KNOXVILLE – The words of his new position coach have been rattling around in Ethan Wolf’s mind for the past couple of weeks.
The message also has sharpened the tight end’s focus as his junior season at Tennessee nears.
With 46 catches in 25 career games and only three games without at least one reception, Wolf was a staple on offense during his first two seasons with the Volunteers, but the 6-foot-6, 245-pounder from a small town in midwestern Ohio now is thinking a lot about taking his game to the next level.
“It’s hard to go from good to great, and not everybody can do it,” Wolf said Monday, recalling what new tight ends coach Larry Scott recently told him. “I’ve heard it before, but for some reason – I don’t know if it was the situation he said it in – it stuck with me. There’s a lot of good players that don’t ever go to great, and that’s my ultimate goal.
“You’ve got to have a little sense of urgency in doing that. You’ve got to do the extra things, and anything that you throw in the way as an obstacle is going to be there when football is over. That’s how you set yourself apart, is making the necessary sacrifices and working your butt off every day. That’s one thing that he’s said that’s really stuck with me.