Amid the Alabama QB battle, Nick Saban opens up about his plan for the season opener against Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders
Nick Saban has been evasive about the identity of the starting quarterback for the Alabama Crimson Tide throughout fall camp and up to the season opener.
A few days before Alabama plays against Middle Tennessee, he continued that trend. The last time the Crimson Tide met the Blue Raiders was in 2015, when they beat them 37-10.
Saban was vocal about what he wanted from his quarterbacks for Sunday's season opener.
"That's why we're going to play the first game and see, you know. How guys play in the game, how they compete in the game, how they sustain it in the game, how they can finish in the fourth quarter," Saban said. "I think those are all things you find out about your team when you play games."
Saban is going into the season with one of his most inexperienced rosters, seeking to wrestle the national championship away from the Georgia Bulldogs.
His protege, coach Kirby Smart, has dominated the Southeastern Conference, helping Georgia win back-to-back national championships, beating Saban to win one of them.
Nick Saban and Alabama's QB battle
The starting quarterback role is the biggest question mark surrounding the Alabama Crimson Tide before the college football season kicks off against the Blue Raiders.
Jalen Milroe seems to be winning the battle to start the first game, but he has stiff competition from Ty Simpson.
Other options include new offensive coordinator Tommy Rees' favorite, Tyler Buchner, who followed him from Notre Dame via the transfer portal.
Nick Saban has kept the identity of the starting QB a secret long after most teams named theirs. Last week, he threw the question into even more uncertainty with these comments to the media:
"Where you all think that, like whoever we name as a starter the first game, that's like the end of it. That's not the end of it. It's just the beginning. What if a guy doesn't play good? He's not entitled to keep playing."
Nick Saban then namechecked freshman quarterback Dylan Lonergan as one of the most impressive fall camp performers.
"He’s done really well," Nick Saban said. "He shows great ability, great potential. I think that the thing that he needs is experience....he’s a talented guy and certainly a guy that we want to continue to try to develop. But he's done a nice job so far in camp."
The Alabama quarterback question will likely be a season-long debate, with the legendary Nick Saban pulling the strings trying to find Bryce Young's perfect replacement.