Tennessee team culture won out in Jacob Warren's decision to return

As Jacob Warren mulled over the decision whether or not to return to Tennessee, he didn't have to think twice about what he would be coming back to.

The tight end had a sixth season of eligibility on the table and it wasn't long after the Vols' Orange Bowl win over Clemson that Warren announced he would be back.

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"When I was thinking about the decision and what I wanted to do, what was best for me, there was no question about what I was coming back to," Warren said at SEC Media Day last week. "It was definitely going to be family atmosphere that I feel comfortable in, that people would like me in and enjoy having me around.

"Somewhere that I could really grow and really prosper and become the player and man that I really want to become."

Warren will get his chance.

A Knoxville native, Warren arrived at Tennessee in 2018, signing with the program his father, James, played at in the early 1990s and he did it despite a coaching change.

After Jeremy Pruitt was fired for cause following the 2020 season, Warren was preparing to play under his second head coach in Josh Heupel heading into his redshirt junior campaign.

WATCH VOLREPORT: Tennessee TE Jacob Warren talks Joe Milton, upcoming season

Playing behind versatile senior Princeton Fant, Warren's contributions were limited a year ago.

He caught 12 passes for 163 yards and no touchdowns a year after recording 179 yards and three scores, but with Fant gone and a freshman in Ethan Davis and transfer McCallan Castles behind him, Warren is the undisputed leader of the tight ends room.

He acts like it, too.

"I just want to be as successful as possible," Warren said. "I don't like to talk a lot about goals because they're lofty until you get them. But definitely, I've got things written down that I'd like to achieve.

In the spring, coaches touted Warren's leadership ability. First-year tight ends coach Alec Abeln called him "another coach" on the field.

It's a fitting role for Warren, who was a part of two losing seasons, experienced the dregs of an NCAA investigation and now a program revival.

"Man, it's been a roller coaster," Warren said. "Without saying anything about how it was in the past, this is where I want to be right now. I couldn't be happier about where this program is, where I am, my coaches, my friends, my brothers, my teammates. I think we're all super happy with where we are right now.

"I guess that's all that matters, right? When you look back at it and you think about the lows and the highs, right now is what's really important."

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