Alabama Football: New QB, plus 2018 roles for Jalen and Tua
By Ronald Evans
Alabama football has a new QB for 2018. Graduate transfer Gardner Minshew is expected to join the team this summer. What is Saban’s plan for Minshew, Jalen, Tua and Mac Jones?
Though not yet official it is almost certain former ECU starting QB, Gardner Minshaw will join Alabama football this summer. Minshew left ECU to return to Mississippi for family reasons. He plans to be in Tuscaloosa often during the spring, learning the system before joining the team in June.
Minshew was not a full season starter for ECU last year but he put up some pretty good numbers. He passed for 2,140 yards and 16 touchdowns while starting five games. He has a redshirt season left giving him two seasons to play one for the Tide. Minshew also led Northwest Mississippi Community College to a 2015 national title.
Many Alabama football fans wonder why any competent QB would join the Tide with little apparent opportunity for playing time. Minshew has said being closer to home was a major reason for leaving ECU. He also would like to coach after college so the transfer could open doors to a Graduate Assistant position for Saban after his eligibility expires.
The Minshew news triggered another wave of Jalen Hurts rumors among Alabama football fans. Most of the rumors are of Jalen transferring after Spring Practice or even later in the summer. Others speculate he will move to running back or wide receiver or H-back or safety. A better question is not what will Jalen do but what will Saban do with a full roster of QB’s.
What will Jalen do?
Jalen moving to another position seems somewhere in the range of unlikely to laughable. Even if his athletic ability indicates he could fill other roles, there is no guarantee he has the skill set to make a position move. In addition, he could move and still not get significant playing time. There is no way he leapfrogs the Harris duo or Jacobs or Robinson at running back. There are probably five or more wide receivers Jalen would not beat out.
He could certainly decide to transfer but not before fighting for the job. He is too much of a competitor to just walk away and he must believe he can earn the starting job again next fall.
What will Saban do?
Many Alabama football fans say Saban will never run a two-QB system. It is true that doing so would deviate from Saban’s career pattern. If forced to make a guess, we believe that is exactly what Nick will do – play two QB’s for most if not all of the 2018 season.
One reason is Saban knows he has two exceptional young men. He knows they are willing to at least somewhat put team goals above individual goals. There is not a game in the regular season when the Tide will not be favored. Nothing can be taken for granted but Alabama football can win all the September and October games using two QB’S.
The unknown we cannot predict is how the Hurts and Tagovailoa families will respond if their son is not the clear No. 1 QB. Plus, playing two guys can become a threat to team chemistry. The bottom line is Alabama football fans need to relax. If Nick Saban and his offensive staff can lead Jalen and Tua to embrace a two QB system, it could work fine in 2018.
Next: 'Never too early' 2018 Defense Depth Chart
Speaking of transfers, the prospects of two top QB’s being signed in the 2019 class will probably lead to a transfer. It is hard to see Mac Jones staying with the Tide if the 2019 roster has five QB’s. Then again, Jones might do so well as the Tide’s 3rd QB in 2018 that he believes he can beat out incoming freshmen in 2019.