If there was any doubt, the first few weeks of spring practice at Alabama have established Jalen Milroe as the team’s starting quarterback.
Coaches have praised his work ethic and dedication to mastering a new strategy. This spring, no one is dragging him into the building at 3 a.m.
Even though it probably goes without saying, coach Kalen DeBoer stated earlier this week that Milroe had taken every first-team rep.
So controversy averted. At least for now.
But it begs another pressing question: who will be Milroe’s backup?
Not only is it important in the context of having a solid option should Milroe go down with an injury, the pecking order coming out of spring could also play an important role in who stays and who goes once the transfer portal reopens next month.
There’s certainly plenty of options to choose from. Tyler Buchner and Eli Holstein left via the transfer portal after last season, but Ty Simpson is back for his redshirt sophomore season and Dylan Lonergan returns after redshirting his first year on campus. The previous staff thought highly of Lonergan and his potential.
New to the fold is transfer Austin Mack, a talented freshman who reclassified to get to Washington early and then followed DeBoer and Co. to Tuscaloosa.
“They’re competing,” said offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Nick Sheridan on Tuesday. “Yeah, I think that’s a really talented group and great kids. And I’m excited about the group. I think there’s some young players that are very talented, and they’re getting better as well.”
It’s tempting to see Mack as having a leg up on the competition given his familiarity with the system, but Sheridan stressed his age: 17 years old.
He pointed out that Mack didn’t show up at Washington until last summer, so he’s not even a full year into college football.
“You know, this is his first spring practice,” Sheridan said of Mack. “… And so I see him getting better by the minute. Great kid, great family — like the rest of the guys. You know, like I said, I feel lucky to coach the guys in my room. They embrace coaching, they want to do well. Yeah, I’m just excited about the group.”
Sheridan said the quarterbacks “took a stride” in practice Tuesday.
“We’ve had some ups and downs, certainly as you would expect installing a new scheme, a new offense,” he said. “But those kids are awesome. I consider myself lucky to be their coach.”
It’s not easy to split reps.
Ideally, the staff would be able to retain all four scholarship quarterbacks throughout the summer. However, in the age of the transfer portal, that may be too much to expect.
Alabama’s first spring scrimmage is scheduled on Thursday.
Competing inside Bryant-Denny Stadium in a more game-like setting, we’ll see who can generate space and be the player ready to step in for Milroe if necessary.
