| NEWS Alabama football lands commitment from Miles Kitselman, JUCO TE, in class of 2022 - Tuscaloosa News

[Bama News]

Alabama football lands commitment from Miles Kitselman, JUCO TE, in class of 2022

Alabama Crimson Tide football received a commitment from Miles Kitselman, a Hutchinson Community College tight end, and will enroll in June, he said.

www.tuscaloosanews.com

Alabama football made a late spring addition to its class of 2022. Miles Kitselman of Hutchinson Community College in Kansas committed to the Crimson Tide and will enroll in June, he said.

Kitselman, 6-foot-6, 250 pounds, is Alabama's fourth tight end commit, joining early enrollee Elijah Brown, Amari Niblack and Danny Lewis. He brings the class' size to 26.

Kitselman said Alabama and Tennessee were on Hutchinson's campus last week to see teammate and JUCO All-American wide receiver Malik Benson, who has Alabama in his top 11.

Louisiana was the only school to offer Kitselman a scholarship before Alabama, Kitselman said.

"Bama didn't even know who I was," Kitselman said to the Tuscaloosa News. "I was working with the wide receivers in pre-practice, and then all of a sudden they were like, 'Hey, who's this No. 87? Is he a big wide receiver or is he a tight end working with wide receivers?'

"Just went from there. Luckily Alabama needed a tight end. A lot of the situations (with colleges recruiting my position) it doesn't even matter how good you are. If a team is set on tight ends they're not even going to look at you. Lord willing, Alabama needed a tight end, I was available and they chose me, so I just committed on the spot."

Kitselman had an unofficial visit planned with Tennessee in June and was in talks with Florida State, Iowa State and Kansas State.

"Other than that, nobody else pulled the trigger," Kitselman said. "I guess Saban saw something in me that those other guys didn't, so I'm definitely not going to disappoint (him)."

Kitselman played left tackle and defensive end at Lyndon High in Kansas, where he had 99 tackles and 10 for loss as a senior. He had a partial scholarship to Division II Emporia State when he graduated in 2021, Kitselman said.

 

[TerryP]

Miles Kitselman

Miles Kitselman

www.bluedragonsports.com

 

[Tidestalker]

A little surprised by this... Not by taking another TE, just because of the film. Didn't blow me away with strength & explosiveness at the LOS. Obviously there is a hidden gem in there somewhere for CNS to pull the trigger, just not sure where that time to develop is with a roster like this.

 

[TerryP]

Didn't blow me away with strength & explosiveness at the LOS.

Maybe take a minute and watch those HUDL highlights again?

If there was one thing that the film demonstrated to me, it was "grit" playing on the line of scrimmage: there's that mean streak you want to see from an inline tight end. The very first highlight has Miles blocking the opposing defensive end 25+ yards downfield. There's another couple of clips in that video showing the same.

In other blocking highlights he's sealing the ends as well as any coach could dream of. Without counting I'd say more than a half of a dozen demonstrate such.

There's a few of him playing along the defensive line: he played both OL and DL in high school (from a smaller high school classification.)

There's a few things that jumped out to me.

• A JUCO with four to play three. The SEC requires graduation from JUCO to be eligible. We normally see these guys with, at the most, two years to contribute. He's well ahead of the game, academically.
• I love seeing guys on the line with basketball backgrounds: their footwork tends to better. It never hurts having a BB guy because they also tend to have good hands. Here we have a guy who can block, but is still a receiving threat. OJ Howard couldn't offer than his first few years.
• His coach pointed out he's competing against DE's who carry multiple P5 offers and he's doing more than handling his own: daily.
• He's 6'5"/6'6" and currently around 250 lbs. His injury last year held him back, physically, but he's gained "a lot of muscle mass" in their winter workouts. I can easily see him hitting the 285-290 mark. Size wise, and athletically, that's prototypical for an inline TE.

 

[JoseyWalesTheOutlaw]

This guy doesn't have to be John Mackey in order to be of some help with the current play at TE.

 

[bamafan9201]

Yea, hoping he can be a good chip on the line and contribute some in the passing game for check-downs. Gronkowski didn't look good as a TE until people figured out how to use him.

 

[TerryP]

Gronkowski didn't look good as a TE until people figured out how to use him.

To me, his career followed his age where as he got older his numbers (TD's) dropped. A few years ago I looked up his numbers at Arizona. He accounted for more TD's in his two years there than any TE we've seen at Bama in several decades. (I think it was 16 in two seasons.)

 

[Tidestalker]

Maybe take a minute and watch those HUDL highlights again?

If there was one thing that the film demonstrated to me, it was "grit" playing on the line of scrimmage: there's that mean streak you want to see from an inline tight end. The very first highlight has Miles blocking the opposing defensive end 25+ yards downfield. There's another couple of clips in that video showing the same.

In other blocking highlights he's sealing the ends as well as any coach could dream of. Without counting I'd say more than a half of a dozen demonstrate such.

There's a few of him playing along the defensive line: he played both OL and DL in high school (from a smaller high school classification.)

There's a few things that jumped out to me.

