Alabama fans may recall just a few years ago, the Crimson Tide staff had to equip offensive linemen Kendall Randolph and Brandon Greene with jersey numbers in the 80’s so that they could change positions and fill needs at blocking tight end. This year’s Bama squad does not look like they will need to employ such a strategy.
COACHSPEAK
Following the first practice of fall camp, Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb spoke with the media. He was asked about a few tight ends. Initially, he was asked about transfer Josh Ford, but he expanded on the position:
“Awesome. Ford’s been great, man. His mindset, to me, how he works, I just think he’s a big guy, right? He’s talking about 6-5-and-a-half, 270 plus pounds, and he’s just a force in the Y position. But the guy that we’re excited as well is Danny Lewis. Getting that guy back, you got two real Ys that are proven blockers. Guys that can do it in this league. Then you got Kaleb Edwards. I mean, you got three guys that are long-levered players that are going to be impact players entirely.”
More on Danny Lewis:
“Just let him play. He’s out there. He’s cleared. Our medical staff, from Jeff to our doctors, have been absolutely amazing. And then Danny Lewis might be one of the best stories of camp. Just watching him and the resilience that kid’s had to be able to come back out and compete at this level has been, it’s really inspiring. I mean, for coaches too.”
After Alabama’s 10th preseason practice on a Monday morning, Grubb responded to a reporter’s query whether the tight ends could see an uptick in production:
“Oh, I do. I think they’ve been productive all camp, and I think that’s a great question because, to me, it’s just we put those guys in positions all the time, like for that exact reason, OK? We want to try to use a big body receiver for this, or would we rather get Marshall (Pritchett) out there? And those are the kind of questions we’re getting to answer right now in camp. But the tight end group is one of the absolute bright spots at camp so far.”
When asked this past Tuesday who has been really standing out this fall camp, Grubb again brought up the work of Marshall Pritchett.
“I think it starts with Marshall Pritchett. He’s a guy who has stepped up as a blocker, he’s become a more complete player in that regard, where I think he was viewed as a guy going into spring and summer, like at the line of scrimmage, is this guy going to be able to get it done? So, he took that part really seriously, and he got a lot better at it. But the playmaker part in Marshall is that he’s a weapon out there. He can truly block, then expand the outside, get a mismatch on a safety and really play ball. From his standpoint, he’s doing a great job.”
How nice to have so many good options.
DEPARTED
- Josh Cuevas – The Tide’s fifth leading receiver from 2025 and No. 1 tight end caught 37 passes for 411 yards and 4 touchdowns. He was selected in the 5th round of the 2026 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens.
- Brody Dalton – Graduated. Came in from Troy last season for depth, contributing on special teams in 14 games, finished with three receptions for 22 yards – all against Eastern Illinois.
- Peter Knudson – Graduated. Former Weber State transfer was a preferred walk-on, played in two games.
RETURNING
RETURNING STARTER
- #81 Kaleb Edwards (6’ 6’’/264 Soph.) As a true freshman, the former 4-star prospect worked in all 15 Alabama games with six starts and was selected to the Freshman All-SEC Team. He had 11 grabs for 150 yards and a score. He had at least one reception in 8 different games. In the SEC Championship Game versus Georgia, he collected three passes for 42 yards.
RETURNING VETERANS
- #9 Marshall Pritchett (6’ 5’’/246, Soph.) The true sophomore participate in all 15 games last fall, mostly on special teams, but also getting snaps on offense. He totaled seven catches for 57 yards, including a 12 yard grab against Georgia in the SECCG.
- #88 Jay Lindsey (6’ 5’’/258 RS-Soph.) – He played in all 15 games with one start in a two-tight end set against Eastern Illinois (which technically makes him a returning starter, but not really). Lindsey was heavily utilized as a blocker and on special teams coverage last year, but got high marks for his efforts. He caught two passes for 7 yards – one each against Auburn and Oklahoma.
- #87 Danny Lewis (6’ 5’’/260, R-Sr.) – Lewis has been hampered by injuries for most of his college career and flirted with the transfer portal in the past. He played 80 snaps over six games in 2025 and caught two passes for 17 yards against Mizzou. His lack of playing time was due to lingering injuries.
- #85 Jack Sammarco (6’ 5’’/268, RS-Soph.) This third year player joined the Crimson Tide a year ago after one season at West Virginia. In 2025, he saw his first action as a member of the Crimson Tide against ULM. His next and final appearance of the year came against Eastern Illinois. For now, he is looking like a depth piece or for use on special teams.
NEWCOMERS
COACH
Last year’s tight end coach Bryan Ellis was promoted to QB coach. Thus, Richard Owens was brought in from his alma mater of Louisville to replace him. Owens had been offensive line coach with the Cardinals (2023-25) under Jeff Brohm. The 2025 Louisville offensive line was one of the best in the ACC, allowing only 1.15 sacks per game, which ranked third in the conference and 17th nationally.
Among Owens’s other stops, he has coached at South Alabama (under Joey Jones) and UAB (Bill Clark). Before his coaching days, Owens played 53 NFL games between the Vikings and the St Louis Rams. Although a tight end coach, it’s possible that he could help out with the offensive line through his experience guiding that unit at previous jobs.
TRANSFER
#40 Josh Ford (6′ 6”/266, Jr.) – Oklahoma State transfer has gotten a lot of raves from Grubb and head coach Kalen DeBoer. The true junior is starting to look like a steal who will fill the role of H-back. He played in 16 total games across two seasons with the Cowboys and totaled 13 receptions for 137 yards and two touchdowns.
FORD QUOTE:
“I just love to hit people. That’s my passion for the game. Of course I love to catch balls, catch touchdowns, that’s awesome too, but just the (sheer will) of putting someone on their back is the best feeling ever.”
FRESHMAN
#18 Mack Sutter (Fr. 6′ 5”/230, Dunlap, IL) – 4-star, top 75 signed with the Tide over Big Ten powers Iowa and Ohio State along with Ole Miss among his 45 offers. Played QB, WR, TE, EDGE, and LB in high school and also excelled in basketball.
SCHEMES
With so much talent at the position, Alabama will likely embrace the NFL’s trend towards 12/13 personnel this fall without sacrificing its passing attack. The 12 personnel employs one running back, two tight ends, and two wide receivers which is meant to create mismatches and enhance the running game. Having more than one tight end who can block as well as be a receiving threat is key in this formation allowing for versatility in both the passing and running attack.
The LA Rams were one of the most dominant teams NFL last season. Head coach Sean McVay utilized 13 personnel of one running back, three tight ends, and one receiver at by far the highest rate in the league (30.5%; next-highest was 13.2%). A product of this strategy was an MVP season and the first All-Pro honor for Matthew Stafford at age 37.
Grubb ran a good deal of 12 personnel in 2025, but the 13 accounted for just 5% of plays ran. Bama fans may see expansion of both packages in 2026.
DEPTH CHART
With so many packages for the Crimson Tide, several tight end including H-backs could be used at any one time. Since the tight ends could move around so much, we’ll just list the tight ends according to predicted playing time:
- Edwards
- Ford
- Pritchett
- Lewis
- Lindsey
- Sutter
