Alabama's offensive staff knows there's more to its tight end room than what has shown up on the stat sheet.
Through two games, the position has helped the Crimson Tide resuscitate its identity in the run game while giving the offense another layer of stability and versatility, with multiple-tight-end sets accounting for 66% of its snaps.
But that heavy usage hasn't translated to much production through the air.
Alabama's tight ends have combined for just four catches for 52 yards on nine targets through eight quarters.
That could change on Saturday.
Florida State's 3-3-5 defense already puts its linebackers at a premium, asking them to fit the run while also covering routes and defending space. And with Noles senior LB Blake Nichelson, alongside true freshmen Izayia Williams and Daylen Green, all unavailable, Alabama could have an opportunity to put even more stress on the middle of the Seminoles' defense.
That's where 6-foot-5, 246-pound sophomore tight end Marshall Pritchett becomes increasingly interesting.
Despite only recording one catch through two games, Pritchett comes into this matchup as arguably the most natural pass-catching tight end in Alabama's room, particularly when it comes to his route running and ability to create after the catch.
Those are traits second-year offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb expects to become a bigger part of Alabama's passing game.
Ryan Grubb knows Marshall Pritchett and Alabama's tight ends have the skills to become valuable weapons in the passing game
“The touches certainly haven’t shown up yet,” Grubb said Monday. “I know Marshall (Pritchett) had a nice catch; he got called back on an illegal alignment. We just weren’t off the ball far enough. But he makes a huge play on a third-and-long, and that’s the thing. For us at practice, that’s what we see No. 9 do all the time. He’s got great hands, he’s competitive when the ball’s in the air, and he’s got great savvy. So that showed up a little bit, but maybe not as much as we’ve seen.”
For Pritchett, Saturday could be an opportunity to turn those flashes into a larger role — but the bigger implication belongs to Alabama's tight end room as a whole.
6-foot-6 giants Kaleb Edwards and Josh Ford also give the Crimson Tide two more athletic weapons, meaning Florida State can't simply key in on No. 9 when Alabama puts multiple big bodies on the field. The more the Seminoles have to account for both the run and Pritchett, Edwards, and Ford in coverage, the more difficult it becomes to take away what Grubb wants to do offensively.
That's the advantage the Tide can create.
And for a passing game looking to play faster and open things up more vertically, Pritchett and the rest of the room's continued emergence could give Alabama another way to make defenses pay for loading the box.
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