anderson chose Pruitt and the Vols with Nick Saban coming after him hard. The guy was a four-star and has a ton of experience. At 255 pounds, he also has a unique size that will make him incredibly hard to guard. It also likely brings lots of versatility to his game.

As a result, Wood-Anderson will likely see the field a lot with Wolf this year. I’m not exactly sure how Pruitt will manage the tight end situation overall, but with questions at slot receiver, it seems like he could be running two tight ends out there more than usual.

The game has changed enough to where two tight ends is the replacement of the old I-formation with the fullback. But if Pruitt and Tyson Helton do return to the fullback, it seems pretty clear that they will run Wood-Anderson or a guy of his size back there. So either way, he figures to see the field.

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