Alabama Coach Nick Saban Wants Two Quarterbacks Ready For Opener

Thursday, Saban was asked about Cooper Bateman.

“I told him, ‘If you’re going to be a quarterback, we want you to improve your accuracy as a passer and your ability to take care of the ball, ‘” Saban said Thursday night in a news conference after practice.

“He did that in May, and he did that over the summer”. Coker, who transferred from Florida State last season and was the primary backup during Alabama’s run to the College Football Playoff, has been the first quarterback in the rotation during practice.

Alabama QB Jake Coker is one of three quarterbacks battling for the starting job. Jacob Coker, Cooper Bateman and Alec Morris have all been taking heavy reps this week. The Tide resumed preparations for the season-opening contest against Wisconsin in the AdvoCare Classic inside AT&T Stadium on September 5.

One decision awaiting Saban, is which quarterback will be under center.

Saban said Cornwell and freshman Blake Barnett are still getting plenty of work in practice, but Coker, Morris and Bateman “got the bulk of the work”. He helps the other players play better. His 83 collegiate catches are more than the 50 combined catches among Alabama’s other receivers.

“Marlon [Humphrey] has played out there and did a pretty good job, Mo [Maurice Smith] has played and done a pretty good job, Tony Brown has played out there and done a pretty good job [Anthony] Averett”, Saban said. “He can run, and we like a quarterback like that”.

Like he has done in the past, Saban said the team will prepare two quarterbacks for every game with a third on standby.

Saban said Alabama is preparing the quarterbacks like any team would for any game.

“Do you have to do this a certain way?” All Wisconsin knows is that it’s probably going to see more than one quarterback, and Middle Tennessee State probably will as well, if not three. Still, I think both coaches would prefer to have one player settled in as the guy for this upcoming week of game prep. “How we’re going to play them in the game, I haven’t decided”. Cornerback Bradley Sylve practiced this week with a cast on his hand but will have the cast removed next week.