Coach Butch Jones surprised Vols tight end Eli Wolf with a scholarship at Tuesday's practice.
The team circled up after stretch and began a "Circle of Life" drill that pits one player against another.
Jones made Eli Wolf and his older brother, Ethan, line up for the drill. He then blew his whistle and presented the redshirt sophomore with his scholarship.
"It was a shock, I didn't see it coming at all," Wolf said after practice. "I couldn't explain it to you. For the first five periods of practice I was just still wandering, I was up in the stars. It was a surreal moment, so I can't even explain it to you."
.@EliWolf16 scored a BIG WIN in today's Circle of Life ... 🍊🏈 pic.twitter.com/k9sZWtvN26
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) August 15, 2017
Wolf has a great mentor in Ethan, who is a senior and also plays tight end. Eli stands a couple inches shorter and weighs some twenty pounds later, and insists he's trying to model himself into his own type of player.
"It's exciting, but it's not going to change the player I am," Wolf said. "I'm still going to be as competitive as ever."
Wolf was a two-star commit out of Ohio. Jones spoke to how far Wolf had to go to earn his scholarship.
"Coming in, we challenged him to put the weight on necessary to play tight end," Jones said. "And he's been able to do it. He's been a solid special teams performer for us. He creates some matchups for us on the offensive side of the football and has never said two words. Just works every single day and his played great consistency."
In other news, Jones told reporters Tuesday freshman wide receiver Jacquez Jones injured his knee in practice, and would miss the season.