TE Cameron Latu to Miss Time in Fall Camp

The redshirt senior brings back more receiving yards and touchdowns than any other player from the 2021 Crimson Tide roster.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — An already thin and untested position group will be stretched even further as Alabama football begins fall camp. 

Redshirt senior tight end Cameron Latu will miss time in fall camp with an undisclosed injury. After stating that he wouldn't be giving an injury report each day about who did and didn't practice unless asked about specific players, Alabama head coach Nick Saban shared that Alabama would be without Latu. 

"Cam is going to miss some time in camp," Saban said. "I don't know exactly how long."

Saban did not specify what the injury was. 

This was already a position group in the spring where Saban said Alabama would need to build depth, and now it becomes even more important without last season's leading tight end available for the beginning of fall camp. He now sees Latu's injury as an opportunity for younger guys to step up.

Outside of Latu, the only other tight end on Alabama's current roster who recorded a catch last season is true sophomore Robbie Ouzts. He had one catch for eight yards during his freshman campaign, but was used mostly as a blocking tight end. 

Latu had 26 catches for 410 yards yards and eight touchdowns a season ago after not recording a single catch since switching from linebacker to tight end. He was also Alabama's leading receiver in the national championship loss to Georgia with five catches for 102 yards and a touchdown. 

"I think we have three freshmen, young guys that have an opportunity to develop, so it'll give them a lot of reps and opportunities in camp," Saban said. "That's definitely a position that we need to develop some depth at, and this will give us an opportunity to do that."

Alabama's three freshmen tight ends are Amari Niblack, Elijah Brown and Danny Lewis Jr. The Crimson Tide also brought in community college transfer sophomore Miles Kitselman from the portal at the position.