Alabama football opens spring practice short on depth at multiple positions, in part due to injuries, which is the primary reason coach Kalen DeBoer will modify the A-Day game on April 12. But perhaps nowhere is the Crimson Tide as depth-starved as it is at tight end.
UA lost its top two tight ends to the NFL draft — both C.J. Dippre and Robbie Ouzts participated in the NFL Scouting Combine last week — and to make matters worse, tight end Danny Lewis Jr. will miss spring practice while recovering from an injury.
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That leaves Josh Cuevas , a second-year transfer from Washington, as the only UA tight end with game experience, but the depth behind Cuevas is lacking not only experience, but numbers as well.
"We certainly are (thin). We love what Josh can do, but as far as numbers and guys that have a lot of experience, we certainly are thin there," DeBoer said. "We expect Danny, by the summer, to be back and rolling. He knows our system. It's just a matter of the progress we want to see him make."
Cuevas caught 16 passes for 218 yards and a touchdown last year for the Crimson Tide . Jay Lindsey, of Butler, Ala., will see plenty of action in the spring, along with transfers Peter Knudson and Jayden Hobson. Also participating in spring drills is freshman signee Marshall Pritchett, along with a few others, and the opportunity to claim a rotational role for the 2025 season is wide open.
"There are some other guys that are going to hop in there," DeBoer added. "You've got Jay and Peter who came in, some other guys who are going to get a chance to take advantage, and they'll get developed too. We're going to need them this fall when the season hits."
UA offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb frequently played "12" personnel (one running back, two tight ends) in directing Washington's offense under DeBoer in 2023. Not surprisingly, under OC Nick Sheridan last year, UA often did the same. To whatever extent Grubb wants to employ "12" personnel in 2025, UA's tight ends have a relatively open audition this spring to join Cuevas in the rotation.
Reach Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread at cgoodbread@gannett.com. Follow on X @chasegoodbread.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Kalen DeBoer addresses Alabama football's thinnest position for spring
