New Tight Ends Growing in Offense

Alabama's loss of CJ Dippre and Robbie Outz in the tight end room will cause the Tide to start two new faces at tight end. In addition to new starters, Alabama added depth in the tight end room with freshmen Marshall Pritchett and Kaleb Edwards, and transfers Jack Sammarco and Brody Dalton.

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Edwards, Sammarco, and Dalton got to Alabama over the summer, meaning their adjustment curve will be steeper than that of Pritchett, who got to Tuscaloosa in January as an early enrollee. What is DeBoer seeing from Edwards, Sammarco, and Dalton as they adjust to Alabama's practices in fall camp?

“First, it’s good to see [Josh] Cuevas back out there and get his reps and build that up. I think there’s a lot of learning going on," DeBoer said. "You got the two guys that came in - really, there’s three that came in in the summer, the two guys transferring in and Kaleb [Edwards] 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, I think, just in a way that I would expect. You know, here, 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 [Sammarco], physical, kind of a mauler-type guy. And then Brody [Dalton]'s done a nice job, I think, 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.”

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.