Kirk Herbstreit breaks down Alabama's quarterback battle

The start of the college football season is less than three weeks away, and we still do not have an answer to one of the more telling storylines of 2023: who will be the starting quarterback for the Alabama Crimson Tide?

Recently, two of ESPN’s top college football personalities, Pat McAfee and Kirk Herbstreit, got together to discuss this topic. Herbstreit broke down the tale of the tape of the individuals competing for Alabama’s starting quarterback spot, highlighting some of the key points fans should be aware of.

“They’ve got a kid from Notre Dame that transferred who was a starter, who knows the new offensive coordinator’s system. Tommy Rees, left Notre Dame to go down to Alabama as the OC. So he knows the system very well,” said Herbstreit.

“And then you have a young kid named Ty Simpson, a five-star. He was also turning it over. It was almost like it was his job to win, and in spring, didn’t win it. And that’s when they went to Notre Dame and got the kid to transfer after the spring game. So it’s kind of a three-man race. The guy that played against Texas A&M, Milroe, he threw some picks. Really athletic guy. He’s gonna have to settle down and not turn the ball over.”

The starting quarterback spot at Alabama has been a three-man race for much of the offseason between Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner, redshirt freshman Ty Simpson, and last season’s backup to Bryce Young, Jalen Milroe. While all three have the talent to command the Crimson Tide offense, they have yet to distinguish themselves from the rest of the faces in the crowd.

More on Alabama’s three QB’s

Of the three quarterbacks mentioned, Simpson has the least amount of in-game experience, which could be a deciding factor in the end. Last season, Simpson saw action in three games for Alabama, completing four of his five pass attempts for 35 yards, with the longest completion going for 14 yards.

Milroe, on the other hand, had a significant amount of action in 2022, including getting a starting nod while Young was on the mend with a shoulder injury. Last year, the red-shirt sophomore quarterback completed 31 of his 53 positions for 297 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions. He also displayed his ability to be a dual-threat quarterback with 31 rush attempts for 263 yards and one rushing touchdown.

As for Buchner, he spent last season with Rees at Notre Dame. He did not have an ideal season with the Fighting Irish, as he completed just 46 of his 83 pass attempts for 651 yards with three touchdowns and five interceptions. Still, given the apparent struggles of the other two during spring, Rees brought in his former quarterback in the hope their familiarity would give Alabama a sound starter behind center.