Alabama's tight end newcomers are elevating the offense as DeBoer and Grubb attempt to recapture previous form at Washington

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Alabama's tight end room is one of the more interesting position groups on the roster. It looks like a quality collection of talent on paper, but we're still waiting to see how it all comes together after the Crimson Tide lost far-and-away their top two options from a season ago.

Last year, CJ Dippre led the group. He had the most snaps (509) by a wide margin while starting all 13 games. Alabama used a lot of 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends) though, which is why Robbie Ouzts also started over half of the games while adding 304 snaps of his own.

Those guys are now gone, leaving Josh Cuevas as the only tight end with significant experience. After playing close to 700 snaps in two seasons for Cal Poly a couple of years ago, he's now combined for 378 snaps since getting to the Division I level. Of those, 234 came at Alabama in 2024. He also finished second amongst the tight ends in targets this past season with 16 (Dippre totaled 29).

You've also got Danny Lewis back, who's played 165 snaps in his three-year career while getting a start against Texas in 2023. He's still really green though, and with the Louisiana native having to miss the spring while recovering from an injury, Alabama's coaching staff elected to bring in two transfers from the portal in Brody Dalton (Troy) and Jack Sammarco (West Virginia).

Following the Crimson Tide's fourth practice of fall camp on Sunday, head coach Kalen DeBoer was asked about the three newcomers, which included Dalton, Sammarco and true freshman Kaleb Edwards, who didn't enroll until this summer while fellow freshman Marshall Pritchett was an early enrollee. Here's what he had to say:

“First, it’s good to see Cuevas back out there and get his reps and build that up," DeBoer told reporters. "I think there’s a lot of learning going on. You got the two guys that came in – really, there’s three that came in during the summer, the two guys transferring in and Kaleb from high school. So, they’re swimming a little bit, just with the physicality piece now that you put the pads on. But they’ve adjusted in a way that I would expect. Even today, I felt like there was growth from yesterday to today. There’s first, understanding your responsibility and executing your job. And the more reps they get at that, the more comfortable they get.

“But Kaleb’s a big target. Does a nice job, is very savvy, instinctual. He’s got some of that dual sport in him, and he feels comfortable out in space. I think Jack, physical, kind of a mauler-type guy. And then Brody’s done a nice job, kind of in between. He’s got that experience and got a lot of football under his belt, but he’s also learning, getting used to playing every practice at the level we’re playing. So those guys are doing a nice job adjusting.”

It's difficult to know who all will be rotation. Obviously, Dippre and Ouzts were the main two options a season ago, but as we mentioned, Cuevas wasn't far behind. And at times, you also had Lewis in that mix. At Washington in 2023, DeBoer's offense saw four tight ends (including Cuevas) get at least 144 snaps.

I'd expect at least three to be involved for Alabama in 2025.

Cuevas and Lewis feel like the two safest bets to be included. Dalton feels like the favorite for TE3, but I wouldn't sleep on the other players in that room. Sammarco feels like more of a long-term play with, similar to Jay Lindsey, intriguing upside as a blocker. But in our practice observations from Sunday, we mentioned the possibility that one of the two freshmen could get involved at some point.

"Today was my first day getting to see the team in shoulder pads. I have to say, Kaleb Edwards looked a lot different once the pads came on. There’s some physicality to his game, but you can tell that he’s got some mismatch ability as a pass catcher. Marshall Pritchett continues to look the part too. I thought the additions of Brody Dalton and Jack Sammarco would all but end any chance of the two freshmen earning Year 1 playing time. And who knows, that could very well be the case, but I’m coming around on the idea of at least one of these guys earning some type of role in their debut seasons. We’ll see."

Will it happen early? Probably not. In fact, it may not happen at all in 2025, but I can see it happening for one of them. Edwards is a bigger body at 6-foot-6, 264 pounds, but don't let that size fool you. He's an underrated receiver who, as DeBoer mentioned on Sunday, is comfortable playing in space. Pritchett converted from wide receiver to tight end in high school, but he's since put on close to 40 pounds in preparation for playing in the SEC. They're both capable, but they've got to take advantage of their opportunities.

If they don't Alabama has other serviceable options.