‘Really Surprising’ No Alabama QBs Entered Transfer Portal After Tyler Buchner Commitment

Getty Paul Finebaum found it "really surprising" no Alabama quarterbacks entered the transfer portal after Tyler Buchner's Crimson Tide commitment

It is “really surprising” no Alabama quarterbacks have entered the transfer portal following the commitment of Tyler Buchner — who comes to Tuscaloosa with experience in an offense coached by new Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Tommy Rees — according to Paul Finebaum. Finebaum said as much during a May 1 appearance on “McElroy and Cubelic In the morning” in Birmingham.

“It doesn’t seem like a great situation, and it’s really surprising,” Finebaum said. “I have no Earthly idea why somebody didn’t choose to go, unless it just wasn’t a very good time to go and that very well may be the explanation. There’s not a lot of great opportunities in late April, early May.”

Finebaum would go on to say that Alabama’s roster “may very well be” the second-best roster in college football behind Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs.

“As good as Alabama’s roster is, it may very well be the second-best roster in college football,” Finebaum said. “It’s all about keeping up with Georgia now, versus the other way around. He’s not only recruiting talent, he’s developing and keeping talent. … These are staggering numbers.”

Alabama QB Jalen Milroe Previously Linked to TCU

Back on February 16, Bleacher Report’s Brad Shepard linked Jalen Milroe to College Football Playoff National Championship runner-up TCU, though that was under the pretense that Ty Simpson would take the QB1 role during the spring.

“While the Crimson Tide are almost certain to get back to showcasing the run under Rees, they need a vertical presence, so lean Simpson in that race,” Shepard prefaced before saying, “If that happens, Milroe has an ideal opportunity awaiting him in his home state of Texas, where he can go play for national runner-up Sonny Dykes and the TCU Horned Frogs. kalen Milroe is a supreme athlete who could play anywhere in the nation. But the question for him—and the Alabama Crimson Tide—is can he play quarterback anywhere in the nation? Because, if he can’t, coach Nick Saban is going to go with Ty Simpson in the competition to replace Bryce Young. Milroe had moments a season ago playing when Young was injured, but he may not be a consistent enough passer to be the man in Tuscaloosa.”

Failures of TCU to fortify the quarterback room with the departure of Max Duggan to the NFL — a problem Alabama similarly had with Bryce Young — could lead to an easy path for Milroe to become the Horned Frogs’ starter says Shepard.

“Considering their failure to sign a quarterback in the ’23 class or in the portal, the shot to start for a high-value program awaits,” Shepard wrote. “All Milroe would have to do is beat out Chandler Morris and he can be a dynamic force for the Frogs.”

Playing Time ‘May Be Available’ For Alabama Transfer QB

According to CBS Sports’ Barrett Sallee, playing time figures to be available to Buchner given the A-Day play of Milroe and Simpson.

“In heading to Alabama, it looks like the playing time may be available,” Sallee wrote. “Neither Jalen Milroe nor Ty Simpson looked prepared to lead Alabama on a College Football Playoff run during their respective spring game performances, and Crimson Tide fans — coach Nick Saban in particular — expect nothing less than national championships. Milroe was 19-of-37 passing for 245 yards and two touchdowns. He added 65 yards and a touchdown on the ground, even though quarterbacks weren’t ‘live’ and couldn’t be tackled. Simpson completed 12 of 26 passes for 155 yards with an interception, which has caused consternation not only among fans but Saban himself.”

If Buchner doesn’t prove to be starter material, the hope for Alabama’s coaching staff is that the other players in the QB room step up with the increase in competition.