As we all expected, Bryce Young continued a trend of Alabama Crimson Tide QB success in the NFL’s annual selection event, being selected first overall to the Carolina Panthers. Long considered one of — if not the — best QBs in the class, Young being selected was never in question. However, who replaces him in Tuscaloosa for the 2023 college football season is very much in question.
Who Replaces Bryce Young At Alabama After the 2023 NFL Draft?
For the longest time, the competition to replace Young following the 2023 NFL Draft appeared to be a two-horse fight between Jalen Milroe and Ty Simpson. While Milroe started for the injured Young last season and helped Alabama to a win over Texas A&M, former five-star recruit Simpson also saw some playing time.
Neither appeared to have won the job during the spring, with head coach Nick Saban offering a somewhat scathing assessment following the annual “A-Day Game.”
“I think we have guys that can make plays and as a quarterback. I like both guys’ athleticism to be able to extend plays and get out of trouble and make plays with their feet, which they did a couple times today.”
“But at the same time, I think we’ve gotta work on going through progressions and develop confidence in the passing game so that we can distribute the ball to other people who can make plays more effectively and more efficiently.”
The conundrum places Alabama in unfamiliar territory. Originally, the Crimson Tide built the foundations of a dynasty on a dominant ground game. However, they have had a string of top-tier quarterbacks to help deliver success on the field. When he’s selected later today, Young will join Mac Jones and Tua Tagovailoa as first-round passers — three in the last four classes.
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Alabama has had a succession plan at the quarterback position that has allowed them to not only be a consistent provider of excellent passers to the NFL but also to maintain a level of success at the college football level. You could say that Nick Saban’s team has put the success into succession.
The result has been no drop-off in quarterback play for the past four seasons. When Tua was selected out of Tuscaloosa in the 2020 NFL Draft, Jones was primed and ready to roll, leading the Crimson Tide to the 2020 National Championship, setting program and conference records as he did so.
When Jones became the 15th pick of the 2021 NFL Draft and ultimately the replacement for Tom Brady at the New England Patriots, Young stepped into the starting role at Alabama and took them to the College Football National Championship Game.
Although the Crimson Tide lost to the Georgia Bulldogs, Young became the first Alabama quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy. In his two seasons as the starter in Tuscaloosa, he threw for over 8,000 yards and 79 touchdowns while throwing just 12 interceptions and completing 65.8% of his passes.
In each of those transitions at the game’s most important position, the succession plan was clear. It’s different this time. Following Young’s departure to the 2023 NFL Draft, and as we come out of spring camp and barrel towards the 2023 college football season, there’s no clarity on who might be the QB1 of the Crimson Tide when they open against Middle Tennessee.
Will Milroe Replace Young Following the 2023 NFL Draft?
Having started for Young last season, Milroe appears to have a leg up in the Alabama quarterback competition. Saban has historically valued experience and familiarity with the program, and in his third season in Tuscaloosa, the former four-star quarterback out of Katy, Texas, certainly ticks that box.
He already has a start under his belt, and while the 111 passing yards and 63.1 completion percentage might not blow anyone away statistically, his three touchdowns tied for the second-most passing touchdowns in an Alabama debut.
Considered the number four dual-threat quarterback in the 2021 recruiting class, Milroe flashed his game-changing ability out of the pocket in relief of Young last fall. Against Arkansas, he was dynamic on the ground, with a 77-yard rush surpassing his passing yardage total of 65 yards. He’s deceptively fast for a bigger-framed quarterback.
That’s not to deny the 6’2″, 220-pound QB’s arm talent. Milroe has shown that he has the arm strength to find the deep third, while having the ability to throw with velocity on short and intermediate throws. Limiting turnovers and elevating his ability to read coverages will be huge for him to nail down the starting job — he threw two interceptions in the A-Day Game.
Will Simpson Replace Young Following the 2023 NFL Draft?
A redshirt freshman heading into the 2023 college football season, he might not have the same experience level as Milroe, but Simpson is ensuring that it is a true quarterback competition for the Crimson Tide this offseason.
A former-five star who was viewed as the number three quarterback in the 2022 recruiting class, Simpson was named the Tennessee Gatorade Player of the Year prior to his arrival in Alabama.
He was more productive than Milroe both through the air and on the ground during his high school career and helped Westview to a 2A Tennessee State Championship as a senior. Simpson impressed with his arm strength, poise, coverage recognition, and instincts at the high school level.
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His ability to be elusive outside the pocket was on display during the A-Day Game.
Simpson came out of high school as the better quarterback prospect, but his exposure to the college level has been limited. Ahead of the 2023 college football campaign, he has just five pass attempts on his résumé. Although he completed four of those and has a higher yards per attempt than Milroe, his lack of experience may factor against him.
That said, Simpson has familiarity with new offensive coordinator Tommy Rees. While at Notre Dame, Rees attempted to recruit the Alabama quarterback to the Fighting Irish, and the familiarity might help overcome the lack of experience when it comes to the quarterback competition.
Could Someone Other Than Milroe or Simpson Replace Young After the 2023 NFL Draft?
As we head towards summer camp and the start of the 2023 college football season, it felt like a two-horse race to replace Young as the Alabama starting quarterback. However, head coach Saban reserved some words of positivity for true freshman QBs Eli Holstein and Dylan Lonergan.
“I think that both guys are making progress. I think Dylan Lonergan has shown that he’s got a little more poise playing the position. He’s accurate throwing the ball. But Eli’s made good progress, too. I think he got in a hurry a few times today, which he was gonna do the right thing, but he also had a couple balls that were dropped that would have helped him.
“We wanted to get each one of those freshmen at least three series out there. Dylan kind of moved the team a little better. I’m pleased with the progress that they’re making, and I think they both have bright futures.”
Meanwhile, Saban hadn’t ruled out utilizing the transfer portal to strengthen the offense. The Crimson Tide had been linked to Sam Hartman and Tyler Van Dyke in recent months, and sure enough, when Notre Dame quarterback Tyler Buchner entered the transfer portal earlier this week, his connection to Alabama offensive coordinator Tommy Rees set the rumor mill ablaze.
After meeting with the team on Wednesday, Buchner announced his commitment to the Crimson Tide just hours before Young was selected first overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. Could Buchner ultimately end up being the Alabama starting quarterback? He’s battling a late arrival to the program, but he also holds some aces up his sleeve.
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Firstly, Buchner’s familiarity with Rees and his offensive scheme will help smooth any potential transition. It removes some of the complications of learning new verbiage and new plays. For all intents and purposes, the former Notre Dame quarterback should be ready to hit the ground running when Alabama opens up their summer camp.
Additionally, Buchner does have a little more experience than any of the other quarterbacks on the roster. The 6’1″, 215-pound former four-star of the 2021 recruiting class has almost double the pass attempts that Milroe has. While we’re not talking about four-year veteran levels of experience, he’s thrown for just under 1,000 yards with six touchdowns across two years.
Meanwhile, he’s proved impactful on the ground with 459 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 82 carries.
Although he fell behind Hartman on the Notre Dame depth chart following the former Wake Forest QB’s arrival in South Bend, he was named the starter for the Fighting Irish for the 2022 college football season in a campaign where injury didn’t allow the new Alabama quarterback to showcase his full potential.
Many considered Buchner a legitimate challenger to Hartman prior to his entry into the transfer portal. Now, he’ll compete with Milroe, Simpson, Lonergan, and Holstein to be the starting quarterback and successor to Young at Alabama.
