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Alabama Football: Who Will Lead The Crimson Tide In 2015?

By Grant Gunderson

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Last season, all of college football and watched the impossible become possible in Tuscaloosa. I thought for sure, there was no way Blake Sims would lead this Alabama football team… But I was wrong.

Now, I’m not saying that Sims was Joe Namath or AJ McCarron because he absolutely wasn’t. But he stepped up to the plate and performed a hell of a lot better than I ever thought he would. Sure, he had a great supporting cast and at times made costly mistakes, but he did what he had to do to get the job done. More than that, he beat Jacob Coker for the starting quarterback job.

To my surprise, I expected Coker to give us a run for his money and the exact opposite happened.

Thankfully, the coaching staff never lost faith in Sims’ ability. For that, he awarded them with an SEC championship. This alone is enough to make me believe that Coker won’t be leading the Crimson Tide in 2015.

When you look at the fact that Sims is struggling to find a roster spot in Canada, there isn’t much of a bright light at the end of the tunnel for Coker. Not to mention various reports on his lack of speed and accuracy.

With Coker out of the picture, the question still remains… Who will lead the Crimson Tide in 2015?

Elite 11 selection and former early enrollee David Cornwell is my pick, but I’m not the only one.

The day that I heard Cornwell had committed to Alabama, I found myself to be both eerie and excited. I was glad Saban had finally found a big-bodied field general, but I was nervous because of how his senior season ended. During his senior season at Norman North (Okla.) High School, Cornwell tore his ACL and it wasn’t until media day at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans that everyone learned his ankle had been impacted too. Now, with the starting quarterback spot wide open, Cornwell has an opportunity to lead Saban’s Army. Never once throughout his recovery did he think about leaving the program despite all the quarterbacks on the roster. Instead, he chose to trust in ‘The Process.’

"“I’m going to stick it out here, no matter what. Finish my years, get my degree. I’ve bought into the Process. The Process doesn’t happen right away. Just as a redshirt this year, there’s so much farther to go and so much more growth and development.” – David Cornwell at the Sugar Bowl Media Day in New Orleans"

In fact, Cornwell bought into ‘The Process from the moment he committed to Alabama. ‘The Process’ is what made him commit as former offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier explain the importance of buying into ‘The Process.’

"“When Coach Nussmeier recruited me, he said ‘David, I’m not going to be there all of your years, I’m not going to lie to you. And they’re going to bring in someone better than me. And they’re going to bring in someone better than him after that. Just have faith in that Coach Saban isn’t leaving so the offense will stay somewhat the same. And trust the process. The process is a big thing here. Once you buy into that, the opportunities are endless.” – David Cornwell"

I have nothing against ‘game managers’ like Sims and Greg McElroy. But I’ll be the first to admit, I’m excited that there’s a real possibility of having a traditional, pocket-passing quarterback at the helm of the Crimson Tide. Sure, we have other quarterbacks on the roster but I don’t think any of them have the capability to unseat Cornwell as the starter. At this point, I’m actually a bit surprised the junior quarterback Alec Morris hasn’t tried to transfer, especially since he has punted just as much if not more than he has thrown passes. Morris definitely won’t see any more reps at punter as J.K. Scott has become an absolute sensation. Cooper Bateman is more of a dual-threat who I don’t see fitting into Alabama’s offense as well as Cornwell, at least not at quarterback. Whether or not Saban has a different role in mind for Bateman… That remains to be entirely determined.

Blake Barnett has earned a lot of (well-deserved) accolades in high school. This however, is the Southeastern Conference of college football. Not to say that it can’t happen… But I don’t think a true freshman is ready to handle all that comes with being a starting quarterback.

At the end of the day, you can say what you want… but I believe David Cornwell leads the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2015.

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