Former Alabama QB says Tide staff is leaning one way in quarterback competition

Former Alabama football quarterback AJ McCarron feels the Crimson Tide’s coaching staff is leaning one way at this point in its current quarterback competition.

McCarron feels the battle has come to a point where the Tide’s coaching staff has to be leaning one way because the season is getting closer with each passing day.

“There’s conversations going on in that back room and with nothing but coaches to where they’re leaning one way, and they’re just playing it one, from a tampering standpoint,” McCarron said on “The Dynasty” podcast. “So, nobody’s getting tampered with; it doesn’t mess up anybody’s mental side of things already. They’re leaning one way, I promise you. You don’t go into a competition for this long and not have a clue on who your starter is going to be. I just don’t want to see them go into the Kentucky game on the road and not have a decisive, for-sure starter, because I think you start to get yourself in trouble then.”

Keelon Russell and Austin Mack are continuing to compete for the Crimson Tide’s starting quarterback job.

The Tide’s offensive coordinator told reporters Monday a decision should be coming soon.

“We’re close. I mean, we’re getting close to game week,” Grubb said. “So I would say, you know, by next week, we’ll have to make that call.”

Grubb also shared how both quarterbacks performed in the latest practices.

“Thursday scrimmage, oh my God, like a lifetime ago,” Grubb said. “Two tip picks were the low point. I thought that they built momentum after the first couple series. First two series were just kind of honestly just clumsy initially. Operationally weren’t very good and that affected how we were executing some plays and it was quarterback driven. So once we got them over that, we moved the ball effectively, I think four straight drives. So that was encouraging to see them pop themselves out of a hole, especially to happen quick. But, you know, the last two practices have been two our best days. Not maybe, they definitely have been. So I thought we really have built on some packages there the last couple days, just got done with a great move-the-ball session. Had a touchdown and a field goal with the ones on two drives, which was awesome.”