Tennessee football: 10 Vols most likely to gain postseason recognition for 2018

Jeremy Pruitt and Tyson Helton figure to use the tight ends a lot more for Tennessee football this year. This isn’t to say they weren’t a part of Butch Jones’s offense. They were. But with the Vols bringing back the fullback some, the tight ends on this year’s team will have more versatile roles.

As a leader, Eli Wolf is a guy who can be an anchor for the unit. But as the playmaker, you can’t look any further than Dominick Wood-Anderson. Like graduate transfers, Pruitt did not take in four-star junior college transfers so they could ride the bench. He expects them to contribute for the program immediately.

Wood-Anderson is that guy. At 6’4″ 257 pounds, he has amazing size. Remember, Nick Saban went hard after him as well, hoping to lure him to the Alabama Crimson Tide. That alone should be enough to show you how great he can be.

This year, the Vols will need a safety blanket at tight end more than usual. That’s because they haven’t found that key slot guy at receiver to be able to stretch the field with his speed and his hands. So expect Wood-Anderson to get numerous targets.

And when balls are thrown Wood-Anderson’s way, he will probably make a lot happen there, giving him a chance to really showcase his talents. Now, part of Wood-Anderson’s skills set is being a great blocker, and for some reason that isn’t taken into account when giving out awards to today’s tight ends. But he’ll still likely do enough in the passing game to garner recognition.