Tennessee tight end Miles Kitselman is returning to Knoxville for his fifth collegiate season, he announced on Instagram Monday afternoon.
“Got some unfinished business,” Kitselman wrote. “Let’s run it back.”
Kitselman was originally supposed to be out of eligibility following the 2024 season, but the lawsuit that Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia won stated that the NCAA can’t count junior college years against players eligibility. The NCAA responded by granting an extra year of eligibility to every football player who played in junior college and whose final season of eligibility was 2024.
With Kitselman playing his first collegiate season at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas, he now is eligible for the 2025 season. After his year at Hutchinson, Kitselman spent two seasons at Alabama before transferring to Tennessee ahead of the 2024 season.
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The 6-foot-5, 256-pound tight end was an instant impact player since transferring from Alabama to Tennessee this offseason. Kitselman started in all 12 regular season games for Tennessee this season where he caught 21 passes for 296 yards and four touchdowns. He also added a rushing touchdown on a fullback dive against Georgia.
Kitselman’s five touchdowns in 2024 ranked third on Tennessee’s team behind only running back Dylan Sampson (22) and receiver Dont’e Thornton (6). Both those players are moving on to the NFL, making Kitselman the returning touchdown leader.
The 6-foot-5, 256-pound tight end earned a 77.4 PFF grade in 599 snaps last season. Kitselman graded out as the best tight end and the fifth best offensive player on the Vols’ roster according to PFF.
Kitselman will be the lead man in Tennessee’s tight end room next season. The Vols lost backup tight end Holden Staes to the transfer portal but return talented pass catcher Ethan Davis. Tennessee also signed a pair of blue-chip tight ends in its 2025 recruiting class in Da’Saahn Brame and Jack Van Dorselaer.
