Nick Saban and his staff added a 5th scholarship quarterback to the Alabama QB room on Thursday with the addition of Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner. The Alabama head coach said the move is about adding competition coming out of spring practice.

Saban was in Kansas City on Thursday for the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He visited the ESPN “College GameDay” set and was asked about his newest player.

“We wanted to give our quarterbacks in our program every opportunity to win the job in spring practice, and we felt like we needed to add some competition in the room,” Saban said during his GameDay appearance.

“We think he’s got the right kind of character and attitude to be a positive influence on our team,” Saban added.

Alabama returns redshirt sophomore Jalen Milroe and redshirt freshman Ty Simpson from the 2022 team. UA signed a pair of 4-star quarterbacks in its 2023 class. Both Eli Holstein and Dylan Lonergan early enrolled to participate in spring practice.