Everything seemed to be clicking for Ethan Davis.
The freshman tight end was making his case for early playing time in the fall during Tennessee's Orange and White Game last Saturday, hauling in three passes for 57 yards.
His performance was cut short in the second half, though. Davis exited the game with a collarbone injury and Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel did not have an immediate update in his postgame press conference.
That update came on Thursday during Heupel's appearance at the Big Orange Caravan event in Knoxville.
"Collarbone," Heupel confirmed. "We anticipate him being ready to go in a short amount of time."
The 6-foot-5, 228 pound Davis was among the Tennessee coaching staff's biggest recruiting hauls in the 2023 signing class. He was a two-sport standout at Collins Hill High School in Atlanta where he caught 61 passes for 755 yards and eight touchdowns as a junior on the Georgia 7A State Championship team.
Davis wasn't able to replicate that production as a senior after breaking his collarbone and missing much of the 2022 season. That didn't stop the offers from coming in, though.
Davis committed to Tennessee in December 2021, picking the Vols over Auburn and Florida State among others.
His recent injury did not have to do with the broken collarbone he suffered in high school, according to Heupel.
Among Davis' highlights in the spring game was the perfectly placed ball he grabbed from a freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava that went for 30 yards and a first down, setting up a touchdown a few plays later just before halftime.
Though veteran tight end Jacob Warren is expected to headline the position, Davis has the opportunity for early playing time along side transfer McCallan Castles.
"(Davis) has been really good, played well," Heupel said after the Orange and White said after the Orange and White Game. "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."
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