Alabama Football: Drawing parallels between CJ Dippre and Michael Mayer

Alabama Football seems to be undergoing a slight shift in philosophy as it heads into the 2023 season with two new coordinators. Incoming offensive coordinator Tommy Rees cut his teeth at Notre Dame, which leans heavily on the ground game and the tight ends.

For all three of his seasons at Notre Dame, Rees was fortunate to have one of the best tight ends in college football in Michael Mayer. Mayer burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2020, leading the Irish with 42 catches for 450 yards and two touchdowns. He made a season-high seven receptions for 62 yards in a Rose Bowl loss to Alabama.

Mayer returned as a sophomore and upped his game, making 71 receptions for 840 yards and seven touchdowns. These numbers, and his impact on the game, made him one of the nation’s premier tight ends.

As a junior in 2022, Michael Mayer had the full attention of every defense he played against. It rarely mattered, as he finished the year with 67 catches for 809 yards and nine touchdowns. He racked up over twice as many catches, yards, and touchdowns as the next-most productive Notre Dame receiver.

Alabama Football: How will Rees approach Bama’s offense?

Mayer’s talent has raised some questions about Tommy Rees’ offensive philosophy. Does Rees prefer to feature his tight end, or was he simply just utilizing his best player, who happened to play the position?

Regardless, Rees has shown that he is both capable and comfortable deploying a tight end as a weapon, something Alabama football has also done fairly well. Cameron Latu has been a dynamic red-zone target for Bryce Young over the last two years. Prior to that, Miller Forristall and Jahleel Billingsley caught passes from Mac Jones en route to a national championship.

In 2023, Alabama football brings in transfer tight end CJ Dippre from Maryland. He is a solid player who figures to start, as most incoming transfers do under Coach Nick Saban. Dippre is the most well-rounded and experienced player in the position group, as the Crimson Tide’s tight end room is versatile and talented but very green.

In his lone year as the starter at Maryland, Dippre recorded 30 receptions for 314 yards and three scores. He was a major facet of the Terrapins’ offense, catching passes from former Alabama quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa.

Dippre isn’t quite as talented as Mayer, but he boasts a similar skill set. He is a big-bodied tight end with surprising athleticism and the ability to be effective as a blocker or a pass-catcher. That is to say, Tommy Rees could scheme Dippre in similar ways that he used Mayer in South Bend.

Like Cameron Latu before him, Dippre could become a threat in third down and red-zone situations, which would take a lot of pressure off of Alabama’s new starting quarterback. Under Rees, he certainly won’t go under-utilized in Tuscaloosa.