Leaders Build Leaders: How Miles Kitselman’s influence is shaped by those around him

[kamoshika]

5:30 a.m. wake up. 110-degree Kansas heat. Work to do. Bills to pay. A family to support. Zero complaints. That was the life that Tennessee tight end Miles Kitselman admired his father, David Kitselman, for providing while he grew up in Lyndon, Kansas. “You see somebody like that doing that for you, then that just makes you want to do that for other people,” Kitselman said.

His father’s work ethic is one Kitselman strives to replicate on the football field. "Translate it into football, it's 5:30 in the morning, and I'm not working in construction; I get to live out my dreams. So why would I not have positive energy and bring people with me along the way?"

Being a leader does not mean being perfect. It means putting in the work to earn the trust of your teammates and coaches. Before practice even begins, Kitselman is in the Anderson Training Center putting in the extra work. “I'm really proud of myself. Because I'm not the most athletic, I have to do everything right to get an edge on those people who are more athletic than me,” Kitselman said. “Whether that's coming in early every single day and getting my body right, making sure that I can actually be on the field, doing extra time on installs, making sure that I'm detailed on all my footwork, detailed on my hand placement … I know every single look, I know what to do on every single play. When you do that over and over and over again for a couple of months, coaches see that.”
Leaders Build Leaders: How Miles Kitselman’s influence is shaped by those around him - University of Tennessee Athletics

 

[wmcovol]

The amazing thing about Kitz is he was buried on the Alabama depth chart. Wouldnt have caught 5 passes last year most likely. Yet he was better than the TEs bama played against Tennessee last year.

Tell me again the portal is a bad thing?

 

[orangebloodgmc]

The amazing thing about Kitz is he was buried on the Alabama depth chart. Wouldnt have caught 5 passes last year most likely. Yet he was better than the TEs bama played against Tennessee last year.

Tell me again the portal is a bad thing?

Right! And somehow, our coaches were able to vision thru all that.

 

[fefe]

Brooks Austin is big on Kitz. He says to expect him on Sundays.

 

[Caspian]

Nothing but the highest respect for Kitselman. A hard worker and straight shooter. He will leave some big shoes to fill.

 

[Teeman]

Great story. IIRC, UT picked him up for depth and blocking. There wasn't anything on him as far as pass catching. He shows up in fall camp and impresses everyone. Every bit as important for his leadership and example, as he is for his play.

 

[perico]

When Kitzelman leaves, maybe his greatest legacy will be the poster child of what it means to be a VFL on the portal era. Like Hooker and Milton, Kitzelman has been a leader on this team from the moment he stepped on campus.

 

[SpookyAction]

Kitselman is the real deal. I like motivational speakers who don't crow about credentials that sound too good. His background sounds like a simple, yet effective story. He sounds like the real deal.

I always thought Butch wanted really bad to be a true motivational speaker, but had too much "living in a van by the river" energy.