Don't Expect Jake Coker to Win Alabama QB Battle During Spring Game

Alabama will hit the field on Saturday for the annual spring game, and for the second straight season, all eyes will be on the quarterback position.

Last year, fans left the gates of Bryant-Denny Stadium disappointed in the performance of Blake Sims, who has left the door wide open for incoming Florida State transfer Jake Coker. Instead, it was Sims winning the job during fall camp and maintaining all the way through the SEC title and national semifinal.

Don't expect any closure in this spring game either.

As Bleacher Report Alabama lead writer Marc Torrence notes, head coach Nick Saban hasn't settled on a first-team player through 14 spring practices.

He does, however, have A-Day rosters, and it appears that Coker is running with the first-team offense on the "white" team, with junior Alec Morris. Sophomore Cooper Bateman, redshirt freshman David Cornwell, who has emerged as Coker's top contender, and true freshman Blake Barnett are on the "crimson" team with what appears to be the second-team offense.

Player	Class	Team
Jake Coker	Senior (RS)	White
Alec Morris	Junior (RS)	White
Cooper Bateman	Sophomore (RS)	Crimson
David Cornwell	Freshman (RS)	Crimson
Blake Barnett	Freshman	Crimson

Saban may not have a first-team quarterback right now, but the spring game rosters indicate that he at least has a rough draft and that Coker is penciled in for now.

There's no chance he wins the job following the spring game.

With five quarterbacks vying for the job this spring, there simply haven't been enough first-team snaps to go around for the staff to truly have an idea of who deserves the job. Even if Coker (or Cornwell, or somebody else) goes out and lights up the defense on Saturday, Alabama is still best served to hold off on naming a starter until a couple of weeks of fall camp are in the books.

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

After all, it appears that Alabama's primary goal—narrowing the competition down this spring—has already been accomplished.

There's at least a rough draft of the pecking order, with Coker and Cornwell leading the way.

Coker has the experience—particularly in practice with many of the second-teamers from last year who are being counted on to be starters this year. But he and Cornwell are very similar in many regards. Coker (6'5", 232 lbs) and Cornwell (6'4", 221 lbs) are both big bodies with big arms who aren't exactly dual-threat quarterbacks, but they are more mobile than they appear simply by looking at them.

Bill Haber/Associated Press

With the battle narrowing, the presence of two similar quarterbacks allows the coaching staff to take some time picking one since they both essentially can run the same playbook. That will be a huge benefit to the entire offense this summer, as they adjust to a more wide-open passing attack under second-year offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin.

That rough draft gives the players a good idea of how to organize and operate offseason workouts, the quarterbacks a good idea of where they are and what they need to work on, and the entire program a defined offseason direction.

Alabama has to replace nine starters off of last year's record-setting offense, including Sims, veteran running back T.J. Yeldon, Heisman Trophy finalist wide receiver Amari Cooper and three starting offensive linemen. With so many holes, spring was a time of experimentation in Tuscaloosa, and for the most part, that part is over. 

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

The spring game is when the rubber meets the road in a four-month race to earn playing time.

If Coker struggles, that's fine. Sims did last spring, and all he did was lead the Tide to the conference title. If Cornwell or one of the other contenders looks like the next Heisman Trophy winner, it doesn't mean much—especially if it's against the second- or third-team defense. After all, the spring game is just one practice.

A-Day is the biggest stage of the spring, but performing well in it is kind of like being the best football player on your little brother's pickup football team. It doesn't matter all that much in the grand scheme of things.

Alabama's quarterback battle will rage on until at least the midway point of fall camp. If you're an Alabama fan, that's good news. The next phase is about to begin, with Coker, Cornwell and perhaps one other contender still in the mix.

Baby steps.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of CFBStats.com, unless otherwise noted, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports' composite rankings.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and college football video analyst for Bleacher Report, as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on Sirius 93, XM 208.

Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.