🏈 Bama Spring Quarterback Battle

[T&B]

Its that time gentleman... choose your allegiances wisely. Aannd we're off... the 2016 season is here. giggedy

Spring position battle preview: Quarterback

Cooper Bateman:

Bateman’s candidacy for the first-team spot lasted until the second half of the Ole Miss game -- when Coker won over the team with his resiliency and running. So having been considered for the starting job until the fourth week of the regular season has to give the Utah native an upper hand in this year’s competition, right?

He does have the most game experience, and his ability to make plays with his legs -- although he did not do that against the Rebels -- can add a new wrinkle to the offense. The only question is can Bateman hold off the younger guys.


Blake Barnett:

The California kid is a fan favorite and has received rave reviews from his coaches and teammates. Barnett led the scout-team offense during weeks the Tide prepared for uptempo opponents and did a superb job of preparing the defense.

He’ll look to carry that over to the spring and translate it to the first-team offense. If he can take command of the huddle and continue to add weight, Barnett’s chances of winning the starting job are as good as any of the quarterbacks on the roster.


David Cornwell:

Here’s the thing about Cornwell: he’s really a contender. But he’s sometimes the forgotten runner in a three-man race because of his disappearing act from last season’s battle. The Oklahoma native will look to reclaim his spot in the pecking order this spring.

And he has all the tools to do just that. At 6-foot-5, 221 pounds, he gives offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin the prototypical size for the position as well as a more-than adequate arm to deliver the ball to Alabama’s myriad of receivers down the field.

With less than two weeks before the start of the spring season, Cornwell should be the No. 2 quarterback in line when the players go through drills on the first day of practice. But with the way the offseason transpired for him in 2015, who knows what will happen.


Jalen Hurts:

Hurts is a longshot to beat out the older trio, but the good news for him is they are the only things separating him from the No. 1 spot. But the bad news is a true freshman has never started a game at quarterback during Saban’s tenure.

But hey, there’s a first time for everything. The Texas native produced video game-like numbers in high school and could be the most athletic player at the position. But he’s also the shortest at 6-foot-2 and has only been on campus since January.

Enrolling early and helping Alabama prepare for Clemson and the CFP national title game will help him down the road, but it won’t likely be enough to give him the keys to UA’s multi-tooled offense in 2016. Expect Hurts to redshirt his year in crimson.

Spring position battle preview for Alabama football: Quarterback

 

[T&B]

Greg McElory will get us rolling since he has already cast the first vote.

McElroy is Team Barnett

Greg McElroy already has favorite in Alabama’s 2016 QB battle



“If I were to guess, I might lean toward Blake Barnett,” McElroy said on Saturday’s broadcast. “He’s a young kid that has some stuff, and he was exceptional on scout team this year, giving these guys a really nice look.”

Added ESPN’s Joe Tessitore: “He’s extraordinarily athletic. He can give them a completely different dimension than what Jake Coker offered up.”

McElroy acknowledged Tide fans will be seeing a “different-look offense” no matter what, and offered an alternative scenario in which Bateman — who started against Ole Miss this past September — wins the job.

“If he’s the quarterback, he’s more athletic than what we’ve seen from Jake Coker,” McElroy said. “(He’s) a guy that played receiver in the spring last year, showed he can really move and shake. Could look a little bit more like the Blake Sims version of the Alabama offense when you get into the 2016 season.”

Greg McElroy already has favorite in Alabama's 2016 QB battle

 

[T&B]

 

[BamaFan334]

I'm rolling with Barnett, but I think Hurts is going to be a guy to watch with his athleticism.

 

[T&B]

O.C. Lane Kiffin-

“Obviously, you would like having the guy you know from the year before and having it done early and developing a system around him, but there are positives in having it be competitive,” offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin said.

“I think there’s no way you could say I would like a replacement guy. If I could have had Blake [Sims] again, I would have liked that. I’d like to have Jake [Coker] again because you get him going, and then he’s gone. It’s very unusual to have it happen two years in a row.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...tice-preview-for-crimson-tides-2016-qb-battle

 

[T&B]

Bateman will go into the spring as the player to beat.

He completed 37 of 52 attempts for 291 yards in 2015, with one touchdown and two interceptions. Doubling as Alabama’s long snapper, he played in all 15 games, and coaches raved about the effort he made in improving the parts of his game that needed the most work last year.

Among Alabama's quarterbacks Blake Barnett has most hype surrounding him.
But most of the buzz surrounds Barnett, and fans are especially eager to see what he can do, especially since he’s believed to have the most upside.


“Blake has showed a lot of progress, and I think everyone’s excited—I’m excited and we’re all excited—at what he has shown already against us," linebacker coach Tosh Lupoi said.

Here’s what Alabama’s defensive coaches from last year (Smart has since moved on to be the head coach at Georgia and took secondary coach Mel Tucker with him to be the Bulldogs’ defensive coordinator) said during the playoffs about Barnett:

• Smart: “He’s got great mobility, makes good decisions. He’s a competitor, he gives us his best every day. He’s a good leader with that unit out there, he keeps the scout team organized, he along with Cornwell do a good job of kind of pushing those guys and challenging them.”
• Defensive line coach Bo Davis: “Blake looks great. He looks real good. Good young quarterback who is going to have a lot of success. He really does a great job and helps us on the scout team. He’s done a heck of a job for us on defense because he can do so many things, moving around, making us be able to rush right, rush lanes and keeping us honest up front. He’s talented enough to do all the things you need, and we’re honored to have him on our team.”
• Tucker: “He has a good presence. It’s very competitive. He enjoys playing the game. He’s very consistent. Day-in and day-out you know what you’re going to get from him. He competes well, he throws a really nice ball, and he’s got tremendous athletic ability—he can challenge you as a runner both as a scrambler and with quarterback runs. He gives us every type of look that we need. Whatever we need him to do, he can do it, and the players around him respond. As a coach, I have a high level of respect for Blake.”
• Lupoi: “Blake has a pretty solid combination of being able to run away from you when he needs to, as well as throw the ball well. That’s why we recruited him here to Alabama. He was an exceptional player coming out of high school, and he’s shown a lot of the reasons why we recruited him.”

