TideSports 2016 preview: Tight ends
Returning starter: O.J. Howard
Starters lost: None
Top candidates: No one has to wonder when O.J. Howard will deliver on his potential anymore after he posted five catches for 208 yards and two touchdowns against Clemson to win offensive MVP honors in the national championship game. He could have been the first tight end selected in the NFL draft if he had chosen to go, but Howard has returned for his senior season. Brandon Greene, a fifth-year senior, is a key blocker when Alabama uses its bigger packages. Hale Hentges started two games as a freshman and is also a useful piece that can play H-back.
Newcomer to watch: Two freshman tight ends both look like they’ll fit in nicely with the offense. Irv Smith Jr., whose father was a first-round draft pick and a seven-year NFL veteran, is a fluid runner who looks the part. Miller Forristall is a big target at 6-foot-5 with hands that can swallow the football. It may take time for either to make a big impact, but both look like solid additions early in their careers.
You need to know: Howard finished last season with 38 catches for 602 yards, both the most a tight end has had at Alabama under head coach Nick Saban. All indications point to him being an even more important piece in his senior season.
Outlook: Howard might be due for a bigger role in the offense. Saban said after the national championship game that he “should have been more involved all year long.” He improved his blocking and was on the field more consistently in 2015, and this could be the year he takes a bigger role as a receiver. He’s unlikely to be running free like he was at times in the championship game, but it’s easy to imagine him improving on the 602 total yards he posted as a junior.
Key stat: Howard’s five catches for 208 yards against Clemson were the most ever by an Alabama player in a bowl game and the most ever for any player in a national championship game. He also caught two touchdown passes to end a 32-game drought where he hadn’t reached the end zone dating back to 2013.
Quotable: “That position was a concern for us a year ago. O.J. Howard always being an outstanding player and someone we could count on but not having a second guy that could be a blocker and kind of a guy that could compliment him. I don't think that's an issue (this year). And I like the way the young guys are coming along at the position as well. I feel a lot better about the tight end position." – Alabama head coach Nick Saban