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Michael Casagrande |
"We're giving everybody a fair opportunity and everyone knows they're getting a fair opportunity."
This might sound familiar.
Alabama completed spring practice last month without a clear-cut starting quarterback. Same deal as the previous two seasons.
So they know the drill inside the Mal Moore Athletic Complex. It can be a delicate balance with four scholarship quarterbacks vying for the spot vacated by Jake Coker's graduation. Cooper Bateman, David Cornwell, Blake Barnett and Jalen Hurts remain in the hunt.
On one hand, coaches are looking for a starter while keeping depth for the unforeseen. There's also the reality that four former top recruits can't all start this fall. And with younger players in the running, it could be a few years before the job opens again.
So how does Nick Saban manage the balance of keeping everyone satisfied in such a competitive environment?
"We're giving everybody a fair opportunity and everyone knows they're getting a fair opportunity," Saban said Friday. "I think somebody has got to take the bull by the horns and sorta win the team over. I think somebody has to do that. That's not something I can make happen. That's not something I can do for them.
"Hopefully they're all committed to their team and happy at the University of Alabama and continue to compete in that regard."
Alec Morris transferred to North Texas after the 2015 season after competing for the job in 2014 and 2015.
In the nine seasons Saban's coached at Alabama, two of the quarterbacks signed as high school players became starters. AJ McCarron (2011-13) was followed by Blake Sims in 2014. In that span, 13 quarterbacks signed with the Tide.
Transfers are inevitable, Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin acknowledgedbefore the 2015 Sugar Bowl. But that comes sitting out a year unless they already have a degree. Bateman would be the only one in that category after graduating Saturday, but he was the first-team quarterback on A-Day.
In December 2014, Bateman cited the example of Sims' patience is a reason to stick it out at Alabama instead of transferring. Sims played running back and tried safety in the four years before becoming the Tide's starter in 2014.
"That's the thing, with all the hype that recruits get out of high school, with Rivals, the rankings, all that, their mindset, they're going to start right away," Bateman said before Alabama faced Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl. "In reality, that's not the case at all. Coming here in a school like this in an Alabama program like this, I knew that wasn't going to be the case. You're going to have to sit. You're going to have to learn and that's part of the deal."
A few former Alabama quarterbacks found success after transferring from Tuscaloosa. Phillip Sims shared the starting job at Virginia in 2013. Phillip Ely was Toledo's starter to begin 2014 and again in 2015. Luke Del Rio was a walk on in 2013 before transferring to Oregon State and eventually Florida. He's one of the top contenders for the job with Jim McElwain's Gators this fall.
At least publicly, Saban hasn't indicated who the top candidates are for Alabama's 2016 job. He's said he likes to keep the competition ambiguous to avoid complacency.
As the semester ends and a brief break begins, Saban said he wants the competition to be far from his quarterbacks' minds.
"I think the big thing that I cautioned them about was 'Are you really focused on what you need to do to be a quarterback and to be a successful quarterback by making wise choices and decision,'" Saban said Friday. "'And I don't want you to focus and look over your shoulder at what you're competing against all the time, which sometimes can affect how you compete. You're worried about the other guy instead of what you do.' And I want them to focus on what they need to do to be successful."
Continue reading...
This might sound familiar.
Alabama completed spring practice last month without a clear-cut starting quarterback. Same deal as the previous two seasons.
So they know the drill inside the Mal Moore Athletic Complex. It can be a delicate balance with four scholarship quarterbacks vying for the spot vacated by Jake Coker's graduation. Cooper Bateman, David Cornwell, Blake Barnett and Jalen Hurts remain in the hunt.
On one hand, coaches are looking for a starter while keeping depth for the unforeseen. There's also the reality that four former top recruits can't all start this fall. And with younger players in the running, it could be a few years before the job opens again.
So how does Nick Saban manage the balance of keeping everyone satisfied in such a competitive environment?
"We're giving everybody a fair opportunity and everyone knows they're getting a fair opportunity," Saban said Friday. "I think somebody has got to take the bull by the horns and sorta win the team over. I think somebody has to do that. That's not something I can make happen. That's not something I can do for them.
"Hopefully they're all committed to their team and happy at the University of Alabama and continue to compete in that regard."
Alec Morris transferred to North Texas after the 2015 season after competing for the job in 2014 and 2015.
In the nine seasons Saban's coached at Alabama, two of the quarterbacks signed as high school players became starters. AJ McCarron (2011-13) was followed by Blake Sims in 2014. In that span, 13 quarterbacks signed with the Tide.
Transfers are inevitable, Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin acknowledgedbefore the 2015 Sugar Bowl. But that comes sitting out a year unless they already have a degree. Bateman would be the only one in that category after graduating Saturday, but he was the first-team quarterback on A-Day.
In December 2014, Bateman cited the example of Sims' patience is a reason to stick it out at Alabama instead of transferring. Sims played running back and tried safety in the four years before becoming the Tide's starter in 2014.
"That's the thing, with all the hype that recruits get out of high school, with Rivals, the rankings, all that, their mindset, they're going to start right away," Bateman said before Alabama faced Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl. "In reality, that's not the case at all. Coming here in a school like this in an Alabama program like this, I knew that wasn't going to be the case. You're going to have to sit. You're going to have to learn and that's part of the deal."
A few former Alabama quarterbacks found success after transferring from Tuscaloosa. Phillip Sims shared the starting job at Virginia in 2013. Phillip Ely was Toledo's starter to begin 2014 and again in 2015. Luke Del Rio was a walk on in 2013 before transferring to Oregon State and eventually Florida. He's one of the top contenders for the job with Jim McElwain's Gators this fall.
At least publicly, Saban hasn't indicated who the top candidates are for Alabama's 2016 job. He's said he likes to keep the competition ambiguous to avoid complacency.
As the semester ends and a brief break begins, Saban said he wants the competition to be far from his quarterbacks' minds.
"I think the big thing that I cautioned them about was 'Are you really focused on what you need to do to be a quarterback and to be a successful quarterback by making wise choices and decision,'" Saban said Friday. "'And I don't want you to focus and look over your shoulder at what you're competing against all the time, which sometimes can affect how you compete. You're worried about the other guy instead of what you do.' And I want them to focus on what they need to do to be successful."
Continue reading...
