Fact-check: Is Jalen Milroe a freshman? Exploring the QB depth chart of Alabama Crimson Tide

With the Crimson Tide, Nick Saban is known for producing elite quarterbacks. After the departure of Bryce Young for the NFL, who had been the starting quarterback for the previous two years, it was time for a new era of quarterbacks to blossom under Saban once more.

This time, the contest for the starting quarterback position was between Tyler Buchner, Jalen Milroe, and Ty Simpson ahead of Albama's season opener versus Middle Tennessee.

It was Jalen Milroe who came out on top to be named the starting in Alabama's season opener. While Saban made it clear that the decision to choose Milroe was limited to only the game against Middle Tennessee, the young QB did not disappoint, putting up a spectacular show on the field as Alabama cruised to a 56-7 victory.

Jalen Milroe has been a part of the roster since his debut season in 2021 as a backup to Bryce Young. So, is Jalen Milroe a freshman? The answer to this is no. Milroe is not a freshman, but a redshirt sophomore heading into the 2023 season. His freshman season was in 2021, where he appeared in just four games recording 41 passing yards and one TD. Thus he redshirted his freshman season.

During Alabama's season opener against Middle Tennessee on Saturday night, Milroe gave fans a glimpse of why coach Saban decided to start the redshirt sophomore. During the game, he racked up 194 passing yards and three passing TDs, finding Isaiah Bond, Jermaine Burton, and Amari Niblack with his long passes.

As the team celebrates overcoming their first hurdle after their 2023 campaign, they have a bigger challenge ahead of them as they face the tough Texas Longhorns on September 10.

Prior to their game against Middle Tennessee, Saban informed fans on his Radio show last Thursday that naming Milroe as QB1 was a decision just meant for the season opener, and the competition for the starting role is still up for grabs to the one who performs the best.

"I do think one thing that everybody is sort of going to be interested in with this whole quarterback situation. The quarterback who plays on Saturday, um, that's the quarterback for Saturday. And the life of a quarterback, any quarterback, depends on how they perform", Saban said.

---

Alabama QB depth chart: Exploring the options between Jalen Milroe, Tyler Buchner, and Ty Simpson

While Jalen Milroe got his chance to shine as a starter on Saturday, the game against Middle Tennessee still saw Tyler Buchner and Ty Simpson get on the field in the later half of the game.

Buchner racked up 27 passing yards, while also scoring one rushing TD. On the other hand, Simpson scored one rushing TD, while just passing for five yards.

We saw Tyler Buchner transfer from Notre Dame after injuring his shoulder last season. He was competing with Drew Pyne for the QB1 job with the Fighting Irish before Sam Hartman came in to replace him during his injury.

Buchner was named as a starter by Alabama OC Tommy Rees when he was with Notre Dame. Now, the duo have paired up once again, and Tyler Buchner still has work to do to impress Nick Saban to be bestowed another opportunity like that.

Ty Simpson on the other hand, made his debut last season while appearing in just four games. He was the preferred choice after Bryce Young and Jalen Milroe and redshirted his first year with the program.

Middle Tennessee Alabama Football

The game against the Texas Longhorns will be an even more difficult game than the one Alabama had against Middle Tennessee. Thus, there is still a chance for Tyler Buchner and Ty Simpson to impress their coach and earn a spot as a starter for that game.

If not, Saban can maybe trust Jalen Milore enough after the performance he put up in his first game of the season as a starter.