ALABAMA
Though no decision has been publicly made, Shannon B. Terry (founder of Rivals.com and 247Sports.com) may have dropped a hint as to which quarterback will start for Alabama in its season opener against Southern Cal on Sep. 3 in AT&T Stadium.
(1 of 2) #Alabama QB Bateman is trending down this fall, Barnett is improving and Hurts has won the coaches and team at this point.
— Shannon B. Terry (@sbterry247) August 22, 2016
(2 of 2) Only real decision 4 UA coaches is what is best way to develop Hurts? unless there's a sig change, he will be the QB by mid-season
— Shannon B. Terry (@sbterry247) August 22, 2016
Terry tweeted on Monday, offering his thoughts on the Alabama quarterback competition between Cooper Bateman, Blake Barnett, and Jalen Hurts.
While Bateman entered camp as the most experienced and probable starter, it’s been Hurts — a true freshman out of Texas — who has been simply scintillating with his play.
In a recent scrimmage, Hurts flashed as the most productive. Not only can he sling with with tremendous velocity, but Hurts also is dynamic with the ball in his hands as a runner.
Hurts’ ability to be a true dual-threat options offers Alabama an added dimension not seen from the quarterback position in recent memory. Should Hurts continue to trend upwards, Nick Saban may have no choice but to roll out his supremely talented — though very green — freshman signal-caller.
So with an O-line that looks very good, and a super talented and deep WR/TE corps, and talented if unproven RBs, we ought to have a pretty good offense no matter who wins the QB job. But with Hurts, we might have a great offense. The things that have hurt Nick Saban’s defense during the dynasty the most have been:
1) HUNH
2) Mobile QB
3) Weak secondary
#3 is pretty much solved, even with the current minor depth issues. #1 has been solved with recruiting different types of players and rotating them. #2 was much-improved last year; the only mobile QB that we really had any trouble containing was Deshaun Watson, and we still held him to 3.7yds/carry. Dobbs and Prescott were almost entirely bottled up. Then take into account that our defense will be faster this year, including having super-quick Rashaan Evans play inside and spy the QB, and we ought to have all three problems mostly sewn up.
That said, I’m imagining an Alabama QB who can go no-huddle (maybe also hurry-up too) and run like Blake Sims (or better) but who can throw like Jake Coker (or better). That QB is Jalen Hurts. If he’s won the job, and I trust CNS and CLK to make the right decision here, we could have a very special offense this year. Hurts’s running ability will take pressure off of the RBs, and his arm will get the ball near the playmakers catching balls, and he’s a quick learner with poise who will probably (hopefully) get settled in very quickly. If UCLA can do it with Josh Rosen, then Lane Kiffin can do it with Jalen Hurts, but better.
I think we lose 2 or 3 games with a freshman QB, including a loss to USC..
NEVER bet against the Tide.
@bambam
I said the same thing. Saban has never started a true freshman during the dominant run and in fact has always chosen the most sr signal caller. Can’t imagine him starting Hurts, even though it appears he’s a special talent.
My question is what does this say about Bateman? Also Will Barnett transfer if he’s 3rd on depth chart behind a fr. Can’t imagine he sees the field if Hurts is now the man. From the outside looking in I think Bateman is the man even though Hurts appears to be better. With the elite D, great line and talented young rbs, you just need a game Mgr.
He’s as talented as the other two or more, so talent isn’t a problem.
But you say you can’t imagine him starting and he needs to be a game manager. That’s exactly what Nick Saban wants: a game manager who limits mistakes, makes the other 10 play better, and can win the team.
If Jalen Hurts can play with consistency and limit his mistakes, and he’s won over the team and the coaches, why would he not play? He’s been on campus since January, which is enough time to have enough playbook to get by (esp. considering the way CLK can trim it down and simplify a la Blake Sims). He’s supposedly playing with more consistency and fewer mistakes than the other two in scrimmages. And now apparently he’s won over the coaches and his teammates. With all that, why would they go with anyone else on a long-term basis? If the other two were going to win the job, it’s getting close to too late to do that, and that’s doubly true if Jalen is in the lead.
I was Team Blake until recently, simply because I felt like his talent wasn’t enough different from Hurts to matter one way or the other, but that he had more experience in the offense. But now I’m Team Jalen, because he’s not throwing (as many) picks and losing handoffs like the other guys. What if a true freshman is genuinely the best and safest option?
