Alabama's Nick Saban Declines to Release Depth Chart to Prevent 'Distractions'

The Alabama Crimson Tide's starting lineup seemingly will not be known until the players step on the field Saturday.

Head coach Nick Saban did not release a depth chart in advance of the team's Week 1 matchup against Middle Tennessee State. His reasoning was that a depth chart "creates a lot of distractions" for the players as they prepare for the game.

"And quite frankly, you know, we don't need that," Saban said, per Alex Scarborough of ESPN.com. "I want all of our players to continue to compete, continue to compete for playing time, to try to play at the highest level. And I don't want anybody on our team to think they're a backup player or whatever."

This is the first time in Saban's 17-year tenure with the Crimson Tide that he has not released a depth chart before the Week 1 matchup, per Scarborough. This comes as a quarterback battle between Jalen Milroe, Ty Simpson and Tyler Buchner continues to brew.

Saban addressed the quarterback battle, stating the staff is taking time to do its due diligence and is not in a rush to officially name a starter.

"We're going one day at a time," Saban said, per Scarborough. "We're repping the players. And regardless of what happens in this game ... just because whoever starts in the first game that doesn't mean that you don't have to continue to compete and play throughout the season because the competition doesn't end like the first game at any position, including quarterback."

His desire to not create a distraction makes sense, even if it is something that is unprecedented in his tenure. The team may be planning to distribute playing time amongst a large group of players to see who deserves more time. This strategy makes sense early in the season, especially against a non-conference team like Middle Tennessee State, who is not expected to put up a huge fight against fourth-ranked Tide.

Still, it would be ideal for the team to have a clear answer at quarterback by now, and not having that stability could be detrimental to a team with championship aspirations.