Nick Saban updates Alabama quarterback competition between Mac Jones, Bryce Young

Alabama has the luxury of having three viable quarterbacks to pick from for the 2020 season. Who will Nick Saban go with when the Crimson Tide kick off the season? 

Alabama begins their quest for redemption on September 26th against Missouri and the biggest storyline to follow with the Crimson Tide until that game takes place is who will be quarterbacking the offense.

Nick Saban and offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian will have a difficult decision to make when it comes to picking who will be the starter between Mac Jones, Bryce Young and Paul Tyson. Saban has been impressed with all three young men but acknowledges they all need to continue to improve.

“I think that they’ve done a good job,” Saban said. “I think Mac has had a really good week this week, had a really good day on Saturday. Maybe not quite what we’d want in the first scrimmage, but a lot of guys didn’t play as well as we’d like in the first scrimmage. But we made a huge improvement to the next Saturday and hopefully, we’ll make another big jump this Saturday.”

Mac Jones is the likely winner of the Alabama quarterback competition but don’t be surprised if Bryce Young plays a significant role as a backup too

Jones is heading into his fourth year with the program and saw some action under center last year when Tua Tagovailoa was lost for the season due to injury. During that time, Jones threw for 1,503 yards, 14 touchdowns and three interceptions. He is widely expected to win the starting job and is one of the leading Heisman Trophy candidates.

Young has received a lot of hype due to being a five-star recruit but as a freshman, he may be limited to spot-duty behind Jones unless the senior loses his stranglehold on the job. Tyson is a redshirt freshman who has an uphill battle to win the job but is most likely looking at being a third-string option or insurance policy in the event Jones or Young are hurt.

Saban has noticed Young’s talents throughout camp and also mentioned that Tyson has improved greatly during this extended offseason.

“I think Bryce has shown he’s a very talented guy,” Saban added. “He’s just got to get more knowledge and experience to be able to be a little more consistent in terms of his execution. And Paul (Tyson) has made a significant amount of improvement, as well. We’re gonna keep working with them. If they were where they needed to be, we wouldn’t need to practice anymore, and I promise you, we all need to practice.”

Alabama missed out on the College Football Playoff last year but is in good shape to get back again in 2020. If they do, their quarterback will play a huge part in getting them to that pinnacle.

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