Do not ask Nick Saban who will be the starting quarterback at Alabama because he will not give a definitive statement. The race to replace Blake Sims is on with four players pushing to be the starter in a week against Wisconsin. Alabama has been dealing with the quarterback battle and quarterback questions during all of spring practice and fall camp and Saban is no closer to making a decision than he was the last time he was asked about the issue.
With just a week until the Crimson Tide kick off their 2015 season, there is no indication of a starting quarterback being named. According to Aaron Suttles of the Tuscaloosa News, the race is on between Jake Coker, Cooper Bateman, Alec Morris and David Cornwell. As of now, Blake Barnett does not appear to be in the running while Cornwell might also be out of the race. Cornwell suffered a slow start to camp, but is now working on making headway and catching up. According to Saban via AL.com, he does not appear to be an option.
"David Cornwell has done a really, really good job," Saban said, via AL.com. "He struggled early on in camp and he's certainly getting better all the time and we have a lot of confidence that he'll be a good player in the future."
Alabama fans will not want to hear this, but according to Saban the team will likely play more than one quarterback in the opener against Wisconsin. This was the situation last year when Sims and Coker split reps against West Virginia. While there is no reason to rush the situation, fans are anxious about finding their man, but Saban will not feed into it.
"I don't have a gun to my head. I'm comfortable with it," Saban said, via the Tuscaloosa News. "I could name a starter but I don't want to have to un-name one."
There is also a battle to replace Amari Cooper and the production he put up last season. The Tide have a fresh batch of wide receivers that could be led by ArDarius Stewart who has been earning a lot of buzz this offseason and Richard Mullaney who transferred from Oregon State. Mullaney appears to be a big playmaker for Alabama this season and could make an immediate impact as he enters his senior season.
"He's been doing a really good job," Saban said, via AL.com. "He's got great hands, very smart player, very instinctive, knows how to get open and is especially effective in the slot. He's definitely going to help us this year, and his maturity and experience is something that to a very young, inexperienced group has been very welcomed by us, and, I think, our other players."