Dp, thanks for the explanation. For the record, my definition of “game manager” is a guy who’s not the most talented QB but knows the offense well enough to get in and out of plays. A guy who has experienced SEC game speed who the coach feels good about performing on my road in hostile places. Generally, freshmen don’t fit that mold. They normally play early due to sheer talent and lack of trust in guys Sr to them. Still interested in what bambam’s take is. I do appreciate your level explanation, even though I disagree.
@Dp,
Also if Hurts is named the starter now, I think Barnett transfers. What’s your take?
First of all, Jalen Hurts will eventually start but wont against USC, he will most likely play half the game after we are up 14 points… Second, Jalen is more than a regular true freshman due to the time with the team he spent last year and the amount of practices he has participated in. In comparison to Bateman, does starting for half of a game against Ole Miss give you any realistic advantage? I wouldnt think so…. Roll Damn Tide 15-0 future 17 time champs
Hurts is an outstanding talent. If he is the best I hope Saban lets him take the helm. That being said I am going to trust whoever Saban puts out there because he has proven he can get results with whoever he decides on.
Great post, Captain Obvious.
Bazinga!
Your contribution to the conversation is on par with MSUs contribution to the SECs success. Neither of you contributed much.
I think he was trying to say your post screams, “I love lamp.” The WTFness of it is cringeworthy.
You guys have to excuse bamatime, he’s a butt hurt homer troll who lacks objectively. Too afraid to remove those red glasses. Fitting his response was to try and bash an entire university cause he was butt hurt over 1 posters remark. Ignore the troll.
Crying? What lies do you have for us today?
You’re the same guy that bashed Missouri because quantrell hurt your feelings. You continue to be a dumba$$
i say you lose 3 no matter the qb
Maybe. It would still be 4 less losses than Auburn will have. You guys will be the only west team to not make a bowl.
I wonder how many years in a row you’ve made that prediction?
Im sure Hurts is very talented and will be a solid player, but as a fan of an opposing team I hope he starts. Even the best freshman make mistakes…critical ones too. Yes, the coaches make the calls, but the player pulls the trigger. It will be interesting to watch.
I say you lose 6 no matter who the QB is.
Defense wins championships. Mammoth defense this year may be better than last year’s. Even with a freshman quarterback they could still easily go undefeated. So all you doubters keep doubting cause you’re going to do it anyway. They have 3 capable quarterbacks that can take this team all the way again.
Nobody goes undefeated easily, not even Saban. Even the great NS has only gone undefeated once.
*At Alabama.
Every team on Alabama’s schedule is hoping they do NOT have to prepare for Jalen Hurts
Was you in a barn when you posted that. It smells like it.
Would love to play him.
Tennessee has been practicing against a Duel Threat QB for three years now. A freshman DT QB, at Bama, is not gonna move the needle in Knoxville.
Combine that with the best defense and an always great running game? Not to mention one of the top 3 wide recievers in the country (Ridley) plus an oline that’s devastating. Beat Florida before you get cocky.
What’s so cocky? It’s a fact. Our defense practices against a more experienced dual threat QB all the time. They will be prepared. He wasn’t predicting we beat Bama. He is just saying that our defense won’t sweat it if Hurts gets the start. We’ll be ready for him if he does–we’ve been ready for dual threat QBs since the spring.
Not being cocky, just stating that we will not be one of the teams in the SEC that will be caught off guard against a DT QB. And Alabama always has talent surrounding the QB. If yall didn’t, then yall wouldn’t have had near the success Bama has had, because yall’s QB situation is never great.
Well I guess I misread that. Hearing “not gonna move the needle in Knoxville” seemed cocky to me. My bad.
No prob. The thing that I think most worries Tennessee about Bama’s offense this year are your WR/TE. Ridley/Stewart/Howard is already ridiculous enough, but then yall added Dieter, who torched our now backup CB when we played Bowling Green last year. We got pressure on Coker and did a decent job against Henry last year, but we had a lot of trouble with yalls receivers, especially on that last drive. I’m sure Kiffin will try to exploit that again this year, if yalls QB proves capable.
