Alabama names starting QB for season opener against Middle Tennessee: report

The Alabama Crimson Tide have their starting quarterback for the opener against Middle Tennessee. 

Nick Saban will roll with sophomore Jalen Milroe on Saturday, according to a report by ESPN. 

The quarterback position has been the main area of concern as Alabama prepared for the 2023 college football season. 

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With the departure of Bryce Young, the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner, Alabama no longer has a proven quarterback at the position. 

Milroe, who stepped in and started for an injured Young against Texas A&M last season, will get the first opportunity to show he is the right man for the job, according to the report.  

How long he will hold onto the starting job is another question. 

Leading up to Week 1, Saban made it clear that he is not afraid to give the other QBs a shot if one is struggling. 

“And where you all [media] think whoever we name as a starter the first game, that’s like the end of it. That’s not the end of it. It’s just the beginning. What if the guy doesn’t play good? He’s not entitled to keep playing,” Saban told reporters in August.

“And the guy that doesn’t play has every opportunity to practice and be more consistent and win the team over so that when he gets an opportunity to play, he plays really well. We have changed quarterbacks around here a few times during the season. I know you guys are looking for an end, but it’s not even going to be the end in the first game.”

Milroe has been competing with fellow sophomore Tyler Simpson and Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner for the starting job. 

Alabama’s first real test will come against the Texas Longhorns in Week 2 when Steve Sarkisian takes his team to Tuscaloosa. 

Texas nearly pulled off a massive upset over Alabama last season, losing 20-19 as Young led the Crimson Tide down the field with his legs and his arm late in the fourth quarter, getting kicker Will Reichard in range for the game-winning 33-yard field goal.