How Alabama Football’s New Tight Ends Are Adjusting in 2025: New Faces, New Roles, Same Expectations
August 5, 2025 – Tuscaloosa, AL
With a new season on the horizon, Alabama football continues its reputation for evolving and adapting—this time with a tight end room undergoing a notable transformation. The 2025 Crimson Tide offense, already reshaped by second-year head coach Kalen DeBoer, is bringing in new talent at the tight end position and tasking it with contributing in a system that demands versatility, discipline, and toughness.
Replacing outgoing upperclassmen and NFL draftees, Alabama’s new tight ends are young, athletic, and eager, but adjusting to the SEC’s physicality and the program’s high standards is no small task. Whether it’s true freshmen, transfers, or returning players moving into bigger roles, this unit has become one of the more intriguing position groups to watch as fall camp gets underway.
A Room in Transition
Gone is CJ Dippre, the dependable transfer from Maryland who provided steady blocking and timely catches in 2023 and 2024. Also gone are depth pieces who helped solidify run-blocking packages and red-zone formations. The departures left a talent void but also an opportunity for new names to emerge.
To help restock the room, Alabama added multiple pieces:
- Caleb Odom, a 6’5” freshman from Georgia, was one of the top-rated tight ends in the 2025 recruiting class. Known for his fluid route-running and receiver-like hands, Odom has the tools to become a dynamic mismatch in the passing game.
- Tyler Johnson, a transfer from Boise State, brings a more traditional tight end build at 6’4”, 250 pounds, with a reputation for physical blocking and short-yardage reliability.
- Jaxson Leonard, a redshirt sophomore who spent two years buried on the depth chart, has quietly impressed coaches this offseason and is expected to play a rotational role.
Together, these players form a group that is young but highly coachable, learning a system that blends DeBoer’s West Coast offensive influences with SEC trench warfare.
“We’re asking our tight ends to be complete players,” said tight ends coach Nick Sheridan, who followed DeBoer from Washington. “They’ve got to block like linemen, run routes like receivers, and know protections and reads like quarterbacks. It’s a steep learning curve.”
Early Reports: Steady Progress
Through spring practice and the first week of fall camp, reports from inside the program suggest the new tight ends are making steady progress, particularly in learning the tempo and structure of DeBoer’s scheme.
Caleb Odom has been a standout in terms of raw athleticism. At 6’5” with a wingspan more common to NBA forwards, Odom is already drawing comparisons to former Alabama hybrid weapons like O.J. Howard and Irv Smith Jr. While he still needs to bulk up and refine his blocking technique, his ability to stretch the seam and win contested catches has wowed observers.
“He’s just a natural pass-catcher,” said quarterback Jalen Milroe. “He gives me a huge target, and he’s learning fast.”
Meanwhile, Tyler Johnson brings a stabilizing veteran presence. Although his experience comes from a Group of Five program, he’s quickly adapted to the speed and physicality of the SEC. Coaches have praised his toughness and willingness to do the dirty work—especially in two-tight-end sets designed to power the run game.
“Tyler is just solid,” Sheridan said. “He’s smart, physical, and understands the grind. He’s the kind of guy who won’t make headlines but makes your offense better.”
The DeBoer Effect
Under Kalen DeBoer, tight ends are expected to be more than just blockers or safety valves. At Washington, he used tight ends creatively in motion, play-action, and red-zone packages. That trend is continuing at Alabama, with the position being used in split sets, H-back formations, and flex alignments to create mismatches.
This offensive diversity places added pressure on the new tight ends to learn multiple roles quickly — especially in an offense loaded with weapons like Troy Franklin, Justice Haynes, and Malik Benson.
“Coach DeBoer puts a lot on us mentally,” said Odom. “But that’s what I came here for. I didn’t come to Alabama to be average.”
The Road Ahead
There’s no doubt Alabama’s tight ends are a work in progress, but the early signs are promising. With DeBoer favoring up-tempo plays and vertical passing concepts, the tight ends could be in for more touches and snaps than under previous regimes.
Depth remains a concern, as the group is thin in terms of proven SEC experience. Injuries or inconsistent play could test the unit’s resilience. But with talented freshmen and seasoned transfers working under a forward-thinking coaching staff, there’s optimism the tight ends will be ready by Week 1.
Alabama opens the season with a tough non-conference test against Florida State, and DeBoer has already hinted that multiple tight ends could play significant snaps in the opener.
“They’re going to be part of what we do,” DeBoer said. “Whether it’s run support, play-action, or third-down conversions, we’re counting on them.”
Final Thoughts
The transition period for Alabama’s tight ends won’t be without its challenges. But in true Crimson Tide fashion, the expectation isn’t to wait—it’s to produce. With coaching, talent, and opportunity aligned, the group has a chance to become a surprise strength on a team eyeing another College Football Playoff run.
They may be new, but they’re learning fast. And in Tuscaloosa, that’s the only direction that matters.
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