Heather Dinich predicts Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner will win Alabama QB competition

ESPN’s Heather Dinich revealed who she believes is the current favorite to be the starting quarterback of the Alabama Crimson Tide in Week 1.

It’s the biggest question facing Nick Saban and company ahead of the season, as the trio of Jalen Milroe, Ty Simpson and former Notre Dame quarterback Tyler Buchner are battling it out. During an appearance on ESPN’s First Take from SEC Media Days in Nashville, Dinich explained who she would put her money on at the moment.

“There’s no leader in the clubhouse, but if I had to guess right this second, I would say Tyler Buchner,” answered Dinich, asked who will be the starting quarterback for the Crimson Tide in Week 1. “There’s a reason why Nick Saban went into the transfer portal and got him. He’s reunited with 30-year-old offensive coordinator Tommy Rees. I mean, it makes sense. Saban has been praising Tommy Rees right next door here, talking about how he has really excited the players and relates to them, and vice-versa.

“That’s my prediction, but Saban used the cake analogy with his grandma and said they’re not ready to pull the cake out of the oven quite yet. If you do, you’re going to get a little bit of a mess. They’re not rushing that quarterback competition.”

Buchner may be the dark horse, but he does have familiarity with Rees’ offense. Nevertheless, starting the season and finished the season as the quarterback are different stories, and that could ultimately change for the Crimson Tide.

Continuing, Dinich isn’t the only one who believes this won’t be a cut and dry process, as former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy said earlier this offseason that it’s going to take some time before a decision is made.

“I would just proceed with caution when you start to declare Alabama’s quarterback situation a quote problem,” McEroy said. “I think they’re going to be fine, especially knowing the type of offense they’re going to implement. Game manager is all that is expected, especially with a run-first approach with Tommy Rees coming down from Notre Dame. The emphasis is going to be on the line of scrimmage. The emphasis is going to be on running the football. The emphasis is going to be on shrinking the game and emphasizing physical presence at the line of scrimmage.

“Whatever quarterback makes the best decisions and whatever quarterback distributes the ball accordingly will be in a pretty good position to be successful.”

Time will tell which quarterback leads Alabama into battle, but it’s something to keep an eye on moving forward.