I wonder if this guy would bet his house on his well described choice for Bama’s QB this year. Is Hurts the answer at Bama? I don’t know, but I can recognize a quote, “DUEL THREAT”, worshipper when I see this kind of stuff printed. Is Hurts that good or is this fool trying to get in the head of the other candidates. Is what he wants doesn’t really matter. What Saban wants is what I am waiting for, because that is what matters and I think he is better placed and more qualified to make this decision.Can we really trust what anyone says if all they have is an opinion. Saban produces a team playing for Championships. This guy sells hot air for a living. Waiting on Coach to say who the starter is does not produce heartburn. Some freshman running around throwing crap all over the place depending on luck, and God to make a reception or an interception would cause Nexium and Tums stock to spike to unbelievable highs for the next 18 or 20 weeks. Bama does not need more excitement or Heismans at QB. We need someone smart enough to use the talent around him. Just saying….
Kiffin has stayed away from dual threat qbs everywhere he has been. He even told a well known athletic qb who had already committed that he didn’t fit the system while at Tenn…so the kid went to Clemson instead (Taj Boyd). Im interested to see how he handles Hurts.
I recall the last freshman QB at BAMA. Jeff Rutledge-I see Jalen as better than Jeff based on the explosive mobility and quick release. I think he is the dual threat that will do other teams what Manzell did at TA&M.
Conway – How did he handle Blake Sims (whom he also recruited in 2010 while at TN)?
With care, like his girlfriends
It sounds like Hurts is much more of a true dual threat than Sims was. LK did a nice job with him though, to answer your question. Im anxious to see what Bama does in the opener.
If anything gave me heartburn, it was reading your stupid post. Clearly you haven’t kept up with news around the Bama practices and scrimmages. Hurts isn’t just some Freshman out there “throwing crap all over the place depending on luck” as you said. He’s apparently making all of the throws and plays that Bateman and Barnett are struggling with. Also if you haven’t noticed, Saban is one of the best at adapting to the game. If Watson at Clemson can give us so much trouble, Saban knows how much trouble Bama would give other teams with a guy like that under center, paired with all of the talent we already have.
I’d like to see Saban start Hurts, freshman or no. Every report coming out of Tuscaloosa has said the same things: Hurts has distinguished himself as a field leader and “won” his teammates’ respect; Hurts has a cannon for an arm and throws with exceptional accuracy, especially for a running QB; and his dual-threat versatility gives the offense an entirely different and potent capability. Given the Tide’s dominating defense and the fact that Scarbrough, Harris, Emmons, etc. have yet to mature, the additional dimension he brings to the offense ought to be a plus at the beginning of the season and pose the Tide’s opponents down the road a helluva challenge to their game planning.
Saban always has a choice based on, you know, a fairly substantial resume.
Walt
UT ’81
It is really hard to believe all these experts (fans and media) have any idea of reality. The access to players and coaches at Bama is better than we see at the White House today.Every word from the Bama camp has said that there is no QB yet. When they know, we’ll know. Simple, direct and there is NOTHING any fool can say that matters a teeny, tiney damn. Hurts has not taken over the team nor is he the anointed – one so many of you seem to wish for. How do I know this? Saban is the coach. Any QB running around like a chicken with it’s head cut off and throwing the ball on whims or in desperation, is not going to last long enough to transfer. Whoever starts will run a controlled and balanced offense and will probably play for a Championship. Barnette is not going to transfer because he understands this. Hurts won’t start because he is trying to learn how to play this way. If Bateman blows it, then one of them may move up, but not before. Saban is not going to waste a season just to get a few AAAHHHHSSS from the stands. He is playing for a Championship, the real question is are you cheering and hoping for another one?
When Jalen enrolled at Bama, I really didn’t think about him too much. There are so many players to keep up with. However, once I did manage to pull up an extensive bio on him and noticed the young man was a coach’s son, a member of the National Honor Society and looked at his HS stats and highlights, my interest was piqued. I felt like this kid could be the future of Alabama at the QB position. However, I didn’t think he would be as good as he “appears” to be as quickly.
To be honest, although it is rather embarrassing now, I was on the David Cornwell bandwagon because I like big quarterbacks. I was hoping for a Ben Roethlisberger type QB at Alabama. It didn’t take long for me to jump on the Hurts bandwagon though. Other than “ideal” height, the kid seems to have it all. He seems to be smart, strong-armed, physically strong, athletic and emotionally mature for his age. Bama is due for a truly “great” QB (no offense to AJ who was very good) and maybe this kid is it.
Bryant (yes that is my name)
These comments even from bama fans are amusing.
This is a blake sims with more talent. Neither played before the season sarted but both won over the team.
Both can run and I believe hurts can run better. He even found success in the spring game.
Kiffin wants a mobile QB. Period. How awkward did Coker look running sometimes… but he almost always found first downs.
