The reality for Alabama Football in the 2023 season is it will not have a quarterback with the special skills of Bryce Young. Given the run of Jalen Hurts, Tua Tagovailoa, Mac Jones and Bryce Young, Crimson Tide fans are conditioned to QBs as game-changers.
In the current Alabama Football quarterback room, there are potential game-changing quarterbacks. How good any of them can become is not known. Each one has at least, a solid package of skills. What they don’t have yet is enough experience, and for that Alabama fans will have to be patient.
When the Longhorns stampede into Tuscaloosa in September, Crimson Tide fans want a future Heisman contender at quarterback. But no such status is needed to beat Texas. Steve Sarkisian’s team is often predicted as the class of the Big 12 in 2023. There is little doubt, Texas will be better than last season. Alabama can beat Texas despite, at that point in time, not yet having an elite quarterback.
There are several reasons for optimism. A big one is the Crimson Tide, in multiple position groups, will be better than last season. Alabama will be better at running back, tight end, offensive line, and inside linebacker. Even with the loss of Will Anderson Jr. and key defensive linemen, the outside linebackers and the D-line have deeper, and overall better talent than last season.
In addition, based on spring performances, the secondary is not going to be the liability, its attrition could have created. Instead, in the second half of the season, Alabama Football could have one of the best secondary groups in the SEC.
Earlier in the spring, Nick Saban seemed to indicate his top priority in choosing a starting quarterback. Talking about the entire Crimson Tide quarterback roster, Nick Saban said,
"… sometimes you have to learn that you’ve got to eliminate the bad plays to play winning football. So there’s some plays in the game that kill you. 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."
Alabama quarterbacks failed the ‘don’t ever turn it over’ test in the A-Day game. In September the Tide’s QB1 will be the guy that comes closest to Saban’s goal of mistake-free football.
The Spring Game provided no solid indication of who QB1 will be. The format minimized Jalen Milroe’s greatest strength. Ty Simpson sprained the thumb on his throwing hand late in the first quarter. Alabama receivers dropped passes in bunches. As fans, we learned nothing of value.
Instead of a rush to judgment about any of the Crimson Tide QBs, Alabama fans should exercise patience and trust Nick Saban. It might also help to remember the Crimson Tide won a National Championship with Jake Coker at quarterback.