Report: Jalen Milroe to start for Alabama at QB
Nick Saban will start Jalen Milroe as Alabama’s starting quarterback in Week 1, according to ESPN‘s Chris Low.
The decision came ahead of the September 2 season opener against Middle Tennessee. Milroe, for now, will officially replace former Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young, who was drafted with the No. 1 overall pick by the Carolina Panthers in April.
Although he didn’t name the starter by name, Saban said on his coach’s show on Thursday night that he had informed the quarterbacks of his decision on who would start, but also said that he hopes to play multiple quarterbacks in the opener vs. MTSU.
“All three guys have made significant improvement,” Saban told Eli Gold on Hey Coach and The Nick Saban Show on Thursday night. “Would like to play more than one guy in the game. So I’ve told guy that’s going to start the game that we want you to play well enough so that we have an opportunity to play other guys at the position because that’s important to us.
“But whoever starts the game, it’s not their job in perpetuity because they have to perform well. And because they don’t have a lot of experience, I think we’re all interested in seeing how they all perform.”
While there are no more questions regarding the Alabama quarterback in Week One, Saban was quick to say that performance will dictate holding the position, just as it is with any quarterback at any level of football.
“I do think one thing — and I know everybody’s going to be interested in this whole quarterback situation — is the quarterback who plays on Saturday, that’s the quarterback for Saturday,” Saban said. “The life of a quarterback, any quarterback, depends on how they perform.
“If a guy plays well, that’s what creates security at that position, and if you don’t play well — because the first thing everybody does when you have success, the quarterback gets a lot of credit. But also, when things don’t go well, the first guy they point at is the quarterback. So a guy’s got to understand that the way he performs is really, really important.”
More on Alabama quarterback battle
Alabama had one of the most intriguing quarterback battles throughout college football with three guys vying for the position.
Going into the summer, many wondered who would come out on top: Jalen Milroe, Ty Simpson or Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner.
Buchner was the wild card of the group since he came in later and followed offensive coordinator Tommy Rees.
In 13 total games at Notre Dame, Buchner finished with 949 yards, six touchdowns and eight interceptions. He completed just 56.8% of his passes but saw his production dip in 2022 due to injury, limiting him to three games.
As a member of the Class of 2021, Buchner was a four-star recruit out of La Jolla (Calif.) Helix, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 8 overall prospect in the state, the No. 14 quarterback in the class and the No. 94 overall prospect in the class.
Milroe was a little more familiar with Alabama to this point. He was the primary backup to Young last season.
In appearances over the last two years, Milroe showed off his dual-threat ability. He has 338 yards, six touchdowns, three interceptions, a 56.7% completion percentage, 320 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown.
Simpson played much less than Milroe last season. He completed just four-of-five passes for 35 yards last year, but came in with a lot of recruiting hype.
As a member of the Class of 2022, Simpson was a five-star recruit out of Martin (Tenn.) Westview, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 2 overall prospect in the state, the No. 2 quarterback in the class and the No. 25 overall prospect in the class.
Saban spoke about the Alabama quarterback during SEC Media Days, saying everyone in the race had to be ready.
“We need all of our quarterbacks to develop for our team. I don’t think anyone has separated themselves to this point, even though I’ve seen improvement in each and every guy in terms of what they’re doing and how they’re developing,” Saban said. “But we need that on our team. We don’t just need a starter, we need a backup, we need good players [throughout the depth chart] at that position.”