Alabama tight end Cameron Latu caught two passes for 19 yards against Florida on Saturday, and according to him, he’s just happy to be in a position to contribute in Bill O’Brien’s offense.
“It’s been great,” Latu said of his start to the season. “I know these last few years transitioning to tight end from outside linebacker has been a journey, and finally being out there and contributing to help the team has been a blast. I just know I’ve been working hard for it.”
Through the first quarter of the season, Latu has caught a total of five passes for 62 yards, finding the end zone twice. He’s proven to be an efficient option in the red zone.
Latu, now in his fourth season with the Tide, third at tight end, had to wait his turn behind guys like Miller Forristall at the tight end position. He gave an idea on how he managed to keep a level head sitting behind other tight ends on the depth chart.
“The best advice was just to keep my head down and work,” Latu said. “Nothing else matters besides your development as a player and to help the team grow. Put the team first and everything else will just fall in place. Be consistent, as well.”
The tight ends for the Crimson Tide, as a cohesive unit, haven’t been the most targeted group on the field. Bryce Young doesn’t seem, as of yet, too willing to throw to tight ends on a consistent basis. Jahleel Billingsley was finally able to score after catching a touchdown pass from Young on Saturday against Florida He had issues off-the-field to straighten up before being able to contribute in a meaningful way.
Latu made a candid statement regarding Billingsley during his Q&A.
“One thing I expect from him is to make a lot more plays,” Latu said. “He’s a very useful weapon for our offense, and I love playing beside him, and he’s going to help our team a lot.”
When asked about the Southern Miss defense, Latu gave an assessment.
“Watching them, they have a lot of movement up front,” Latu said. “They’re a good run defense, so we just have to adjust to sticking to our fundamentals and our technique and our rules just to keep our eyes open for how they move a lot up front. So just adjust to that.”
Alabama is a heavy favorite going into the game against the Golden Eagles this Saturday. The Crimson Tide will look to polish up some fine details and attempt to establish a balanced gameplan.
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