Don't Expect Alabama's Quarterback Competition to End Any Time Soon

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — If you were hoping for a resolution to Alabama’s second quarterback battle in as many offseasons, you might just want to turn away now.

This will be a long process, just like it was a year ago. Nick Saban made that clear when he got his first question about a quarterback after spring practice opened on Friday.

“Well you know we’ve only had one practice, and you guys act like we’ve been practicing illegally everyday in the offseason, which we haven’t been doing,” Saban said. “So as much as I’d like to be able to tell you that the guy has done great since January, we really can’t because all we’ve done is run around cones and jump over bags and that kind of stuff.”

Credit: 247Sports

The difference between this year and last, though, is that now all of the candidates are on campus for spring practice. Jake Coker, the presumed favorite for last year’s job, couldn’t transfer from Florida State until he had graduated in May.

Now, what you see is what you get.

Coker, Alec Morris, Cooper Bateman, David Cornwell and Blake Barnett all were going through drills on Friday in various orders and configuration.

It’s hard to tell just how the reps will be split throughout the spring. You don’t want to narrow the field already right now, but it’s hard to get much done with reps being split among five guys.

The only insight Saban would offer was that they’re simplifying things for the quarterbacks.

“We’ve tried to make it a little easier with what we’re doing at that position so that they don’t have to burden as some of the guys in the past have had so that the inexperienced players can develop a little more quickly,” Saban said.

Indeed, inexperience abounds.

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Coker is the only one on the roster who has thrown a pass in a game. Morris has seen a handful of snaps at the end of FCS blowouts but only to hand the ball off.

Saban laid out a handful of things he wants to see from his quarterbacks this spring.

“I think I want to see what every coach would want to see and what every fan would want to see and everyone sitting in this room would want to see, is that the guy can go in and provide leadership for our team, make good choices and decisions about what he has to do to play winning football as his position, which means he makes good judgments out there,” he said.

“Takes care of the ball, is accurate enough to throw the ball to the skill guys we have and make throws that allow us to make big plays and is not going to be a guy that doesn’t take of the ball, is careless with the ball, turns the ball over and makes good choices and decisions about all those things.

"I think that’s what we look for in a quarterback anytime: leadership, judgment, accuracy, good decision-making in terms of where he delivers the ball and how he distributes it and that’s what we’ll look for. And the guy that does that the best for us is going to be the best guy that will have the opportunity to play that position.”

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

Barnett is the sexy pick right now from fans and pundits alike. He is the hotshot 247Sports 5-star coming over from the West Coast, with the arms and (and legs) that propelled him to big heights in high school.

But we may have to pump the brakes a little bit on the Barnett train.

“Today's really the first day we've seen him play quarterback,” Saban said of Barnett. “We saw him in the offseason program. He's done a great job. He's got great leadership qualities. He's a great person. I'm sure as all the freshmen—we have eight new ones out there, seven freshmen and a transfer—they've all got a lot to learn.”

If last year is any indication, this race is far from over.

Blake Sims was the guy throughout the spring, then split reps once Coker got to school.

Even then, Saban never officially declared the quarterback race “over.” Sims just kept starting. And starting and starting and winning and winning.

That’s likely what will happen in this cycle. Maybe two or three favorites emerge in the fall. They go back and forth during camp. One starts the opener and then…just keeps starting.

Marc Torrence is the Alabama lead writer for Bleacher Report. All quotes and reporting were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Follow on Twitter @marctorrence.