What Both Sides of the Ball Have Seen from Alabama QB Competition

As the Crimson Tide prepares for its first fall scrimmage, defensive back Terrion Arnold and wide receiver Jermaine Burton talk about the quarterback battle.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Fall camp is the time of year for everyone to work on getting better. It's a constant theme from Alabama head coach Nick Saban. 

This happens at individual positions, within a position group and across the whole team. According to defensive back Terrion Arnold, the defense pushes the offense to improve and vice versa throughout fall practice. 

"When we say iron sharpens iron, we're really talking about like the whole team competing and gelling together," Arnold said Thursday. 

In the defensive backfield, Arnold gets to go against Alabama's talented quarterbacks and wide receivers every day in practice. While the outside world anxiously awaits who will win the starting quarterback job, the defensive players get to see the competition up close each day. 

"I’ve seen a lot of great things," Arnold said. "There’s a lot of great guys and a lot of competition. I would say as far as quarterback-wise, I’ve seen leadership out of all the guys. The receivers have a tenacity and ferociousness as far as just wanting to be better and wanting to uphold the standard.”

One of those receivers is senior Jermaine Burton. Now in his second year in the program after transferring in from Georgia, Burton isn't focused on individual statistics, but instead what it will take to get Alabama back to winning a national title. 

And a big part of that will depend on who becomes the starting quarterback and how they compete at that position. 

"When whichever quarterback is in, it’s our job as a receiver and as a quarterback to go 100 percent, execute that specific play," Burton said about having to work with multiple quarterbacks at practice. 

The receiver was asked how chemistry is developing with the quarterbacks as Jalen Milroe, Ty Simpson and Tyler Buchner all split first-team reps at practice. 

"I’ve seen them all working," Burton said. "There’s definitely a different drive in that room. I love the way they’re working. I love the way they’re all trying to communicate. We’re just all leaving it up to them to come up with that chemistry and just waiting on that right amount of time for it to click.”

While not open to the public or media, this Saturday will be a big first test in how far along the chemistry has come between the two groups and the whole team as the Crimson Tide will have the first scrimmage of the fall at Bryant-Denny Stadium. 

See also:

Former Alabama WR DeVonta Smith Skips Eagles Practice to Attend Henry Ruggs III's Sentencing Hearing

What Nick Saban Said After Wednesday's First Practice in Full Pads of Fall Camp

Why Tommy Rees Wanted QB Tyler Buchner at Alabama