With the departure of future first round pick and Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Bryce Young, all eyes have been on who will be the next Alabama quarterback this spring.
Nick Saban, as expected, still hasn’t revealed any clues as to who the starter will be, but he has been impressed with the play of both candidates. Wednesday Alabama’s spring practice Saban was asked about which quarterback had made the most improvement in the spring so far.
“I think both guys have made really good progress,” Saban said. “We’re not disappointed in anybody’s progress. I thought they both played well in the scrimmage. Both guys have had their moments in practice and they’ve also had learning opportunities when they’ve made mistakes. And both of them have responded very well and made improvement. I don’t have an evaluation other than that we’re coaching every one of the four quarterbacks that we have in the program every day try to help them develop to be the best players that they can be. We’re going to continue to do that and hopefully those guys will continue to have the right attitude about trying to play winning football at the position. And one of the things that sometimes you have to learn that you’ve got to eliminate the bad plays to play winning football.”
Alabama has a couple of four-star freshman quarterbacks, Eli Holstein and Dylan Lonergan, that have joined the program as early enrollees, but with Saban using the phrase "both guys" when talking about the quarterback progress, he is pointing at redshirt sophomore Jalen Milroe and redshirt freshman Ty Simpson leading the race.
Milroe is the most experienced of the four quarterbacks for Alabama with eight game appearances in 2022, as well as one start when Bryce Young was battling a shoulder injury. So far this spring, both Milroe and Simpson have shared reps with the first team and have performed well while protecting the football, something that Saban especially values at the quarterback position.
“So there’s some plays in the game that kill you,” Saban said. “So to be able to eliminate those things is as big a part of being able to execute all the good things. And that’s what helps you play winning football. You eliminate mistakes and you can execute and take advantage when the opportunity presents itself because you’re going to distribute the ball on every down. And we don’t ever want to turn it over.”
The Crimson Tide return to the practice field Friday, April 14 for their 11th practice of the spring, followed by the second scrimmage of the spring scheduled for Saturday, April 15.
The Alabama quarterbacks will look to continue to impress Saban and build momentum before the spring finale on April 22 in the annual A-Day game.
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