What Jalen Milroe earning starting QB job for season opener means for Alabama football

The cake is ready. At least for the first game.

Alabama football is expected to start Jalen Milroe at quarterback for the season opener against Middle Tennessee, people with knowledge of the decision confirmed to The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Milroe is in his third season with the program and started about a game and a half in 2022; he took over for an injured Bryce Young against Arkansas then filled in for the Texas A&M game. Alabama won both games, and Milroe had good moments mixed with some blemishes.

Now, he will get the first crack at filling Young's shoes permanently on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network) at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

All we know at this point is Milroe will get the first snaps. Past that, it will be worth following. Here's what Milroe getting the starting nod means for him, the other quarterbacks and the Crimson Tide.

What Jalen Milroe starting for Alabama football could mean for the offense

Milroe starting means the Crimson Tide gets to have one of its most physically gifted players on the field. Will Anderson Jr. told The Tuscaloosa News in April that Milroe is the best athlete on the team.

Milroe's running capability is well-known and well-documented. He can flip the field on any single play with his legs. There's more to his game, though.

Milroe has a rocket of an arm, and he could do some damage with his deep ball for Alabama. In high school, the second-team defensive backs would stand behind the defense during 7-on-7 in practice. The coaching staff had to tell them to keep backing up because Milroe "was going to uncork one and you were going to be in the way," his high school coach Todd McVey said.

The key for Milroe will be continuing to minimize mistakes and be consistent. He had three turnovers against Texas A&M in the first half, but he didn't have any more in the second half. So he has shown he can adjust and learn from his mistakes. He just can't repeat them too many times.

If Milroe can play freely and with confidence, he has a chance to be one of the most dangerous offensive players in the country. He gives offensive coordinator Tommy Rees a quarterback who can make plays through the air and on the ground, something that hasn't been much part of the offense the past two seasons with Young at quarterback; Young is a talented athlete, but Alabama didn't have him run much, nor did he choose to run much when plays broke down. Milroe has shown he's not afraid to run over anyone who gets in his way when he's in the open field, but he also can just run right by some guys, too.

Milroe brings an excitement factor to the offense, but Alabama needs him first and foremost to play winning football. That means he can't turn the ball over and needs to run the offense in an efficient way that sets up his teammates for success.

How the Alabama football QB competition played out in fall camp

Milroe started the summer at the front of the pack likely based on tenure, and nothing through fall camp changed that. Despite some inconsistency at times, he didn't lose ground on his front-of-the-line spot.

Ty Simpson, in his second year with the program, was his top challenger. The former five-star quarterback had good moments in practices and scrimmages, but he didn't prove to be consistent enough to overtake Milroe for the starting job.

Meanwhile, Tyler Buchner sounded to have made improvement through fall camp but he started so far behind Milroe and Simpson that it was going to be hard for him to be in a spot to start for the first game. Yes, Buchner had a relationship with Rees from their time at Notre Dame, but Buchner had to learn Alabama's offense after transferring a few months back. That's a lot of ground to make up.

Meanwhile, freshman Dylan Lonergan certainly impressed and has shown he could be a serious contender for the job sooner than many thought. Now is too soon, though. He needs more experience and time in the offense before that's a strong possibility. Still, there's a lot to like there. Keep an eye on him.

How much will Jalen Milroe and Ty Simpson play against Middle Tennessee?

Milroe will get the start, but sooner than later, another quarterback will likely lead the offense. Saban said Thursday during his radio show that he would like to play more than one quarterback in the game.

"I've told the guy who's going to start the game, we want you to play well enough so we have an opportunity to play all the guys at the position because that's important for us," Saban said.

Whether that means another quarterback rotates in early remains to be seen. It might not happen until the second half. But it would be surprising not to see Simpson get some snaps in the game in some format. It will be worth monitoring how snaps are handled between Buchner and Lonergan, too.

Who will start for Alabama football against Texas?

So long as Milroe plays well against Middle Tennessee, he will almost certainly be the quarterback the following week against the Longhorns. If he doesn't do well against the Blue Raiders, then that will open the door to Simpson and the others.

The quarterback situation will be worth monitoring for a while, unless Milroe plays so well in the first month of the season that he completely shuts the door.

"The quarterback who plays on Saturday, that's the quarterback for Saturday," Saban said. "The life of a quarterback, any quarterback, depends on how they perform. If a guy plays well, that's what creates security at that position."

So for now, Milroe is Alabama's starter. He has to nail the audition Saturday for that not to change. His work has just begun.

Nick Kelly covers Alabama football and men's basketball for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at nkelly@gannett.com or follow him @_NickKelly on X, formerly Twitter.