Auburn head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] announced this week that he has decided on Payton Thorne to lead the offense as the team’s quarterback. Kirby Smart also revealed this week that Carson Beck will be Georgia’s starting quarterback, taking over for Stetson Bennett.
It seems as if every quarterback battle in the SEC has been decided. Well, all but one.
The Alabama Crimson Tide went into spring practice with Jalen Milroe and Ty Simpson battling it out for the starting quarterback role. However, head coach Nick Saban could not determine a winner, so he reached out to the transfer portal and hauled in Tyler Buchner from Notre Dame. As fall camp has progressed, Dylan Lonergan has also risen in the competition.
In a recent interview with AL.com, SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum praised Freeze for naming a starter, while criticizing Saban for dragging his feet on the matter.
“It’s remarkable that Hugh Freeze has come in – gone to the transfer portal – and now has a solid starting quarterback,” Finebaum said. “Meanwhile, over at Alabama, Nick Saban is playing musical chairs at the most important position.”
If Saban is close to naming a starting quarterback, it is obvious that he will do it on his own time.
“They all got to play,” Saban said following Saturday’s scrimmage in Tuscaloosa. “They all took snaps. They all completed some passes. They all made some throws that weren’t as good as they should have been. And they all got sacked. That’s what I saw.”
Although Thorne has been named the starter, Freeze said that [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] has practiced well this week. Even adding Saturday that Thorne will “have to play pretty well” to keep his job from being taken away by Ashford.
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