QB Jalen Milroe of Alabama I recently made his leaving known.
Losing a rookie quarterback in the starting lineup is typically a teaching moment. On the other hand, it can be seen as a signal that Alabama, which is expected to win a national championship, needs to adjust.
In his college career, Jalen Milroe has only made three starts, two of which were in 2023 as Bryce Young’s backup quarterback following his departure for the NFL. But the Crimson Tide are changing things up at quarterback after suffering their worst home loss under Nick Saban’s tenure as Alabama’s head coach in Week 2—a 34-24 setback to Texas.
Tyler Buchner is anticipated to start at quarterback for the Crimson Tide against South Florida in Tampa, according to John Talty of 247Sports. Alabama will change quarterbacks in the first few minutes of play.
Even though the decision seems to have been made early in the season, Alabama confronts a difficult hurdle with just one game left before starting the SEC portion of their 2023 campaign.
Why Tyler Buchner will start at quarterback instead of Jalen Milroe
Long-term quarterback success has been a defining trait of the Crimson Tide. Even though Jalen Hurts won the Heisman Trophy while at Oklahoma, every starting quarterback for the Crimson Tide since 2016 is presently a starter in the NFL and has received votes at some time.
That does not indicate that Alabama expects its starting quarterbacks to win Heisman Trophy votes, but it does suggest that the quarterback needs to play well on a regular basis if the team is to win a national championship.
Regretfully, Milroe’s performance against Texas was subpar. Although Milroe only completed 14 of 27 passes (51.9%) and had two interceptions, his accuracy was astounding.During his start, ProFootballFocus identified four plays totaling turnovers, or 9.3% of his passes.
His two interceptions cost him money. Despite the Crimson Tide’s impressive start, the first drive ended with a Texas field goal as the drive was returned to the Alabama 30 after the Longhorns were forced to punt on the previous play. The second was the game-winning touchdown that the Longhorns needed to defeat Alabama, and it occurred one play after they had recovered a 20-16 lead.
Nick Saban stated that there was no guaranteed starting spot at a teleconference held by the SEC on Wednesday.
According to Nick Saban, “We study every position every week.” “Guys need to play well if they want stability in their spot. We are all aware of that on the squad. I think everyone has tried to go forward and improve for the better. Like we do with every other position, we will be evaluating that one on a regular basis.
Buchner’s resume is not particularly impressive. He was an All-American at Notre Dame before moving to Alabama. He completed 67 of 118 throws for 949 yards, six touchdowns, and eight interceptions (56.8% completion percentage). On 82 rushes, he also gained 459 yards and seven touchdowns. Tommy Rees left Notre Dame during the previous offseason to take a position as offensive coordinator at Alabama. Buchner went through the transfer gate and became a member of the Crimson Tide, following his former coach. Some experience with Rees’s approach may ease Buchner’s move for the Crimson Tide at center.
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You want to leave South Florida, but why? There is not much time left for Saban and the Crimson Tide. In Week 4, Ole Miss, Alabama’s SEC West foe and current No. 17 team, will be eager to shock the Crimson Tide. A second loss would also effectively mean that Alabama will miss the College Football Playoff for a second consecutive season, given the team’s unwavering aspirations of winning the national championship. Buchner will have time to build experience as the starting pitcher before facing a much tougher opponent in the first game, South Florida.
Moreover, Saban will be able to replace quarterbacks again if Buchner struggles against an underdog opponent because he will have had more time to consider his options.
It appears that Buchner has supplanted Milroe atop Alabama’s quarterback depth chart following the team’s defeat in the 2023 quarterback competition. In the event that Buchner struggles, Saban and the coaching staff will need to decide whether to move Buchner down the depth chart or back to Milroe.
Ty Simpson, a five-star prospect for 2022, would come in behind Milroe and Buchner. Simpson has not played much for the Crimson Tide in his five games as a college player. In addition to running twice for 12 yards and a touchdown, he has completed five of six throws for 40 yards. Simpson is more of a pocket passer with his profile, but he can run if necessary.
