Following the Alabama Crimson Tide’s lifeless offensive showing in Saturday’s narrow win over the South Florida Bulls, it was largely expected that Nick Saban would turn the quarterback keys back over to Jalen Milroe.
Sure enough, that’s exactly what Saban’s doing.
He announced that Milroe had “earned the opportunity to be the quarterback” moving forward, indicating that Milroe would take the helm when Alabama begins its SEC play against Ole Miss at home this coming Saturday.
Saban’s decision to anoint Milroe as the starting quarterback came after the redshirt sophomore’s absence in the game against USF this past weekend.
Although Milroe had started the first two games of the season, he was relegated to the bench for the USF matchup as Saban preferred to play and evaluate Tyler Buchner (and Ty Simpson).
After both failed to impress, Saban decided that it’s Milroe who gives the Tide the best chance to win going forward.
Nick Saban indicates Jalen Milroe will be Alabama's starting QB moving forward pic.twitter.com/ONLUqfRJl6
— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) September 18, 2023
Saban also made it clear that he was impressed by the unselfish leadership that Milroe displayed during the USF game.
“Jalen really showed the leadership I was looking for in terms of supporting his teammates,” Saban said.
During the 17-3 victory over USF, Milroe was seen actively encouraging his teammates as they came off the field, demonstrating his selfless dedication to the team.
Milroe’s season has been marked by highs and lows. In the season opener against Middle Tennessee, he completed 13 of 18 passes for 194 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions.
He also showcased his mobility by running for 48 yards and two touchdowns.
However, against the tough Texas Longhorns, Milroe struggled mightily with inconsistency. Despite throwing two long touchdown passes, he also threw two costly interceptions and was never able to get in rhythm against the bruising Longhorn defense.
In his absence against USF, Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner took the reins initially but struggled, completing only 5 of 14 pass attempts before being replaced by redshirt freshman Ty Simpson.
Simpson completed 5 of 9 passes for 73 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions, and ran for a 1-yard touchdown. Saban commented on Simpson’s performance, saying: “I thought he played well, managed the game well.”
In other words, it’s safe to assume the Tide will enter SEC play with their quarterback depth chart being: #1. Milroe, #2. Simpson, #3. Buchner.
What do you make of Alabama’s quarterback situation?
Even though he got the starting job back, it’s hard to have much confidence in the shaky and inconsistent Milroe.
Will the Tide’s quarterback problem prevent them from making the Playoff?