Vol Calls: Hunter Ensley offers to run through wall for Josh Heupel, Tennessee football

Hunter Ensley, one of the heroes of Tennessee baseball’s national title run, made an intriguing offer to Vols football coach Josh Heupel.

“If you have room on special teams, I have another year of eligibility left,” Ensley joked during “Vol Calls” on Wednesday night.

“I played a little (defensive back) in high school – free safety. I think I’d be pretty good at kickoff (coverage) too.”

Ensley was in the crowd at Calhoun’s on the River for “Vol Calls” the weekly statewide coaches call-in radio show on Vol Network. He posed a fan question to Heupel. But it was more of a proposal, which Heupel jokingly pondered.

“We’ll run you down on kickoff cover,” Heupel said. “If you do a good job there, we’ll find a way to get you the pill too on offense. Alright?”

Bob Kesling, the Voice of the Vols, interjected with the perfect line about Ensley’s fitness to be a special teams player.

“He’ll crash into a wall for you,” Kesling quipped.

Of course, Ensley cemented his place in Tennessee baseball lore during the College World Series when he ran full speed into the left-center field wall to make a jaw-dropping catch in a win over North Carolina.

He left a mark on the wall and left the game with an injury. But he played through the pain the reminder of UT’s run to the national championship and scored the winning run in the 6-5 title-clinching victory.

On July 9, Ensley announced that he’s returning to Vols baseball for the 2025 season.

“I’d be good on outside contain too,” Ensley told Heupel, making his pitch to play defense for the Vols.

Ensley will stick to baseball. But he’s more qualified to play college football than just about any athlete playing another sport at UT.

Ensley was a two-time all-state football player at Huntingdon High. He led the Mustangs to a 13-1 record and an appearance in the Class A state semifinals as a senior.

And in 2019, Ensley was a finalist for the Tennessee Class A Mr. Football and Mr. Baseball awards.

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

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