Josh Heupel and the Tennessee Volunteers have made it official: Alec Abeln is the team’s new tight ends coach.

Heupel promoted Abeln, a UT offensive analyst for the past 2 seasons, to fill the vacancy left by Alex Golesh’s departure to be the head coach at USF. Golesh was the offensive coordinator and tight ends coach for the Vols.

“Alec has played an integral role in our offensive staff room over the past two years, and we are excited to elevate him to tight ends coach,” Heupel said in a program release. “Alec played for me and has been a part of our staff at multiple programs. He is detail-oriented with a relentless work ethic. He has built great relationships among our players and staff. Alec is eager to get on the field, and I know we will continue to raise the standard of our tight end unit under his watch.”

Abeln played for Heupel at Mizzou and then got into coaching after graduating from MU in 2018. He followed Heupel to UCF in 2019. Abeln was on Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss staff for the 2020 season before reuniting with Heupel at Tennessee in 2021.

“I am grateful to Coach Heupel for this opportunity,” Abeln said via the team. “I have an enormous amount of respect and appreciation for our players and our staff, and I am excited to get on the field with our tight ends. Coach Heupel has established a clear standard of who we want to be as a team, and I will work tirelessly to ensure we uphold it. I look forward to helping our tight ends reach their potential, while also making an impact on the recruiting trail.”

Heupel also promoted internally for Golesh’s offensive coordinator responsibilities, naming Joey Halzle the team’s new OC.