Alabama Football Offseason Position Group Grades: Offense

Alabama Football looks to return to the College Football Playoff in year one of the post-Bryce Young era, and it will have to do so with a new-look offense.

With Young no longer under center, Bama is expected to shift away from the quarterback-centric approach it has undertaken in recent years.

As it stands, the Crimson Tide offense has a lot of talent and near-unlimited potential, but it also has a lot of question marks at the current moment. Of course, the biggest of these uncertainties is the quarterback position.

Alabama Football Quarterbacks: B-

Alabama’s quarterback situation remains in flux coming out of spring practice and has received national scrutiny. Redshirt sophomore Jalen Milroe and redshirt freshman Ty Simpson returned to the team and battled for the starting position all spring along with incoming freshmen Dylan Lonergan and Eli Holstein. Neither Milroe nor Simpson could really separate from the pack, culminating in less-than-spectacular A-Day performances from both quarterbacks.

However, the national narrative that they struggled and played very poorly is over-exaggerated and far from accurate. Both guys missed some throws and made some mistakes, but both also showed a lot of potential.

Milroe accounted for three touchdowns on the afternoon, while Simpson managed the offense while battling a thumb injury and inconsistent play from his receivers. Both Milroe and Simpson generated explosive plays on the ground, and both made some really impressive throws as well. Whichever quarterback can do so most consistently while avoiding turnovers will have a good chance to take the job.

Following the A-Day game, Coach Nick Saban and his staff threw a wrench in the quarterback battle by taking a commitment from Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner. Buchner is very similar to the two signal-callers already in the room, in that he has some impressive physical tools but has not proven to be consistently effective on game days.

Buchner’s time as the starter for Notre Dame was filled with ups and downs, and he appeared to be turnover prone at times. Like Milroe and Simpson, he will have to protect the ball if he wants a chance to earn the starting job in Tuscaloosa.