Nick Saban ‘not a stats guy,’ will evaluate quarterback film

As fall camp rolls on in Tuscaloosa, the quarterback battle does too. Nick Saban may not be too interested in discussing the topic but it’s the most important one for Alabama. Tyler Buchner, Jalen Milroe, and Ty Simpson are all fighting to earn the starting role on Sept. 2 against Middle Tennessee State.

The first scrimmage of the fall occurred on Saban, with Saban providing an update on the competition. He said all three got first-team reps but for the most part, the film is going to be watched. There are multiple different areas Saban is looking for improvement before naming a starter.

“Everybody got reps today at quarterback,” Saban said. “I’m not a stats guy so we’re not interested in what their statistics were. We are going to be interested when we watch the film. How did they execute? Did they throw the ball at the right place at the right time? Were they accurate in what they did? Did they take care of the ball so we have a chance to play winning football at that position?

“That’s what we’ll be evaluating.”

The fans might be interested in what the quarterbacks’ stats look like. Seeing the box score can be an easy way which of the three had a good scrimmage. Unfortunately for the rest of us, Saban does not think that way.

So, maybe next time Saban steps up from the podium he will be able to public give his evaluation of the quarterback play. Either way, the competition is far from over. Alabama has a few more weeks before the season opener and Saban is likely allowing the battle to play out until then.

Nick Saban allowing QB competition to play out

Saban has used one keyword when discussing the battle between Buchner, Milroe, and Simpson. Development has been the point of emphasis, even before Buchner joined the program via Notre Dame and the NCAA transfer portal. All three do not have much starting experience and need to show signs of improvement in order to earn the job.

When asked for updates, the continual answer has been none of the three have done enough to separate themselves. Of course, Buchner is still fresh to the program and is learning his way. But eventually, someone will have to step up to a certain level — giving Saban confidence to make them the full-time starter before important SEC games start getting played.