After losing Bryce Young to the NFL, Alabama and coach Nick Saban enter the 2023 season with the unenviable task of finding the star quarterback’s replacement.
For Saban, the start of Alabama’s preseason camp on Thursday also meant the genesis of weeks of questioning regarding who’ll fill the void left by Young, who was drafted first overall by the Panthers in April.
As expected, Saban, ahead of his 17th season in Tuscaloosa, addressed the QB1 competition early in his first media session of the new campaign. However, rather than dive into any specifics, Saban chose to make one thing clear: the Tide are in no rush to name a starter.
“Look, you’re going to ask me about the quarterbacks every day, and every day I’m gonna tell you the same thing,” Saban told reporters Thursday. “You know, everybody’s getting reps at the position. Somebody’s gotta take the bull by the horns. Somebody’s gotta separate themselves. When that happens, we’ll tell you, we’ll be glad to tell you.
“When we’re going to take the cake out of the oven, we will tell you when it’s the time, all right? But until then, there’s really nothing to talk about, there’s nothing to say.”
Saban’s stern response on where things stand in the team’s search for a new leader under center underscores what could be a compelling competition with camp underway.
Currently, redshirt sophomore Jalen Milroe, redshirt freshman Ty Simpson and Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner are expected to compete for a starting spot. Of the three, Milroe, Young’s primary backup, boasts the most experience; in 2022, he appeared in eight games with one start, and recorded 297 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions (31-of-53) with 263 rushing yards and one score.
While Saban is certainly no stranger to reloading and re-tooling in the offseason, it’ll be interesting to see who earns the legendary coach’s stamp of approval come the season opener. But until then, Saban is prepared to evaluate his options for as long as it takes.
“We want all the guys when they’re in there, you play the position like it’s yours, like it belongs to you,” Saban said. “You’re out there competing, you’re not looking over your shoulder, you’re not worrying about what somebody else does. You’re playing like you’re the man. And that’s what we want each guy to do and see who can do that with the most consistency. So, it’s important, you got to be process-oriented, you can’t be outcome-oriented right now.”
Alabama, the No. 5-ranked team in the nation last season, opens the year with back-to-back home games, first against Middle Tennessee State on Sept. 2 followed by Texas on Sept. 9.
"Somebody's got to take the bull by the horns. Somebody's got to separate themselves. When that happens, we'll tell you." - Nick Saban delivering a pre-emptive strike before he could be asked about Alabama's quarterback competition following the Crimson Tide's first practice of… pic.twitter.com/30ai1Pfw0e
— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) August 4, 2023
