The Tide kicked off Spring practice this past week, and already we’re seeing some interesting battles for starting jobs. The Quarterback race is WIDE open and perhaps the fan favorite isn’t even on campus yet. BOTH Cornerback jobs are looking for a permanent tenant after the revolving door we saw in 2013. And the ever crucial Left Tackle position needs a new face after the departing of Cyrus Kouandjio. Today, we’ll take a look at the big one. The QB battle.
Quarterback
The candidates this Spring are:
Blake Sims, 6’0″ 208, RS Senior
Alec Morris, 6’3″ 230, RS Sophomore
Cooper Bateman, 6’3″ 215, RS Freshman
Parker McLeod, 6’3″ 200, RS Freshman
David Cornwell, 6’5″ 234, Freshman
Blake Sims was the backup for the last two seasons behind AJ McCarron. He never really saw a lot of action, playing mainly in garbage time and his first priority was hand the ball off. He did get some zone read looks as he brings a different dimension to the position, but some question his arm. While he doesn’t have a good arm, he can spin it better than he gets credit for. However, he clearly is not a pass first guy. Sims has looked uncomfortable when throwing in the past, but don’t let that seal the deal for him. It is a new day and he’s taking the first reps. If he finds his confidence he can win this thing. He’s stuck with Bama through thick and thin, no matter what position he was asked to play, he simply showed up to play ball. If he doesn’t walk away as the starter, I think it is safe to say he’ll still see some snaps in a Wildcat role, and he’ll probably get some opportunities to throw out of it.
Morris is a big armed kid. He’s got the size, and no one can doubt that he can spin it. As a RS Freshman he only saw action on a couple of snaps and didn’t do much. With no true game experience, it’s going to be tough for Alec to win this thing. That said, he has the ability. The arm is there. I do have questions about his touch, but ultimately he may have the best arm on campus right now. He made some mental errors at A-Day last year, but everyone has a bad day. No one should be shocked if Alec Morris starts vs West Virginia, and as of right now I believe he’s going to be making that start.
Bateman has a good arm, and he’s added some good muscle since last season. He’s here to compete and his time with OC Lane Kiffin will be huge. He has never taken snaps in a college game, so we don’t know how he’ll respond. One thing we do know is that despite a poor team around him, he showed his talent in High School. He’s got some mobility to him, but right now he may not be far enough along to win this race. Can he? Definitely, the talent is there and he seems to be a guy who is willing to compete and that goes a LONG way with Nick Saban.
McLeod never got a chance to sling it around in High School. He had a stud back to hand the ball to in fellow Tide player Tyren Jones. But he was brought in for a reason. The argument can be made that he isn’t as talented as the other options, but why should Parker care? He’s not going to sling the way some of the bigger guys can, but if he applies himself in the film room and throws an accurate ball, you can’t count him out of this race and you’d be a fool if you did.
David Cornwell is an interesting player. He has all of the physical traits you want in a QB. He’s 6’5″ 234lbs. He has a huge arm and he’s mobile. The problem with Cornwell is he’s still raw. He didn’t play a lot of High School ball for various reasons, but it isn’t crazy to say he has the most upside of any QB on the roster. Saban has never played a True Freshman QB in his tenure at Alabama, and with Cornwell coming off of an injury and being raw, he’ll likely redshirt and stick to the hip of Kiffin.
So while we have five good candidates at this point, and Jacob Coker arriving in May, the race is wide open and anyone can win it. The scrimmages will be big, but leadership and drive will be key as well. Ultimately it is important to remember that through Spring ball a lot of things can change, but there will still be 4+ months to go after A-Day for any one guy to pull ahead.
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