Alabama football lands CJ Dippre, Maryland tight end, from transfer portal
Nick Saban has his first transfer portal addition ahead of the 2023 season.
Alabama football received a commitment from CJ Dippre, a tight end from Maryland. He announced his decision Monday. He picked the Crimson Tide over Ohio State and others.
He's a 6-foot-5, 260-pound tight end from Scranton, Pennsylvania. Dippre is fresh off a sophomore season in which he took on a bigger role for the Terrapins. Dippre started in all 12 games and caught 30 passes for 314 yards with three touchdowns in 2022.
According to Pro Football Focus, he only had one drop on 38 targets. He also forced 10 missed tackles after receptions.
One of his touchdowns gave Maryland a 13-10 lead at halftime over Ohio State in November.
Dippre is a needed addition for a tight end group that was overall inexperienced in 2022 outside of Cameron Latu. But he won't be back next season. He accepted his Senior Bowl invite as he attempts to be selected in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Latu had similar numbers to Dippre this past season. Latu caught 25 passes for 323 yards and three touchdowns. Latu had a more productive 2021 season, though, catching eight touchdowns on 26 receptions.
Latu missed part of the preseason and two games of the season because of injuries, and that allowed some younger players to get more experience at tight end. Sophomore Robbie Ouzts was the primary backup, and then players such as junior college transfer Miles Kitselman and freshmen Amari Niblack and Danny Lewis Jr. also got playing time.
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This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: CJ Dippre: Alabama football, Nick Saban add Maryland TE transfer