Alabama Football: Versatility abound in 2023 tight end room

Spring practice should yield plenty of competition in the tight end room for Alabama football. The Crimson Tide should be deep and versatile at the position when the season begins next fall.

Bama loses senior Cameron Latu, who caught 56 passes for 787 yards and 12 touchdowns over two seasons as the starting tight end.

The Tide will likely use a committee approach to replace Latu. Immediately after the conclusion of the regular season, the coaching staff made tight end a priority in the transfer portal. Alabama eventually landed Maryland tight end CJ Dippre, who has similarities to Latu in terms of size and pass-catching production. Dippre will be a junior in 2023, and should have the opportunity to compete for starting reps.

He will certainly be pushed by fellow junior Robbie Ouzts, a throwback football player who excels as a lead blocker. Over the past two seasons, he has seen time in 24 games at tight end, fullback, H-back, and on special teams.

Ouzts likely enters next season as the best blocker in the tight end room. He has also displayed soft hands and a punishing running style after the catch in his limited opportunities, recording five career receptions for 51 yards.

Miles Kitselman joins Dippre and Ouzts in the junior class. He came to Tuscaloosa last offseason as a JUCO transfer and played in six games in the 2022 season. Like Ouzts, Kitselman is more valuable as a blocker, but he did make two catches during the year.

Sophomore Amari Niblack could be a breakout candidate in the 2023 Alabama offense. He joined the Crimson Tide as a 4-star recruit, and was the no. 5 athlete in the 2022 class.

Niblack’s build and skillset land him somewhere in between a tight end and a wide receiver. He isn’t quite big enough to play in-line, and he does not project as a run blocker in the box. He also isn’t quick enough to be a true wideout, but he may be the most athletic of the tight ends.

Niblack has a tremendous ceiling as a pass-catcher, and could be an asset to Alabama’s passing game next year. His only career reception went for a 15-yard touchdown against Louisiana-Monroe in 2022.

Elijah Brown and Danny Lewis Jr. both arrived alongside Niblack in the 2022 class. Brown was a 4-star recruit and the no. 13 tight end in the cycle, while Lewis Jr. was a 3-star and the no. 31 tight end. Lewis Jr. saw playing time in five games for Alabama football this season, including an appearance in the Tide’s Sugar Bowl win.

Incoming freshman Ty Lockwood rounds out the tight end room. Lockwood is a key cog in Alabama’s loaded 2023 class, which is the top-ranked class in the nation. He is considered a 4-star prospect, and the no. 13 tight end in the country.

The tight end room for Alabama football can almost be divided into two sections. CJ Dippre, Robbie Ouzts, Miles Kitselman, and Amari Niblack should all battle for starting snaps. Each has a unique skill set, and could form a very good complementary group.

While they could also contribute in 2023, Elijah Brown, Danny Lewis Jr., and Ty Lockwood seem to be the tight end room of the future.

Regardless, Alabama football should be able to field both talented pass-catchers and bruising blockers at tight end next season.