 

[T&B]

Alabama Football: Pre-Spring Practice Preview for Crimson Tide's 2016 QB Battle | Bleacher Report

One factor to watch with Barnett will be his physical development as he was initially listed as 6’5”, 200 pounds, although he was probably closer to 190. He’s now above the Mendoza Line in terms of pounds, but strength and conditioning coach Scott Cochran has a good frame to work with.

McCarron was pretty skinny too when he arrived on the Capstone.

“He needs to add some weight, but he’s a good quarterback,” cornerback Marlon Humphrey said.

“Blake Barnett was different than what I expected. He’s a lot more shifty.”


That element of his game could be an added bonus, especially after obviously working on it with the scout team. That was partly due to necessity as Smart said he got “roughed up” by the Crimson Tide’s defensive linemen despite wearing a no-contact jersey, but you know the old saying about things that make you stronger.


Besides, he’ll probably never face a tougher defense, which had a reputation for practicing hard, under such lopsided circumstances.

“A guy who has mobility adds problems for the defense, much like Blake Sims a year ago,” Kiffin said. “I don’t know what his future is. He has a lot of work to do. We have a ways to go with him. But to date we’ve been very pleased with him.”

 

[mrchase]

Bateman was the long snapper?

 

[T&B]

^ I think he meant to say the place kick holder.

 

[Sid Youngleman]

Bateman was the long snapper?

^ I think he meant to say the place kick holder.

Did both. Kid's fast.

 

[Tidestalker]

I'm thinking whoever finishes #3 will bounce after this Spring.

I feel good about Cornwell or Barnett winning the job. They both have a long time left in Crimson.

And it wouldn't surprise me at all if whoever wins the jobs gives it up and gets it back throughout the year... Both really talented young players that are learning on the job.

 

[OldPlayer]

I'm thinking whoever finishes #3 will bounce after this Spring.

I feel good about Cornwell or Barnett winning the job. They both have a long time left in Crimson.

And it wouldn't surprise me at all if whoever wins the jobs gives it up and gets it back throughout the year... Both really talented young players that are learning on the job.

I'm gonna say no on the bouncing. It will depend on who wins. The "losers" will either have a lot of eligibility or very little left. If very little, it will have to be as a graduate transfer and it will be tough to transfer into a starting role. If a lot of eligibility is left (RS sophomores and freshmen), there is still time to win the role.

IMO, Cornwell hasn't felt comfortable since his knee surgery. If he's going to make a move, it needs to be this Spring. I'm holding my pick until after the first scrimmage. That will tell us who has progressed. I know Hurts will not be the QB as he's headed for a RS.

 

[Tidestalker]

I'm gonna say no on the bouncing. It will depend on who wins. The "losers" will either have a lot of eligibility or very little left. If very little, it will have to be as a graduate transfer and it will be tough to transfer into a starting role. If a lot of eligibility is left (RS sophomores and freshmen), there is still time to win the role.

IMO, Cornwell hasn't felt comfortable since his knee surgery. If he's going to make a move, it needs to be this Spring. I'm holding my pick until after the first scrimmage. That will tell us who has progressed. I know Hurts will not be the QB as he's headed for a RS.

For the record, I'm expecting Bateman to be the guy who leaves. Hell, he's probably about ready to graduate by this spring if not by the summer. Might be perfect timing.

 

[uofarolltide]

I hope Barnett wins the competition. I know Kiffin wants him to.
Bateman was timid in his action last season, which fortunately got him benched. At QB, Jake showed how important it is to have a strong presence - something I always felt that Blake Sims was missing. What Coker lacked in his skillset, he made up for in being headstrong and having guts when it mattered.

I think Blake has the right "presence" and mental fortitude, not to mention having more physical tools than any other QB except Jalen Hurts.
If Barnett or Hurts can't cleanly win the job before the season starts, I'll take that as a bad sign for our offense next season

 

[TerryP]

I'm in the fall camp, camp.

This I'm sure of. Cooper starts the spring taking the first reps. We don't see people dropping places on depth charts over the winter break unless there are extenuating circumstances.

At the end of the season, the reps leaned Barnett's way (over Cornwell) on the scout team.

 

[JoshB]

I honestly dont care who wins, as long as the best guy is there, but I do love Barnett (and Hurt) skill set. Just after seeing Bateman in person and how god awful he was that day (yes he could have just been off but lord it was bad) he worries me badly. Not to mention his one start he seemed so skiddish to just pull the ball and run when Ole Miss was giving it no respect at all.

 

[Japanese Redneck]

I think it will be Mark Guillon who starts, but I have been hearing good things about Brodie Croyle

 

[Sgt. Lincoln Osiris]

I think it will be Mark Guillon who starts, but I have been hearing good things about Brodie Croyle

Ha!

Wait... what decade are we in?

Sent from my ASUS ZenFone 2E using Tapatalk

 

[PurlJam]

Hell, if I'm throwing it to Ridley, Stewart, Howard, Foster and them some, I could be the starter.

 

[JoshB]

I think it will be Mark Guillon who starts, but I have been hearing good things about Brodie Croyle

Lot of competition from that Spencer Pennington kid.