TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama will likely start the season shorthanded at the tight end position. During his Monday press conference, Nick Saban provided an update on injured starter Cameron Latu, stating the redshirt senior will resume practice this week but is still not fully recovered from a knee injury that sidelined him for the majority of this month’s preseason camp.

"We'll see how he progresses, how he does," Saban said. "I don't think anybody can make a prediction about that right now. He was on the treadmill and all that stuff last week. He never had an issue, never had a problem, so the next thing he does is start dry-land working, from an individual standpoint, and see what he can do in practice."

Alabama opens its season this weekend as it takes on Utah State on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Crimson Tide is currently tabbed as a 40-point favorite over the Aggies, according to Vegas Insider.

While Latu’s absence might not be felt much this week, Alabama’s tight end unit is a bit thin in terms of experience with him unavailable. Earlier this offseason, the Crimson Tide saw Jahleel Billingsley transfer to Texas and Caden Clark move on to Akron.

Last year, Latu started 14 games over 15 appearances, setting Alabama’s single-season record for touchdown catches by a tight end with eight while finishing with 26 receptions for 410 yards. Robbie Ouzts is the only other Crimson Tide tight end with a Division I reception to his name, tallying a single catch for 8 yards during his freshman season last year.

Alabama brought in four new tight ends this offseason, signing JUCO transfer Miles Kitselman as well as freshmen Amari Niblack, Danny Lewis Jr. and Elijah Brown. Ouzts is listed as the starter on Alabama's official depth chart followed by Kitselman, Lewis and Niblack

"Robbie Ouzts has done a really good job at that position," Saban said, "but all three young guys have made significant progress and will probably have some kind of role in this game."