Nick Saban Reveals Current Front-Runner for Alabama's Starting QB Position

Nick Saban is not ready to make a solid decision for his starting quarterback in Tuscaloosa.  

The head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide said Monday if he had to name a starter in mid-April, it would be junior quarterback Cooper Bateman, per ESPN.com's Chris Low, but "the race is far from over."

Bateman split reps with Jake Coker last year before Coker eventually led the Crimson Tide to the national championship. Bateman completed 71 percent of his passes in six appearances and also completed 11 of 17 passes and his lone touchdown on Sept. 12 against Middle Tennessee State.

The reason why Bateman is not the clear favorite for the job is because of Alabama's influx of young talent at the signal-caller position. Class of 2015 5-star quarterback Blake Barnett is in the running, as is 4-star dual-threat freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts.

It's still way too early for Saban to make a permanent decision at quarterback, and even last year showed nothing was certain. Coker had to establish himself as the starter before his national championship run with the Crimson Tide.

Saban could very well take the same approach he did last year with Bateman and have him split reps with Barnett or Hurts. The coach hasn't gone with a young quarterback often in his time at Alabama, but that could change if either one of those two young quarterbacks has a strong fall camp.

Stats courtesy of Sports-Reference.com. Star rankings courtesy of 247Sports.

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