Who will be the starting quarterback for Alabama in 2023?
That remains an open-ended question after Saturday's spring game. Four Crimson Tide quarterbacks combined for a 50 percent completion percentage, and the battle between redshirt sophomore Jalen Milroe and redshirt freshman Ty Simpson didn't provide a definitive answer.
Milroe finished 19 of 37 for 245 yards, two TDs and two interruptions. Simpson finished 12 of 26 for 155 yards and an interception. Alabama coach Nick Saban gave a matter-of-fact evaluation after the game.
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"I think we have guys that can make plays, and as a quarterback it's not only just the plays that you can make — and I like both guys' athleticism to be able to extend plays and get out of trouble and make plays with their feet, which they did a couple times today," Saban said via 247Sports.com. "But at the same time, I think we've gotta work on going through progressions and develop confidence in the passing game so that we can distribute the ball to other people who can make plays more effectively and more efficiently."
So, what's next? Saban will have some tough evaluations to make in the short and long term. Alabama could entertain bringing on a quarterback in the transfer portal, which is open until April 30. If that doesn't happen, then the best right now is Milroe for the opener against Middle Tennessee State on Sept. 2.
It's going to be a very interesting week in Tuscaloosa.
This is the tough part considering the long-term outlook for Saban and new Alabama offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, who was hired from Notre Dame this offseason. There has to be an understanding that this offense might look like the one Alabama had with first-round picks Tua Tagovailoa, Mac Jones and Bryce Young over the past five seasons. Yet the understanding also has to be that Alabama has watched SEC rival Georgia win the past two national championships and the Bulldogs are replacing their quarterback, too.
Given the talent on the roster, Alabama isn't going to make excuses.
With Milroe, Alabama could have an offense that looks like 2016, which was Jalen Hurts' freshman season. Hurts passed for 2,780 yards, 23 TDs and nine interceptions that season, but he also had 954 rushing yards and 13 TDs.
Milroe has that dynamic talent in the rushing game, which he displayed with a 36-yard TD run in the spring game. The running back committee also is similar, with five-star freshman Justice Haynes, who scored three TDs in the spring game, having the potential to be a breakout star in 2023.
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Yet Saban's words are true. It comes to whether Milroe — or Simpson — emerges as the quarterback who can push the football down the field in the vertical passing game. Milroe made a few of those throws Saturday. He hit Kendrick Law for gains of 26 and 37 yards, respectively, and he also threw a fade to Emmanuel Henderson for a 36-yard touchdown. Alabama does have a deep group of receivers that also includes Jermaine Burton and Ja'Corey Brooks. Rees also loves to use the tight ends in the offense, and Crimson Tide tight ends had targets in the spring game.
Milroe needs to be more consistent, even against an almost-unfair standard. He has a 56.7 percent completion percentage in limited action the past two seasons. Hurts was at 62.9 percent over two seasons with Alabama. Tagovailoa (69.3 percent), Jones (74.3 percent) and Young (65.8 percent) set a ridiculous standard in that department — one that Saban is not going to find in the transfer portal. Milroe also threw two interceptions — including one out of the end zone late in the half — and took seven sacks, though that stat is flimsy given his ability to escape the pocket.
Yet there is a reason why Milroe stayed in the game for the final few possessions at a point when Saban and Rees could have given freshmen Eli Holstein and Dylan Lonergan a longer look. Perhaps Simpson or one of those freshman surprises and wins the starting job, but the more likely scenario is that Milroe wins the job — at least for this year. Four-star freshman Julian Sayin is next in line with the 2024 recruiting class.
Is that good enough to get Alabama back in the College Football Playoff? Georgia and Ohio State — the schools in the Crimson Tide's talent zip code — also are breaking in new quarterbacks, which at this point looks like Carson Beck and Kyle McCord. LSU and Tennessee — teams that beat Alabama last season — likely will have Jayden Daniels and Joe Milton. While the Alabama quarterback question is not resolved, it's not like Milroe or Simpson cannot get the Crimson Tide back on that stage. Remember, Jacob Coker won a national championship in 2015. Then again, Coker was a transfer quarterback, but he also had two years in the program.
Is Alabama good enough to compete? Of course. There still is an absurd collection of blue-chip and future NFL Draft talent on the roster. Are they good enough to win a national title with the quarterbacks on the roster?
Like we said, it's going to be a very interesting week in Tuscaloosa.