Tennessee tight ends room will be down one key player for the remainder of spring practices, according to a report late Thursday.

Senior Miles Kitselman, who headlines the Vols at the position after being granted a second season at Tennessee during the offseason, suffered a pectoral injury and will miss extended time, according to VolQuest.

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Kitselman is expected to rejoin the team by fall camp, but a timetable for his return is to be determined, according to the report.

Kitselman began his career at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas before signing with Alabama in 2022. He spent two seasons with the Crimson Tide, appearing in 19 games as a reserve tight end and on special teams.

Kitselman transferred to Tennessee in 2024 as a late addition to the Vols' transfer class that also included former Notre Dame tight end Holden Staes.

He moved his way up the depth chart in the fall and started all 13 games in Tennessee's run to the College Football Playoff. Kitselman caught 22 passes for 301 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for another.

Kitselman was expected to play just one season with the Vols, but an NCAA ruling that granted an extra year to ex-junior college players opened the way for him to return for another season.

Staes re-entered the transfer portal, leaving the rest of the tight ends room with former four-star prospect Ethan Davis, redshirt freshman Cole Harrison and early enrollees DeSaahn Brame and Jack Van Dorselaer this spring.

With Kitselman sidelined, Davis assumes the leading role. He played in 12 games as a redshirt freshman last season, accounting for 13 receptions for 100 yards and two touchdowns.

"Ethan has done an elite job just growing through our winter," Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said. "Took full advantage of the weight room. He’s done a great job with his body. He’s just continued to mature as a man, just how he approaches every single day. He’s been really consistent. We have great understanding of what we’re getting from him every single day. And that’s a credit to him just continuing to grow as a man.

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