Alabama players waiting to see 'that look' from QBs battling for starting job

Nick Saban sent a message to Alabama’s quarterbacks after Tuesday’s practice, telling the trio of players competing for the starting spot to “force us to play you” – indicating the position battle is far from decided. But do the Crimson Tide players have a feel for who will win the job?

Offensive lineman Tyler Booker, who has consistently worked with the first unit since Alabama’s bowl game, answered that question during a Wednesday appearance on The Next Round.

“Not yet,” Booker said. “And that’s really not our decision. Our job here is to give that quarterback time and give him confidence that whenever he drops back or whenever he hands the ball off, it’s gonna be a big play because we’re doing what we’re supposed to do.

“But as you mentioned, that look that you get whenever we’re in the huddle … that’s real. Like Bryce (Young) had that look. Bryce made you feel comfortable. Bryce made you feel like, ‘OK, we’re gonna win this game because Bryce is back there.’ And I’m just looking for whoever in that room gives me that look. We haven’t seen it yet, but I see a lot of potential in a lot of those guys.”

Alabama’s quarterback competition is a three-man race, Saban said earlier this summer, with a couple of returning players – Jalen Milroe and Ty Simpson – continuing to push for the starting role and a transfer portal addition – Tyler Buchner – joining the mix back in late May. Saban said all three received reps in the team’s closed scrimmage this past weekend but did not share any of their stats or provided his thoughts on their performances before watching film.

Saban has stated numerous times this offseason about the need for a player to separate himself from the pack and “take the bull by the horns” in the quarterback battle. Winning the locker room is part of it, and Booker was asked when Alabama players know a guy has done that.

“It’s when he gets the defense’s respect,” Booker said. “When the defense is like, ‘OK, let’s be on our Ps and Qs. So-and-so is out there now.’ But that’s the thing about this quarterback race – everybody’s getting that respect. And it might sound cliche, but it’s a really hard race.

“But the thing that we have to do as an offensive line is continue to support that quarterback, give him time – whoever’s back there – and give him the best chance to succeed. But everybody in that room is really battling together, battling to get better.”

Booker and several of Alabama’s offensive linemen have been vocal about their desire to be a more dominant unit this fall and shared their excitement about being more of a run-first offense under new coordinator Tommy Rees as the Tide looks to have more balance with a quarterback change. Being able to “make people quit” this fall begins with Alabama running the ball.

“We have to control what we can control, and that’s us just performing to our standard – that old school, ‘Bama way of play, that run-the-ball-down-your-throat way of play of Alabama,” Booker said. “We really didn’t have that last year, but this year we definitely do with me stepping up as as leader, with JC (Latham) stepping up even more as a leader, Seth (McLaughlin) stepping up even more as a leader.

“We all came together and said, ‘Look, we’ve gotta run the ball. In order to be successful, we have to run the ball and we have be dominant at doing that because that’s gonna open up the passing game for whoever our quarterback is and all of our great wide receivers.’”

To watch all of Booker’s Wednesday conversation with The Next Round, CLICK HERE.

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