KNOXVILLE - Through the transition to a new coaching staff, there have been at least two constants for Tennessee tight end Eli Wolf.
Just like the old staff, the new coaches want Wolf to pack on pounds to a frame more naturally suited for wide receiver. And just as the old staff respected Wolf's attitude enough to award him a scholarship before last season, the new coaches are coming to appreciate the way the redshirt junior handles himself.
"Eli is very competitive," first-year head coach Jeremy Pruitt said after Saturday's Orange and White spring game at Neyland Stadium. "He needs to put on weight, and he's probably had to play out of position based on what we've asked him to do. But he again has went out there and strained and competed and fought every day."
Wolf was named the program's most improved offensive player of the spring on Saturday, when he backed up the award with his performance. He capped the Orange team's 34-7 victory with an impressive 29-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Jarrett Guarantano. The juggling catch came against coverage from first-team defenders Micah Abernathy and Quart'e Sapp.
Tennessee tight end Eli Wolf takes off after making a catch during a home game against Indiana State last September. Wolf was injured on the play and was unable to contribute as much as he hoped to last season, finishing with three catches for 48 yards.It was one of a team-high five receptions totaling 63 yards for Wolf, who made a catch each time Guarantano targeted him. Wolf's receiving skills are a reflection of the fact he graduated from Minster (Ohio) High School holding most of the program's receiving records as a wide receiver.
This month, Pruitt said he was still trying to figure out if his team had any tight ends who can block. That's where putting on weight would benefit Wolf. No players were made available for interviews after the spring game, but this month Wolf said he has no problem doing what the new coaching staff asks.
"I didn't get worried," Wolf said. "I'm going to do what the coaches ask me to do, and I'm going to do it the best I can. To say that putting my hand in the dirt is a problem for me, no, it's not a problem for me. I'll do what they ask me to do at the highest level."
Wolf appeared on track for a steady role on offense last season alongside his brother, Ethan Wolf, a fellow tight end who was a senior in 2017. But an early ankle injury derailed Eli's season, which he finished with three catches for 48 yards.
The new staff entered with a familiar message for him: Gain weight. The spring roster did not include heights and weights, but Wolf - listed at 6-foot-4 and 224 pounds last season - has seen results from his work with the new strength and conditioning staff.
"Yeah, my body has changed since they got here," Wolf said. "The strength staff is great. They're always pushing us. They're high-energy guys. Yeah, my body has changed, along with a lot of my teammates'."
Wolf's path to playing time in 2018 includes plenty of competition. Redshirt sophomore Austin Pope played for the Orange team Saturday and made one catch for 17 yards. Junior college transfer Dominick-Wood Anderson, a 245-pound four-star prospect, is set to join the competition this summer.
But the stock of Wolf, who passed up scholarship offers to walk on at Tennessee, continues to rise - even with his brother and the coaching staff he came to play for gone.
"Obviously, it was fun playing with my older brother," Eli said. "But now he's moving on and doing his thing, and I'm here doing my thing."
Contact David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DavidWCobb and on Facebook at facebook.com/volsupdate.