• A JUCO with four to play three. The SEC requires graduation from JUCO to be eligible. We normally see these guys with, at the most, two years to contribute. He's well ahead of the game, academically.
• I love seeing guys on the line with basketball backgrounds: their footwork tends to better. It never hurts having a BB guy because they also tend to have good hands. Here we have a guy who can block, but is still a receiving threat. OJ Howard couldn't offer than his first few years.
• His coach pointed out he's competing against DE's who carry multiple P5 offers and he's doing more than handling his own: daily.
• He's 6'5"/6'6" and currently around 250 lbs. His injury last year held him back, physically, but he's gained "a lot of muscle mass" in their winter workouts. I can easily see him hitting the 285-290 mark. Size wise, and athletically, that's prototypical for an inline TE.

Watched it again! Don't feel much different. Did notice him initially holding on the 25 yard down field block though... Not that i'd be one to nitpick LOL.

I just don't like how he fires off the line... Doesn't move right to me. Tall guys can't play low so they have to have functional strength & be smooth athletes... Those blocking movements look clunky to me. Super subjective, of course.

I agree he sets the edge well on some of those plays... Uses the defenders movements to his own strength. If he's smart and picks up blocking and passing schemes quickly, he's clearly got the measurables to see the field. IMO I can see why he was a "sleeper" despite those measurables... This day in age it's hard to slip through the cracks with all those positives you noted.

 

[TerryP]

This day in age it's hard to slip through the cracks with all those positives you noted.

It's a Josh Jacobs, part deux, in the sense he's no longer "slipping through the cracks." He went unnoticed, save for Kansas State, up until now.

If I were to ask you what is Iowa State known to produce? Chances are you'd think of TE's. He's turned a few heads with ISU, FSU, and Tennessee (scheduled visit next month that's been canceled) about playing P5 ball.

If only Harbaugh had had a camp ... ... he may have been seen sooner.

 

[JoseyWalesTheOutlaw]

The fact Billingsley started most every game last year with little to no production gives me hope this guy might be able to help us out. Hopefully one of these freshmen can be a real surprise and step into a playa at TE.

Billingsley never blocked anybody in two years, but he did a lot of grabbing and pushing. Having to wear shoulder pads must have been a burden to #19.

Signing Miles is much like a free shot with very little to lose.

 

[Tidestalker]

It's a Josh Jacobs, part deux, in the sense he's no longer "slipping through the cracks." He went unnoticed, save for Kansas State, up until now.

If I were to ask you what is Iowa State known to produce? Chances are you'd think of TE's. He's turned a few heads with ISU, FSU, and Tennessee (scheduled visit next month that's been canceled) about playing P5 ball.

If only Harbaugh had had a camp ... ... he may have been seen sooner.

For every Josh Jacobs, how many thousands of guys slipped through the cracks that deserved to? Not to mention - his high school days were 8 years ago? How much has technology and communication advanced?

We will see buddy. If he does well, I'll tip my cap... If he doesn't, you might or might not. Time will tell

 

[TerryP]

@Tidestalker New film.

 

[alabama mike]

If our coaching staff saw something good in him and made an offer, its good enough for me. Not that my opinion matters to CNS and company.

 

[rick4bama]

Did any of you have him in you radar?

 

[UAgrad93]

@Tidestalker got to remember that this kid was playing OT instead of playing TE in HS. Steps and blocking assignments are going to be different. Kid basically learning in the fly.
I used to always cut up with my old HS coach when I first went back to my old HS at Christmas after having been in a real weight program at BAMA. I went from 180 to 215 and it was in all of the right places. Now, I was a QB in HS and was walking in at BAMA. Coach asked my weight and when I told him, he said “Damn son! I wish you had been that big while here!” I said, “ Sure you do! I would’ve been an OT instead of your QB!”

 

[UAgrad93]

Did any of you have him in you radar?

Literally, no one did. He showed out for coaches that were there looking at another kid. Late bloomer that had played out of position in HS.

 

[Tidestalker]

@Tidestalker New film.

I like how he's moving in the open field... It's impressive! In a pone booth it looks like he's tall & skinny. Just my take!

 

[Tidestalker]

@Tidestalker got to remember that this kid was playing OT instead of playing TE in HS. Steps and blocking assignments are going to be different. Kid basically learning in the fly.
I used to always cut up with my old HS coach when I first went back to my old HS at Christmas after having been in a real weight program at BAMA. I went from 180 to 215 and it was in all of the right places. Now, I was a QB in HS and was walking in at BAMA. Coach asked my weight and when I told him, he said “Damn son! I wish you had been that big while here!” I said, “ Sure you do! I would’ve been an OT instead of your QB!”

That's certainly a fair point!

Just not sure an Alabama football roster loaded with 4/5 stars is going to be the smoothest place to learn on the fly and beat people out... If that makes sense.

He's got potential, no doubt about it.

 

[TerryP]

I like how he's moving in the open field... It's impressive! In a pone booth it looks like he's tall & skinny. Just my take!

He's NFL size now.

 

[Tidestalker]

He's NFL size now.

You know what Shakira said?!