KNOXVILLE - Tennessee tight end Ethan Wolf understandably was happy when his position coach was elevated to offensive coordinator during this offseason.
There were selfish reasons for Wolf to be excited about Larry Scott's promotion with the Volunteers, and he wasted little time in expressing them to Scott.
"I shot him a text to say congrats on the promotion and made a little joke about (getting) 10 targets a game or something like that," Wolf recalled after Tennessee's second spring practice Thursday. "I was extremely happy for him, because he's a guy that wants to succeed in everything that he does. He wants to get to the absolute pinnacle he can of his job.
"He turned down the head coaching job at Miami to come here, and for him to be able to take that step up to the offensive coordinator, I think he's going to succeed tremendously at it. We're going to have a very explosive year this year offensively."
Wolf, of course, hopes the explosion under a first-year coordinator includes more opportunities for himself and Tennessee's other tight ends, who remain under Scott's direct guidance.
Mike DeBord, Scott's coordinator predecessor, often used formations with two tight ends with underappreciated veterans serving as the complementary piece to the steady Wolf. He totaled 67 receptions and caught at least one pass in 32 of 38 games during his first three seasons with the Vols.
In 2015 it was former walk-on Alex Ellis, who caught three passes in the NFL for the Jacksonville Jaguars last season after earning a free-agent deal with the Tennessee Titans.
Last season Jason Croom (21 catches for 242 yards) and Wolf (21 for 239) had almost identical production as the combined targets for Tennessee's top two tight ends jumped to 66 from 52 in 2015.
With his position coach now in control of the play-calling and game-planning, Wolf hopes another increase in targets is coming in 2017.
"That would be nice," he said with a laugh. "I can't say I'd have many complaints with 10 targets a game, but you know, Coach Scott, his track record, he likes throwing to the tight ends. His last tight end at Miami (David Njoku) was projected pretty high this year in the draft. He's a guy that knows what he's talking about.
"If I put on the film from the beginning of the season last year to where I'm at now, it's light years (different), just in my footwork and blocking and my route-running technique a little bit and just becoming a well-rounded player when it comes to knowledge and all that stuff. I'm extremely thankful that he's been able to be our position coach.
"That was one thing I was kind of worried about, when I heard he was going to be the offensive coordinator, that we were going to have some other guy come in here."
Who that second tight end will be this season for the Vols, whose third spring practice and first in shoulder pads on Saturday was closed (all Saturday scrimmages and practices will be closed), is a mystery.
Converted linebacker Jakob Johnson is the veteran option but lacks the pass-catching chops his younger teammates have, while redshirt freshman Austin Pope and third-year walk-on Eli Wolf, Ethan's younger brother, have focused on adding weight and strength from their days as high school wide receivers.
Developing those unproven pieces adds more to Scott's overflowing plate.
"I have the utmost respect for him," Ethan Wolf said, "because an offensive coordinator job is one in its own, and to be able to still efficiently coach us as the tight ends - me and Jakob are kind of veterans and Eli's new to the position, but he's going to have to play valuable reps this year - he can't flip on the film and expect us to know what we're doing wrong.
"He's got to explain everything. He's got to watch countless hours of film and then still run the offense. Everybody on the team, and especially in the tight end room, has the utmost respect for him."
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.