Nick Saban on tight end depth, Kendall Randolph getting an opportunity

Nick Saban spoke following Alabama‘s second scrimmage about how their depth is at tight end, and the opportunities Kendall Randolph is receiving. Saban praised the players that he has at the position, but noted that they are extremely thin at the position with only “three” tight ends. Randolph is currently being used as both an offensive lineman and a tight end by the Crimson Tide, but hasn’t received any snaps at tight end since Alabama began spring practices.

Nick Saban on tight ends and Kendall Randolph

Following the second scrimmage for the Crimson Tide this year, Saban fielded questions about Alabama’s progress and was asked how he felt his tight ends were developing.

“Tight ends are going fine,” Saban answered. “You know we’ve only got three, but [Cameron] Latu has had a good spring. Robbie Outzs has made a tremendous amount of improvement. Plays with a lot of confidence, he’s a tough guy, he’s a pretty good blocker. So that’s an area of our team that we need to add depth to. We’ve got a young guy that’s trying to learn how to play and we’ve got a couple other guys coming in so it’s gonna be really important.

“We haven’t played Kendall Randolph there at all this spring. We’re playing him on the offensive line, giving him every opportunity to be a starter. I’m not disappointed at all in the guys that we have. We just need more guys at that position.”

The early practices for the season are a great chance for Alabama to get a good handle on their personnel before the season begins, and Saban appears to be using the chance to find a more stable role for Randolph in his offense. Randolph has made 13 starts at tight end for the Crimson Tide, four of them coming in the 2021 season. His skill and experience are a great addition to Alabama, having joined the team in 2017 before being redshirted as a freshman. Randolph first saw playing time in 2019, and has become a key part of the Alabama offense.