Alabama football tight end Cameron Latu out at start of preseason practices
Alabama football tight end Cameron Latu is going to miss an undetermined amount of time of preseason practices, Nick Saban said after the first day or practices.
Saban chose not specify what the particular injury was when asked.
"Cam is going to miss some time in camp," Saban said. "I don't know exactly how long."
Meanwhile, Alabama receiver Ja'Corey Brooks and center Darrian Dalcourt are practicing after they missed the spring with injuries.
Latu is expected to be Alabama's starter again at the position after he was the most productive tight end in 2021. He caught 26 passes for 410 yards and eight touchdowns in his redshirt junior season.
Those eight touchdowns were a program record for a tight end. Irv Smith Jr. previously held the record at the position with seven.
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Behind Latu, Alabama doesn't have much proven talent. So, Saban said he is looking at Latu's absence as a chance for young tight ends to benefit from the increased reps they will get in preseason practices.
"That's a position we definitely need to develop some depth at," Saban said. "This will give us a good opportunity to do that."
Jahleel Billingsley was the other primary player to see time at tight end, but he transferred to Texas in the offseason. He caught 17 passes for 256 yards and three touchdowns in 2021.
Another returner alongside Latu is Robbie Ouzts, who caught one pass for eight yards during his freshman season.
Otherwise, the position will be filled by new players Alabama has added this offseason such as four-star freshmen Elijah Brown and Amari Niblack, three-star freshman Danny Lewis and junior college transfer Miles Kitselman.
Alabama will be participating in preseason practices that are not open to the media or the public through the rest of the month until the first game against Utah State on Sept. 3 at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Nick Kelly covers Alabama football and men's basketball for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at nkelly@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter: @_NickKelly
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama football tight end Cameron Latu out to start preseason practices
