Nick Saban keeps Alabama starting QB battle alive despite naming Jalen Milroe as QB1: "The QB who plays on Saturday is the QB only for Saturday"
Alabama fans, the wait is finally over. After weeks of waiting, we finally know the starting QB for the Crimson Tide. Coach Nick Saban has been hesitant to name a starting QB throughout the training camp, but just a day before Alabama takes on Middle Tennessee in their season opener, Saban announced that Jalen Milroe will handle the reigns as the team's starter.
But even though we finally know the answer to the QB standoff in the Alabama locker room, it seems like the announcement by Saban isn't the complete picture of the Tide's QB problem. On Thursday, Nick Saban took to his radio show to provide his thought process ahead of deciding the team's week 1 starter.
“I do think one thing that everybody is sort of going to be interested in with this whole quarterback situation. The quarterback who plays on Saturday, um, that’s the quarterback for Saturday. And the life of a quarterback, any quarterback, depends on how they perform," Saban said on his show.
From his comments, Saban made it pretty clear - the keys to Alabama's offense are still dangling, and no one has grabbed them yet. Milroe was favored to be the starting QB for the team, given his experience playing behind Bryce Young during last season.
However, his performance in training camp so far doesn't seem to have convinced the Crimson Tide coaching staff, especially Saban. In essence, the starting spot for the team is still up for grabs. The three-headed QB duel between Jalen Milroe, redshirt freshman Ty Simpson, and Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner is still alive and thriving. As Saban said it best, somebody's got to take the bull by the horns.
Can Jalen Milroe cement his position as the Alabama starting QB?
It seems that the decision on who will be Alabama's QB will not be made anytime soon. Despite a full spring of practice and training camp in the fall, Saban and his coaching staff are still undecided.
Perhaps Alabama will only find its answer when the team steps out onto the field on Saturday against Middle Tennessee. While most betting odds have the Tide marked up as 39-point favorites, the game will still be great testing grounds for Saban and new offensive coordinator Tommy Rees to get a look at their QB room.
The matchup against the Blue Raiders will also help the team get a good look at Jalen Milroe and his QB prowess ahead of their crucial week 2 matchup against the Longhorns. A great outing from Milroe could very well solidify his starting spot against Steve Sarkisian's wily squad.
The matchup against the Longhorns will also provide a great duel with a QB room featuring Quinn Ewers, Arch Manning and Maalik Murphy squaring off against Milroe, Simpson and Buchner. A standout performance from Alabama's QBs could very well help Saban make up his mind about the team's trajectory.
But we're getting a little ahead of ourselves. Alabama takes on the Blue Raiders at Bryant-Denny Stadium at 7:30 p.m. ET tomorrow.