Alabama Football: A new Crimson Tide starter at quarterback

On Friday morning, CBS Sports reported information from 247’s John Talty that Alabama Football is expected to have a new starter at quarterback against South Florida.

Based on Talty’s sources, the Crimson Tide’s new QB1 will be Tyler Buchner. After Alabama’s spring training, Buchner chose to follow Tommy Rees from Notre Dame to Tuscaloosa.

A Buchner start, along with possibly other new starters on Saturday afternoon, is not surprising. Nick Saban has given strong hints of possible changes throughout the week.

The most telling statement Nick Saban made during the week was,

"I think we just got to get the right players in the right spots to do the right things to complement each other and we can have a really good season."

There are rumblings on Friday that along with starting Buchner, the offensive line might also be another area the Tide will try to find “the right spots” for some players.

Tyler Buchner is well-known to Tommy Rees, but the third-year player does not have much starting experience. Buchner opened the 2022 season as Notre Dame’s starter but due to a shoulder injury, he missed most of the 2022 season. He also saw backup duty in 10 games as a freshman in the 2021 season.

Tommy Rees and now Nick Saban apparently see things in Buchner that his career stats do not represent. However, with his experience only being the top quarterback for three games at Notre Dame, the career stats might be misleading.

Buchner is described as having a sharp mind that has enabled him to not just learn, but understand the Alabama football offense in a few months. That process takes longer for many quarterbacks.

Buchner’s touchdown pass-to-interception ratio at Notre Dame, (six touchdowns to eight interceptions) does not match the profile of a Nick Saban game manager. That stat comes from a small enough sample, that it might not indicate a future turnover problem with the Crimson Tide.

Buchner does not have Jalen Milroe’s big arm and he does not have Milroe’s speed. Without those amazing attributes, Buchner is still very much a dual-threat QB. Alabama football insiders, who have learned a bit more about him, state Buchner is a confident player who will be undaunted by the big-stage demands of being an Alabama Crimson Tide starting QB.

There has been additional speculation this week that Jalen Milroe will continue to have a designed role in the Alabama football offense.