Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
The Alabama Crimson Tide enter spring practice in search of a starting quarterback to lead an offense that will be without many of last season’s key contributors. The player who wins the starting role for the upcoming season will not have the luxury of an experienced offensive line, nor will he have the record-setting Amari Cooper to throw to. Alabama returns only two starters along the offensive line, but the offense does return one of its top rushers in Derrick Henry. Unfortunately, he is the only returning skill player who accounted for meaningful production in 2014.
Despite the aforementioned inexperience and losses of personnel, the expectations for the Crimson Tide remain high as usual.
The quarterback battle will likely be centered around Jake Coker, who will be entering his senior season, and Alec Morris, a rising junior. Blake Barnett is an early-enrollee and was one of the top recruits in the country, however, he will only be a freshman this season. The likelihood that Barnett competes for the starting job is minimal at best.
Coker is the prohibitive favorite despite having thrown only 100 passes in his collegiate career, but he looked solid in a limited role last season. The expectations heaped upon Coker seem unrealistic, the majority of which came after a supposedly close quarterback battle with Jameis Winston while he was enrolled at Florida State. Whether the position battle with Winston was as close as it has been rumored to be or not, it speaks to the talent that coaches see in Coker.
Coker’s size and arm strength have coaches drooling. He is listed at 6-foot-5, 230 pounds and possesses reasonable athleticism. Coker seems like an ideal fit for the pro-style offense Alabama runs. His supporting cast, while young, is very talented. Coker’s greatest challenge will be managing the expectations that come with being the starting quarterback for one of the premier programs in the country.
Coker will be under pressure and will be judged based upon his own performance and the team’s overall performance. Last season, Alabama boasted one of its most balanced and successful offenses in school history. Coker will bear the burden of replicating last season’s performance while balancing personal expectations. Fans and analysts have spoken a great deal about his potential, and some have even mentioned Coker as a potential finalist for the Heisman Trophy.
While predicting a Heisman Trophy run might be presumptuous, there is reason to believe that Coker could put up impressive numbers as the starting QB. Alabama’s offense uses a multitude of formations and shifts in order to create matchup problems for opposing defenses. If for some reason the passing game is slow to mature, Alabama could rely on their strong rushing attack until Coker and his receivers get up to speed.
Coker has been a part of two quarterback battles so far in his career, and he has failed to win either of them. This year, look for Coker to finally have the opportunity to lead an offense and to put up the type of production that has been expected of him. Alabama has had recent success with first-year starters at QB, and Coker will continue that trend in 2015.
Levi Dunagan is a SEC Football writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Levi275.
