QB Jalen Milroe of Alabama I just made his departure known

A rookie starting quarterback’s loss is typically a part of the learning process. However, it can be seen as an indication that adjustments are required at Alabama, where winning a national championship is expected.

In his collegiate career, Jalen Milroe has only made three starts, two of which were in 2023 as the backup quarterback following Bryce Young’s departure for the NFL. But the Crimson Tide are changing things up at quarterback following a devastating 34-24 loss to Texas in Week 2, which was the worse home loss in Nick Saban’s Alabama tenure.

Tyler Buchner is anticipated to start for the Crimson Tide at quarterback when the squad travels to Tampa to take on South Florida, according to John Talty of 247Sports. This will be an early quarterback switch for Alabama.

Although the move seems to be coming early in the season, Alabama now has a daunting task since they just have one game left before starting the SEC portion of their 2023 campaign.

Why Tyler Buchner will start at quarterback instead of Jalen Milroe

Excellent quarterback performance has long been a hallmark of the Crimson Tide. Though Jalen Hurts won his while at Oklahoma, every starting quarterback for the Crimson Tide since 2016 is presently a starter in the NFL and has received votes for the Heisman Trophy at some point.

That does not imply that Alabama expects its starting quarterbacks to win Heisman Trophy votes, but it does imply that the quarterback must perform well on a regular basis if the team is to win a national championship.

Sadly, Milroe’s performance against Texas was subpar. Although Milroe only completed 14 of 27 passes (51.9 percent) and had two interceptions, his accuracy was astounding.Four plays worth a turnover were identified by ProFootballFocus throughout his start, making up 9.3% of his passes.

His two interceptions cost him money. After a strong start to the Crimson Tide’s drive, the first was returned to the Alabama 30 to set up a Texas field goal after the Longhorns were forced to punt on the previous play. The second was the game-winning touchdown that the Longhorns needed to defeat Alabama, and it occurred one play after they had taken a 20-16 lead once more.

On Wednesday, at an SEC teleconference, Nick Saban stated that there was no safe starting position.

According to Nick Saban, “We examine every position every week.” “Guys need to play well if they want security in their place. Everyone on our team is aware of that. I believe that everyone has tried to improve and get better in a positive way. Like we do with every position, we’ll be continuously evaluating that one.”

Buchner’s list of accomplishments is not particularly impressive. He was a member of the Notre Dame team before joining Alabama. There, he completed 67 of 118 passes (56.8%) for 949 yards, six touchdowns, and eight interceptions. In addition, he ran 82 times for 459 yards and seven touchdowns. Tommy Rees departed Notre Dame this past offseason to take over as offensive coordinator at Alabama, and Buchner followed his former coach through the transfer gate to become a member of the Crimson Tide. There should be some familiarity between Buchner’s and Rees’ schemes, which could facilitate Buchner’s transfer for the Crimson Tide under center.

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Why switch away from South Florida? There is not much time left for Saban and the Crimson Tide. In Week 4, Alabama takes on No. 17 Ole Miss, an SEC West opponent that will be eager to defeat the Crimson Tide. Additionally, a second defeat would virtually mean the Crimson Tide will miss the College Football Playoff for a second consecutive season, given Alabama’s unwavering hopes of winning the national championship. Buchner has time to experience playing as the starter before taking the field against a far more formidable opponent by starting the game against South Florida.

Additionally, Saban will have the opportunity to move quarterbacks once more if Buchner fails against an opponent who is outmatched because he will have had time to consider his choices.

In Alabama’s quarterback depth chart, Buchner now seems to have replaced Milroe after the latter was first defeated in the quarterback competition at the beginning of the 2023 season. In the event that Buchner struggles, Saban and the coaching staff will need to decide whether to look farther down the depth chart or return to Milroe.

A five-star recruit for 2022 named Ty Simpson would be behind Buchner and Milroe. Simpson has played in five games for the Crimson Tide thus far in his collegiate career, but he has not seen much action. In addition to running twice for 12 yards and a touchdown, he has completed five of six throws for 40 yards. Simpson has the mobility to run if necessary, but his profile is more that of a pocket passer.