Hurts is the real deal and fits the offense better then any player has. He is a future Russell wilson if you watch him play you will see it. He can throw the ball with tremendous velocity and doesn’t second guess his decisions(which the other have done) which leads to interceptions.
I am very excited for this season because it will be fun to watch. We get a great advantage for the future as well.
Wow, was this an ON TARGET article.
Well done, JASON FRAYCHINEAUD.
I, and most of the pundits, media, and fans had Cooper Bateman as Starter with Blake Barnett coming in — and how much playtime either had depended merely on their in game success.
No one really had Jalen Hurts as playing in the Season opener at all (maybe mop up if the score was out of hand). When media asked Saban days before game.. He said that Bateman and Barnett were the TWO left in the Quarterback ‘battle’ and they were listed on the depth chart together. Saban went on to say Hurts was young, and they had ‘hopes’ he would be able to contribute further down into the season.
Saban post game freely admitted that the game plan all along was to put Hurts in the 3 series (not quarter, but series) no matter what. (As you saw it cost USC a timeout and shocked me (and I’m sure a TON of other people seeing hurts just come out under center just after game got started).
Then Hurt’s was to keep the ball and run it,.. but there was miscommunication and Harris (RB) Thought he was to run the ball. So the play action (fake handoff) created a fumble as both Hurt’s and Harris were both trying to grab the ball and run with it. Ball comes out .. and Bama loses possession on Hurt’s first play.
IF this was intended for the RB to get the ball it’s still miscommunication and technically Hurt’s fault but not some bad hands etc by him.. he was trying to keep the ball to run with it with the quick ‘fake handoff’ to Damien Harris — IF, Damien Harris was to just fake the ‘take’ and Hurts continue foward then it’s Damien Harris’s fault and while it looked really bad for Hurt’s — either scenario still makes sense why he was immediately thrown back in the game.
But I just had to comment that Hurt’s is the most talented QB on the team and for a True freshman,.. with just X months of learning under his belt at this level — he’s a STRONG contender to be Alabama’s QB for the season and forward. His maturity at his age and obvious ability is abnormal and he’ll only get better each game he plays.
Blake Barnett is the #2 guy at this point. But I firmly believe he’s still in the ‘hunt’ if Hurt’s starts making a lot of mistakes — As Barnett is at least 80% the talent Hurt’s is,.. and showed it with his ‘mop up’ duty late in the game (But we have to remember this was with a 30+ point lead,.. pressure is completely off at this point for him.)
It would not surprise me to see Barnett come in and start the next game or even Ole Miss game to throw them off — I think Saban may continue to tinker with the two QB’s (Hurts and Barnett) to throw off the DC/Coach of opposing team for at least 1-2 more games until one QB is settled in.
The main property/quality that matters as both the QB’s are well talented enough — is which one has the TEAM behind them, which one is showing the best leadership. I think from the high profile USC game, that is without question Jalen Hurt’s. The team rallied behind the guy after the showing of Hurt’s INSANE Arm strength with the beautiful bomb to the end zone for TD #1 with ArDarius Stewart — and continued to do so as Hurts went on , in his true freshman debut,.. to have 2 passing Touchdowns,.. and 2 Rushing Touchdowns.
He has the best arm, and the best set of legs — He’s just the youngest, but as the article states he seems to still be ‘ahead’ of the others in leadership and the true leader of the team going forward.
I read a lot of these comments and I would have and was very close to the same sentiments a few weeks ago — but Saban and Co. pulled a fast one — which makes this ‘predictive’ article so great. You called it,.. if you had insider information it sure didn’t leak far or at least people didn’t catch on to it in the media. As the local media had Barnett and Bateman playing with Hurt’s not at all — and then the day OF the game it was officially leaked that Barnett was to start the game. (Which surprised me as I was sure Bateman was going to start).
All of that said,.. I’m really happy it turned out QB wise the way it had. Alabama fans have wanted a young Quarterback who will be around for more than 1 season for years now — and now regardless of who we go with (hopefully Hurt’s will just get better),.. that’s exactly what we have.
Finally, I suspect Saban will probably retire when this final freshman QB goes to NFL — That said, Saban is a bit insecure about leaving coaching as he’s made clear in some interviews — So his words are he will continue coaching Alabama until he feels he isn’t coaching to the same level he currently is/has been — OR, he for some reason loses the same motivation that drives him to do what he does so successfully. So I prepare myself to have Saban another ~3 Years. anything beyond that is just bonus.