Alabama Football has had uncertainty surrounding the quarterback position all offseason, which has eaten up most of the team storylines over the past six months.
By now, it is widely accepted that redshirt sophomore Jalen Milroe will have the first opportunity to secure the job. Milroe will start against Middle Tennessee State in week one. If he plays well and the Alabama offense is operating efficiently with Milroe at the helm, there will be no reason to seriously look elsewhere.
Still, the presumed knowledge that Milroe will start on Saturday leaves us with two big questions:
Who will we see second? And how early will we see them?
Should Alabama Football play up to the program standard, this game against MTSU could become a lopsided contest fairly early. The odds are high that Alabama plays at least two quarterbacks, regardless of how the game goes.
Who takes the first snap after Jalen Milroe is retired for the evening? It will most likely be redshirt freshman Ty Simpson, but it could just as easily be redshirt sophomore and Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner.
It will be fascinating to analyze every aspect of the Alabama quarterback situation this weekend. I believe we will see two quarterbacks, and possibly get a brief glimpse at a third.
The order in which they play, number of snaps each quarterback gets, and how well they perform will all be determined on Saturday evening in Bryant-Denny.
Perhaps the only certainty is that Alabama Football fans will overreact to whatever happens under center in week one. Every quarterback that takes snaps for the Crimson Tide will likely make some good plays as well as some errors, just as they have throughout this offseason.
It is important as a fan base to avoid putting too much stock in these individual performances. The Crimson Tide QB room has just four total starts heading into the season. Regardless of who will eventually become the long-term starting quarterback for Bama in 2023, that player is not a finished product yet.
With that being said, Alabama Football fans should watch this game closely and critically, but should hesitate to jump to quarterback conclusions.