Entering SEC Media Days, Alabama football’s biggest question was who Nick Saban will start at quarterback for the 2023 season. Coming out of the Nashville event, nothing has changed.
The Crimson Tide’s head coach didn’t offer much update as to his quarterback plans for next season.
“We have three guys that are competing for that position right now,” Saban said. “All of those players are getting better... I don’t think anybody has actually separated themselves yet to this point and I don’t think that it’s something that we’re trying to rush.”
Saban compared the process of choosing a starter to the desserts of his childhood.
“You know Grandma Saban used to cook the best cakes in the world,” Saban said. “And I used to stand by the oven when I was a kid and say ‘When’s this cake going to be done?’ And she said ‘If I don’t let it go through and and take it out of the oven too soon, it’s going to turn to mush so it won’t be a really good cake. So I think we got to let this sort of develop and make sure we let the cake bake until somebody separates themselves.”
Saban’s options include Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner, who played for Rees in South Bend, along with returners Jalen Milroe and Ty Simpson. Milroe served as Young’s backup last season.
Milroe started against Texas A&M due to Young’s injury, his first time ever doing so. He threw for three touchdowns in that Alabama win.
He was a four-star prospect coming out of high school at Tompkins in Texas. Milroe will be a redshirt sophomore for the 2023 season.
Simpson remains a freshman after preserving his redshirt last season. He played in four games and completed four of his five pass attempts for 35 yards.
The Tennessee native was a five-star prospect according to 247Sports’ composite rankings.
Buchner is more of a known entity than the other two, but hasn’t been at Alabama. He was Notre Dame’s starter entering 2022 but missed 10 games due to injury.
He returned to face SEC competition in the Gator Bowl against South Carolina. In that game, he threw for 274 yards and three touchdowns to beat the Gamecocks.
He also rushed for another two scores and 61 yards. Buchner announced his transfer to Alabama, following Rees in April.
The Crimson Tide opens the season on Sept. 1 against Middle Tennessee State at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
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