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Alabama Football: 5 potential breakout candidates for spring 2019

By John Mitchell

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA - NOVEMBER 03: Brian Robinson Jr. #24 and Kyriq McDonald #26 of the Alabama Crimson Tide take the field prior to their game against the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium on November 03, 2018 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA - NOVEMBER 03: Brian Robinson Jr. #24 and Kyriq McDonald #26 of the Alabama Crimson Tide take the field prior to their game against the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium on November 03, 2018 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

5. Major Tennison (TE/Redshirt Sophomore)

With Irv Smith Jr. foregoing his senior season to enter the NFL Draft, Alabama is left a little bit thin at the tight end position. With incoming freshman Jahleel Billingsley not coming in until the summer, Alabama might have to get creative with the tight end position during the spring just to have enough bodies.

There’s been talks already about redshirt freshman edge rusher Cameron Latu potentially spending part of the spring working with the tight ends. I don’t think that would be a full-time move as Latu is too talented of a player off the edge to switch positions, but Alabama has a lot of depth at his position at the moment, so they could experiment with Latu elsewhere.

Redshirt junior Miller Forristall is really the only tight end with game experience; he’s a former starter who was passed by Smith last season while he recovered from an ACL injury. He figures to be the top option, but it’s open for another player to see significant playing time, particularly with the ongoing uncertainty surrounding Kedrick James’ status for next season after he was suspended for violating team rules ahead of last season’s Orange Bowl.

Redshirt sophomore Major Tennison figures to be the next man up to see increased playing time. He saw some action as a true freshman in 2017 after Forristall’s injury, and played in four games last season as a reserve. He was held out of more action so as to preserve a redshirt season.

Tennison is a former four-star recruit out of Bullard, Texas. At 6-foot-5 and 244 pounds, Tennison is the big-bodied tight end who could step into the role vacated by departing senior Hale Hentges as the blocking tight end. He’s talented enough as a pass-catcher too to occasionally slip out and make some catches.

Redshirt freshman Michael Parker will push Tennison for playing time as well, and Billingsley figures to have a shot once he gets here in the summer, but he’s a bit slight at the moment to see much action as a true freshman.

A starting role is up for grabs at tight end this spring, and Tennison figures to be the favorite to step up and grab it.

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