Nick Saban discusses progression of 'mismatch' transfer tight end CJ Dippre, position group

Alabama added a big-bodied pass catcher out of the transfer portal last winter, nabbing tight end CJ Dippre from Maryland. And as the Crimson Tide get underway with fall camp, head coach Nick Saban shared that Dippre is looking good in his role.

Dippre will no doubt be tasked with getting his hand in the dirt and blocking for Alabama just like the rest of the tight ends, but his bread and butter is in the passing game. There, Saban thinks the tight end can be a bit of a matchup problem.

“He’s kind of a mismatch player, a little bit, in the passing game, which is a good thing,” Saban said during a press conference on Thursday.

In 12 games as a sophomore for Maryland in 2022, Dippre caught 30 passes for 314 yards and a trio of touchdowns.

Now a junior with the Crimson Tide, Dippre will likely slot in as the top tight end among the Alabama pass catchers and be a three-down player. Saban discussed the various areas he’s made strides since arriving in Tuscaloosa.

“Tight end group has made really good progress,” Saban said. “CJ has been a really good addition to that group. He’s got maturity, he’s got experience. He’s got size, he’s got good hands, he’s pretty good in the passing game, he’s a pretty decent blocker. Has really made a lot of improvement.” 

And from top to bottom, Saban is pleased with how the tight end room has progressed over the last seven months.

“And all the other guys are progressing nicely as well. So that group has come a long way, I think, over the spring and summer,” Saban said.

Who will throw to Dippre and others for Alabama remains to be seen

As training camp gets underway, the biggest question at Alabama is who the starting quarterback will be. The battle between Jalen Milroe, Tyler Buchner and Ty Simpson is getting plenty of attention with the season just a few weeks away.

Saban sounded ready for the questions from reporters about how the competition is going. That said, he said the answer won’t change until there’s a resolution.

Saban met with the media Thursday night after fall camp got underway and made it clear someone has to take control in the competition. Until that happens, he might not have many updates.

“Look, you’re going to ask me about the quarterbacks every day,” Saban said during his Thursday press conference. “Every day, I’m going to tell you the same thing. Everybody’s getting reps at the position, somebody’s got to take the bull by the horns, somebody’s got to separate themselves. When that happens, we’ll tell you. We’ll be glad to tell you. When we’re going to take the cake out of the oven, we will tell you when it’s time, aight?

“But until then, there’s really nothing to talk about. There’s nothing to say. So there’s really no sense in asking about it because we want all the guys when they’re in there, you play the position like it’s yours, like it belongs to you.”