Alabama spring grade out: Tight end

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Alabama finished its spring camp last month revealing an early preview of what to expect in the coming season. We will break down each position, sharing what we saw and expect for this year. Today we continue our spring evaluations with the tight end position.

Alabama tight end Hale Hentges doesn’t expect his new offensive coordinator to show too much favoritism next season. But if there’s one position Brian Daboll knows best, it’s tight end. Daboll comes to Alabama after spending the past four seasons with the New England Patriots, the final three working exclusively with tight ends including arguably the game’s best at the position in Rob Gronkowski.

“I know he has a wealth of knowledge at the tight end position,” Hentges said of Daboll during the spring. “So, for him to be able to kind of instill that upon us was a great excitement on my part.”

The added attention will be a welcomed sight to a unit that has been seen as underutilized in recent years. While O.J. Howard was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the No. 19 overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft, the former Alabama tight end’s stats were underwhelming compared to his talent and athleticism.

Howard finished third on the team in receiving last season, reeling in 595 yards and three touchdowns on 45 receptions. However, he had four receptions or fewer in 12 of Alabama’s 15 games.

Whether or not Daboll’s offense will see more production from the tight ends is still yet to be determined. Alabama tight ends were targeted a combined nine times during the A-Day game resulting in six receptions for 71 yards. While those numbers aren’t too different from how the Tide utilized the position last year, Alabama’s tight ends are optimistic they’ll get more opportunities to make plays this coming season.

“You know, I’ve seen a lot of great stuff as far as tight end goes,” Hentges said. “I don't think it’s any secret that Daboll loves tight ends coming from New England. So I think from that aspect we're going to have a lot of great opportunities in the tight end room. I think you can see that on the horizon, some expanded tight end roles.”

The term Alabama head coach Nick Saban used to describe Miller Forristall encapsulates everything the Tide will need him to be this fall. Saban called Forristall “O.J.-like” referring to the fact that the rising sophomore resembles Howard in that he is a threat both as a receiver and as a blocker.

Any comparison to the first-round pick should be seen as a compliment. Although Forristall was quick to remind people that replacing the former Alabama great won't be easy.

“I’m not quite O.J., and I know that,” Forristall said earlier this spring. “I don’t want to be. I just want to do my job, be Miller Forristall.”

A former three-star recruit in the Class of 2016, Forristall showed glimpses of his potential last season, reeling in five receptions for 73 yards as a true freshman. Viewed as the Tide’s best pass-catching option at the position, he will be relied on to expand upon that next year.

“Miller has really done a phenomenal job, whether it’s catching passes or blocking,” Hentges said. “He often teaches me things that I didn't know about running routes. He’s a phenomenal route runner. He’s done a lot better. He’s worked extremely hard. He’s stayed in the playbook. He’s done a really good job. I think you’re going to see that his development has grown even more than freshman year. So, he’s going to be very good for us."

Forristall said he was able to improve as a blocker last season by following Hentges, who is regarded as the Tide’s best blocker at the position. While neither player is quite the complete package Howard was, both should be turned to a lot next season. In fact, given the Patriots’ tendency to run out of formations with two tight ends, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see both on the field at the same time in Daboll’s offense.

Hentges and Forristall might be the Tide’s two most notable returners. However, the tight end who made the most noise this spring was redshirt freshman Irv Smith.

According to Al.com., Smith, 6-foot-4, 243 pounds, recorded a 4.59 time in the 40-yard dash and bench pressed 425 pounds during Alabama’s spring workouts. During the A-Day game, he was targeted five times resulting in three receptions for 37 yards.

“A lot of people haven’t heard much about him yet just because he didn’t play a whole lot last year, but this guy has a ton of talent,” Hentges said. “I’m sure you guys are going to be seeing him coming up in the coming season.”

Alabama will also bring in two talented freshmen in four-stars Major Tennison and Kedrick James. Tennison, an early enrollee, drew praise from Saban earlier this spring, as the head coach called him “a young player that looks like he's got some potential and promise.”

“He’s just a freshman, he’s trying to figure it out, but he’s getting better and better every day,” Hentges said. “Often times, as freshmen do, they struggle at first then they get better and better. I’m seeing that happen right before my very eyes.

Alabama also plans to convert Ronnie Clark from running back to H-back, with Saban stating he sees him as a fullback-type player.

“It’s definitely hard anytime you have to switch positions, but Ronnie has taken it in stride,” Hentges said. “He’s a great guy. He works extremely hard – extremely athletic, too. I think you’re going to see him continue to grow and develop in this tight end position. I wouldn’t be surprised if he just continues to grow and develop and learn his plays better. He’s going to be a very great player for us.”

While there’s no doubt Alabama lost its most valuable tight end from last season in Howard, there’s no reason to think the Tide couldn’t not come back stronger at the position due to an increase in depth.

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