Alabama Tight End to Keep an Eye On

With less than a minute remaining in the second quarter against Louisiana Monroe, an unlikely suspect caught not only his first ever pass, but also his first ever touchdown.

For those who don't follow recruiting, Amari Niblack was one of the biggest gets for Alabama in the 2022 recruiting class. Listed at 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, one might think from his measurements, that he would be a large receiver. However, Niblack is a tight end, with the ability to be a matchup nightmare.

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During fall camp, Nick Saban stressed the importance for tight ends to be developed in three facets: with their hand in the ground, as a receiver and even as an old-fashioned fullback. With Niblack not being as big as the average tight end, his development as a blocker will be critical to his involvement this year.

In a press conference Wednesday afternoon, Saban commented on Niblack's game Saturday and what he can bring to the offense.

"Definitely a guy we think can be a weapon for us," Saban said. "He made a couple of good plays in the last game and hopefully he can build on that."

Depending on which recruiting service you look at, Niblack was ranked as high as the No.1 tight end in the country to as low as the No. 18 tight end in the country. His ability to line up at receiver is height mismatch for cornerbacks, while if he lines up at tight end, there is an athletic mismatch.

Alabama welcomed in three other new tight ends this year including junior college transfer Miles Kitselman, freshmen Elijah Brown and Danny Lewis. With Cam Latu likely to depart for the draft after this year, it is important for the new faces in the tight end room to gain experience.