- 1,612
- 9
- 38
Alabama football recently landed Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner to help with uncertainty at quarterback, but Nick Saban was late to the transfer portal.
Nick Saban has a problem with Alabama football entering the 2023 season. And after producing three straight first-round picks at quarterback in Bryce Young, Mac Jones and Tua Tagovailoa, it’s wild to think that the man under center is the one in question for the Crimson Tide.
Alabama recently reunited new offensive coordinator Tommy Rees with Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner after neither Ty Simpson nor Jalen Milroe gained many fans in the spring. But even with the familiarity, relying on a player who was a disaster in the Irish’s loss to Marshall and struggled overall when he was healthy last season is not exactly comforting for fans in Tuscaloosa.
When you look back, though, this could’ve been avoided. The transfer portal was rich with quarterback talent back in December and January, but Nick Saban and Alabama football failed to act. Now they’re in this sticky situation with no real answer at QB.
Specifically, though, it’s hard to look at these three quarterbacks and not feel like they were missed opportunities for Alabama football in the transfer portal.
Grayson McCall could’ve been a perfect fit for Tommy Rees at Alabama
Now, you’re probably thinking that Grayson McCall is still at Coastal Carolina, so how is this even possible. This isn’t me throwing a name like Tyler Van Dyke — who Bama was rumored to be trying to lure into the transfer portal and away from Miami — though.McCall initially elected to put his name in the transfer portal back in December with news that his former head coach Jamey Chadwell was taking off for Liberty. However, on Jan. 1, he announced his decision to withdraw his name from the transfer portal and return to the Chanticleers for another season of questionable urine color.
There was interest from other SEC schools, namely Auburn and Florida, to try and get McCall to where it just means more, but it speaks to his desire to stay at Coastal that he turned that down and made the decision that he ultimately landed on. But we all know that Alabama football is a different beast.
Tommy Rees wasn’t in Tuscaloosa at the time (more on that in a bit), but with hindsight being 20-20, it’s hard not to look at McCall being in the portal and not think he would’ve been perfect for that offense. Given the success that Rees had with Ian Book, giving him an upgraded prototype of a similar type of player but with a better arm could’ve been special.
Instead, Grayson McCall is playing on teal turf and Bama is scrambling for answers.