Cameron Latu is Expected to Make His Season Debut on Saturday

Bryce Young is expected to get one of his top pass catchers back from a year ago, when tight end Cameron Latu returns from injury on Saturday.

"He should be ready to play this week," said Nick Saban during his Thursday presser.  "We have a lot of confidence that he can be an impact player for us.

Latu had a “minor knee injury” that held him out of fall camp. The Salt Lake City (Utah) native returned to practice last week and went through warmups with a brace on his knee prior to Alabama’s season opener against Utah State but did not play in the game. In an updated depth chart earlier this week, the senior was listed as the starting tight end.

“He’s doing well, 100%. He runs well, moves well. He practiced quite a bit last week, thought he needed another week to practice. This will be his first game, so it'll be a little different for him and some of the other guys who got to play last week, but from a health standpoint, we think he's ready to go," Saban said on Wednesday.

The 6-foot-5, 250 pounder is a valuable pass catcher in the red zone. Latu developed a strong connection with Young, his eight touchdowns in 2021 were the most ever by an Alabama tight end in a single season.

Young looked to be in mid-season form in week one and adding Latu to this offense puts even more stress on opposing defenses.

Alabama will face Texas on Saturday, Sept. 10, in Austin. Kickoff is set 11 a.m. CT. and will air on FOX.