Nick Saban: Week 1 is "Just the Beginning" of QB Battle

Nick Saban once again addressed the ongoing quarterback battle at Wednesday's media availability.

Blake Byler | Aug 23, 2023

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Alabama Crimson Tide

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama fans are still anxiously awaiting the answer to one of the biggest questions in the sport of college football, who will start at quarterback on September 2?

But when head coach Nick Saban addressed the media after practice on Wednesday, he pointed out the reality that the Crimson Tide's battle for starting signal caller will not end with the first snap against Middle Tennessee State.

"It's sort of taking shape to some degree, but somebody's got to do it," Saban said. "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. And the guy that doesn't play got every opportunity to practice and be more consistent and win the team over so that when he gets an opportunity to play, he plays really well."

It's been a while since Alabama had a true quarterback battle, since 2018 to be exact. That season, the battle was between Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa, one which Tagovailoa ultimately won in the first week of the season and never looked back.

It isn't unheard of for an Alabama quarterback battle to stretch into multiple weeks of the season, like Saban alluded to.

You have to go all the way back to 2015, when the Crimson Tide's quarterback competition was between Jake Coker and Cooper Bateman. Coker won the job in Week 1, and started against both Wisconsin and Middle Tennessee State to open the season, but in Week 3 against Ole Miss, Bateman was given the start.

Alabama fans remember the infamous Ole Miss game in 2015 as an unfortunate early-season loss, but it was actually the game that defined Coker as the unquestioned leader of the team, a team that went on to win a national championship, as he led a valiant comeback against the Rebels that fell just short.

What did Coker do that game? He took the bull by the horns. He forced Saban to play him.

All the things that Saban has said he's been looking for one of this year's quarterbacks to do.

"I told the quarterbacks, I said 'Quit looking around for me to make a decision about who's gonna play. How about you playing good enough that I don't have a choice? That's what you can control. That's what you can do.' And somebody needs to do that."

You know the names by now. Jalen Milroe, last year's fill-in for injured Bryce Young and the fastest player on the Alabama team. Ty Simpson, former 5-star recruit. Tyler Buchner, Notre Dame transfer. Dylan Lonergan and Eli Holstein, new freshmen.

We've made it through spring practice, summer workouts, fall camp, and now approaching game preparation, and none have separated themselves from the pack yet.

One of these five players is going to emerge, but Saban knows and understands that it may not happen by, or even on September 2.

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