Tennessee is getting back one of its most productive players from 2024.

After spending one season with the Vols as a senior, tight end Miles Kitselman is returning for another season.

This comes after Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia was granted a waiver by the NCAA to return for the Commodores.

This came as the 'NCAA Division I Board of Directors approved a waiver that extends an extra year of eligibility in 2025-26 to athletes who previously competed at a non-NCAA school for one or more years and otherwise would have exhausted their NCAA eligibility following the 2024-25 season.'

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When Pavia's intentions to earn an extra year were made public during the 2024 regular season, Vols head coach Josh Heupel was asked about if it could apply to Kitselman.

This took place ahead of Tennessee's win over Mississippi State.

"Man, I had no idea that that lawsuit was going on," Heupel said during the press conference during the course of the season. "I’ll refer to compliance and my meeting with them here in the near future and I’ll get back to you on that."

Kitselman is coming off a season where he was seemingly Nico Iamaleava's security blanket at times. On the year, he posted 22 receptions for 301 yards and four touchdowns. He did not miss a game.

He also rushed twice in short yardage situations. He ran for one touchdown in these plays.

Kitselman's finest game came in the win over Kentucky. He caught six passes for 97 yards and a touchdown. He went over 30 yards against NC State, Georgia, UTEP and Vanderbilt.

Prior to his time at Tennessee, Kitselman played two seasons with Alabama. He appeared in 13 games as a junior in 2023 but did not record any statistics. In 2022, he played in six games including the first four of the year. He caught two passes for 18 yards — both against Utah State in the season opener.

Before playing for Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide, he played a year at Hutchinson Community College. This is the same school notable former Tennessee running back Alvin Kamara played at.

With Hutchinson in 2021, he played in three games. He caught two passes for 16 yards and a touchdown.

Out of high school, Kitselman was a three-star prospect out of Lyndon, Kansas.

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