TUSCALOOSA, Ala.-The departure of Alabama's leading tight end Josh Cuevas for the 2026 NFL Draft left question marks surrounding what the room could look like for the Crimson Tide this season.
Sophomore tight ends Marshall Pritchett and Kaleb Edwards spoke at the Crimson Tide's in-house media day Saturday, offering insight into how the room is shaping up as they gear up for Week 2 of fall camp.
"It's been amazing," Edwards said. "It's been a grind, but it's been fun."
Pritchett went into detail about how close he is to his teammates, calling the first week of camp "a blast".
"I love this team that we have," he said. "I think we're so close as a unit, offense and defense. Obviously, incredibly competitive when we go out there. It's a war every day, but when we get to the locker room, dude, it's like I'm hanging out with my bestest friends in the world."
Losing Cuevas left a leadership hole in the room, something that both players said has been a group effort in replacing.
"I think all of us have stepped up a little bit now that we don't have that true senior leader," Edwards said.
Pritchett shouted out third-year tight end Jay Lindsey as someone whose stewardship has especially shown through during fall camp thus far.
"He's an incredible leader in our room," Pritchett said. "Very knowledgeable guy, and I think his impact kind of speaks for our whole tight end room."
Both guys also spoke on the impact that Oklahoma State transfer Josh Ford has had on the group since his arrival. They had very similar descriptions of his play style, and it's certainly a style that fans have been yearning for.
"The only way to describe Josh is a dog," Pritchett said. "Josh is an old-school football player. He's a great kid, and every single day we go out to practice, you know you're gonna get everything he's got."
Edwards pointed to Ford's aggression and leadership as admirable qualities that he believes positively impact both the team and the position room.
"He speaks up for us," Edwards said. "He's just a great dude. He lifts us up, tells us what we're doing wrong and helps us out."
When it comes to replacing the NFL-caliber talent that Cuevas brought to last year's offense, both players noted that it's going to take a village, with involvement from players across the position group, which Pritchett says includes a mix of skill sets that complement each other well.
"We all have kind of different skill sets, and I think that's what makes us such a close unit," he said. "I go out there as the receiving tight end, like if Jay wants some advice on how to run a better route, I can give him that. But when I go, and I gotta block pass pro, I know I can go up to Jay and ask him about the footwork he takes, the hand stuff he takes, same with Kaleb, same with Josh."
Pritchett mentioned that while there is still competitiveness within the position group, they all provide each other with a ton of support.
"That's the difference in our room," Pritchett said. "Although we're incredibly competitive, it's a big help-each-other-out kind of environment, because we all want to eat."
Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Twitter /X, Facebook , YouTube , Instagram , Threads and Blue Sky for the latest news.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/alabama as 'We All Wanna Eat': How Alabama's Tight Ends Are Building an Identity .
