Paul Finebaum explains why he expects Jalen Milroe to be Alabama's starting quarterback vs. Texas
The start of the 2023 is almost upon us and with it the need to make some firm decisions. Nick Saban will have one that will draw some scrutiny, still needing to name Alabama‘s starting quarterback.
ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum believes Jalen Milroe will earn the honors, not just for the season opener but for a pivotal Week 2 game against Texas.
“I suspect it’s still going to be Milroe and I think the key is what happens,” Finebaum said on the Andy Staples On3 show. “Because I don’t think Saban wants to go through this whole ordeal and have Milroe start throughout the spring and really, essentially win the job, and then yank him before a big game.”
Milroe was the quarterback who stepped in during the 2022 campaign when veteran starter Bryce Young suffered a shoulder injury midway through.
He fared fine, helping lead the team to a come-from-behind win against Arkansas in relief of Young before helping do just enough to eke out a 24-20 win over Texas A&M the following week.
On the season, Milroe finished with 297 yards passing and five touchdowns against three interceptions. He also ran for 263 yards and a score.
Finebaum thinks the Alabama starting quarterback job is Milroe’s unless he underperforms quite badly against MTSU.
“I think it would be easier to pull him if he’s not playing well,” Finebaum said. “Lately, now, I say lately, Buchner, Tyler Buchner has been the backup. But two weeks ago it was reverse with Ty Simpson. So I think he’s really going to use this game, and now everything I’ve said will happen unless Milroe plays so badly against Middle Tennessee and one of the other two come in. But I think that’s his tentative plan.”
There’s another reason that Milroe is likely to earn the Alabama starting quarterback role, according to Finebaum.
“It goes even deeper, Andy, Milroe is popular on that team and I think Saban is concerned about that as well,” Finebaum said. “He does not want to upset the chemistry unless he absolutely has to. And he very well may have to.”
But just how big a deal is team chemistry? Does it matter in the bigger picture when it comes to the quarterback battle?
“I think it does, and while I didn’t buy Saban’s line on Monday, I think he’s just trying to keep the noise level down,” Finebaum said. “He could have done it in a different way. He could have gone down that list and had either/or 15 times and then we would have said: “Evil genius.” But by refusing to give the depth chart it just seemed petty. The fans don’t care. I live with an Alabama fan, I can assure you of that.”
We’ll find out who Alabama starts on Sept. 2 when the season kicks off against MTSU.