You know summer has arrived once the annual college football preview magazines begin to hit the shelves. With Athlon Sports and Lindy’s Sports both having published their 2018 editions, it is time for college football junkies to dive in for some summer reading.

The latest edition of the Athlon Sports magazine can be purchased online here, while the Lindy’s Sports magazine can be ordered here. Both magazines are also currently found at bookstores and newsstands.

One of the best sections of the magazines come from unnamed coaches that open up due to the anonymity they are promised. For Alabama, the anonymous coaches that were interviewed are just like everyone else — they want to know how Nick Saban will handle his quarterback competition heading into the 2018 season.

However, unlike some very vocal Alabama fans out there, these coaches seem to have a very high opinion of Jalen Hurts and don’t believe the competition has already been won by Tua Tagovailoa. One also suggests the turnover from Brian Daboll to Mike Locksley will serve Alabama’s offense better in 2018.

These comments from the Athlon Sports 2018 SEC preview magazine:

“If only we were all so lucky to have the problem Nick (Saban) has: Two quarterbacks with the talent to win it all. But I absolutely think he’s going to have to manage that dual-quarterback problem like he never has had to. Don’t believe that idea that if you have two quarterbacks, you dont’ have one. That’s ridiculous. We’d all kill for (Jalen) Hurts and Tua (Tagovailoa)… I was just blown away watching that national title game last year, and all of those true freshman running around making play after play for that offense. Three receivers, a left tackle, a stud tailback who barely saw the field, and of course, Tua. What a future there… They’re losing a lot on defense; that front will be completely retooled. They still might have the best edge guy in our league in Raekwon Davis… They’re struggled in the secondary at times over the last three or four seasons and have given up some big plays. They gamble a lot — something you can do when you get after the QB like they do.”

These comments from the Lindy’s Sports 2018 SEC preview magazine:

“He changed offensive coordinators and I think that will really help because Mike Locksley is more tuned into running the offense Nick wants… Locksley is an RPO guy. This wil be the job that gets Locksley a head job. The guy is sharp… Nick Saban’s got a quarterback issue. It’s not a bad issue because he’s got two good players, but he’s got to get a resolution that works for him and the team… You have to design an offense to help Hurts. He’s got a different skill set than Tua. Hurts is unbelievable. He’s a hard guy to beat because of what he can do with his feet. They’ve got talent and a damn good offensive line for what they want to do — and that is push you around and win in the fourth quarter.”

What do you think, do you agree with these takes?