Position Week: Five offseason questions for Alabama’s wide receivers, tight ends
BamaOnLine will spend these summer months breaking down position groups on Alabama’s 2023 roster leading up to the start of preseason camp. We continue with the receivers and tight ends. (We consolidated the two units in order to squeeze everything in before fall camp.)
To kick off WR/TE week, here are five questions for the Crimson Tide’s pass-catchers.
How will the receiver rotation shake out?
Alabama lost a few wideouts to the transfer portal, including a couple that saw first-team snaps in 2022, but most of its key contributors at the position are back for the 2023 season, including Ja’Corey Brooks and Jermaine Burton, who started the most games at the position, and a trio of now-second-year players (Isaiah Bond, Kendrick Law and Kobe Prentice) that played first-team roles in their first years in the program. That’s five players that saw the field a season ago, but the pool of options also includes second-year players such as Emmanuel Henderson and Shazz Preston as well as several newcomers, including junior college transfer Malik Benson. That’s a total of eight, which is likely too many for this year’s rotation. Trimming that list to six would add Benson to the returning group, which, right now, seems most likely, but we’re not counting out Henderson or even one of the true freshmen from carving out a role within this offense.
Will there be more explosive plays?
Last year, Alabama produced 51 passing plays of 20-plus yards, which was tied for fourth-most in the SEC. But that was a significant drop-off from the previous four years, which averaged 78 plays of 20 or more yards and all had at least 72 such plays through the air each season. A big difference from 2021 to 2022 wasn’t at quarterback, with Bryce Young returning after he brought home the Heisman Trophy, but rather at the wide receiver position following the departures of John Metchie and especially Jameson Williams. The Crimson Tide has plenty of speed, whether it’s Benson, Bond, Prentice or someone else, but Alabama needs playmakers to step up at wide receiver and not only produce yards after the catch but haul in passes down the field, too.
Will the drops be a recurring issue?
During the A-Day Game, there were quite a few dropped passes. According to Alabama’s stats from the April 22 scrimmage, offensive players caught 42 of their 82 targets, which is a 51.2 catch percentage. For the wide receivers, that number was 22-of-47 (46.8 percent). That’s not ideal, especially in an offseason of trying to find a new starting quarterback. After the spring game, however, head coach Nick Saban was asked about the wideouts’ struggles with catching the football and essentially said it was an isolated incident. While it hasn’t carried over into their workouts, the receiving corps will look to make sure the drops aren’t a recurring problem.
“We’re looking at the big picture, so we’re looking at the 15 days in total of how those guys played,” Saban said. “Isaiah Bond had a really good spring. Ja’Corey Brooks had a good spring. Jermaine Burton had a really good spring. I think (Malik Benson), who made some catches at the end of the game today, has got a chance to be a real contributor. (Emmanuel Henderson) is getting better all the time, made a really nice touchdown catch today.
“I think we’ve got the right combination of people at that position. We still need to pay better attention to detail in route running and sort of get a better, like, chemistry between quarterback and receiver so that we can develop confidence in the passing game.”
CJ Dippre (Brandon Sumrall / Getty Images)
Who emerges as the top tight end(s)?
Alabama lost top tight end Cameron Latu to the NFL, added a top-50 transfer portal player in CJ Dippre and has promising young talent at the position. There aren’t a lot of game reps among the returning tight ends, but players like Danny Lewis and Amari Niblack had strong springs and should see their roles increase this fall. Robbie Ouzts missed the spring with an injury, but he should once again be in the mix, and guys like Miles Kitselman and freshman Ty Lockwood will push for playing time, too. Again, not a ton of experience, but that’s why the Tide lured Dippre from Maryland. He could prove to be a Game 1 starter, but it won’t be without competition. Guys like Lewis, Niblack and Ouzts will make things interesting for the other tight end spot.
“CJ’s done a really good job,” Saban said. “He was having a little ankle sprain or foot sprain or something for a while and missed a little bit, but I think he’s gonna be a good player for us. He’s a good competitor. He can do all three things you want him to do at tight end, whether it’s playing the C area, be an H-back type of blocker or split out and be a good receiver. We’re excited about him and the contribution he can make.
“And that whole tight end group this spring has really – Danny Lewis has really made a lot of progress. Amari has made a lot of progress. That whole group has really made a lot of improvement. Robbie Ouzts is not out there because of injury, but I’ve really been encouraged by how that group has improved and progressed.”
How involved will the tight ends be?
Alabama has a new offensive coordinator with Tommy Rees replacing Bill O’Brien as play-caller. During the former’s final three years at Notre Dame, the Fighting Irish had a stellar tight end in Michael Mayer, who was a finalist for the John Mackey Award and finished his career with 180 catches, including 67 this past year. Does the Crimson Tide have a Mayer on its current roster? No, but Alabama has a lot more options – as pointed out above – than the Irish, given its quality depth at the position. Four tight ends combined to catch 11 passes in the A-Day Game, and while that might not be the case on a game-in, game-out basis, it could be a preview of what’s to come for the position in Year 2 under Joe Cox and the first season working with Rees.
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