good news; One of those new wrinkles Alabama fans can expect is more usage and involvement of the tight end position. DeBoer recently discussed the importance of Alabama’s tight end room heading into this season. “It’s a critical piece of our offense,” DeBoer said. The Alabama tight end room is made up of many talented, yet unproven commodities. This room has young talent in Ty Lockwood and Jay Lindsey. This room also features veterans such as Robbie Ouzts, Danny Lewis Jr. and senior C.J Dippre. Transfer tight end, Josh Cuevas rounds out this room. Alabama’s tight ends coach Bryan Ellis feels Lewis has made the biggest leap when it comes to this group. “I think when you look at who’s probably progressed the most since we’ve been here, it’s Danny,” Ellis said. “Danny is going to provide a huge presence for us. His game is similar to CJ (Dippre). He’s strong, he can put his hand in the ground. You don’t find that a lot.” Ellis went on to marvel at Lewis Jr’s stature and ability. “He’s a big-bodied kid,” said Ellis. “He’s 6 foot 4, 6 foot 5, 260 pounds. He’s strong, he can put his hand in the ground and do something, which you don’t find that a lot. His progression has been really, really meaningful to us and our offense to have more than one guy who can put their hand in the ground and be successful.” Dippre and Lewis Jr. are both expected to have a key role on offense in both the run and pass game in 2024.