In the end, the presumptive frontrunner will find himself on the sidelines when Alabama’s offense takes to the field for the first time in 2014.
A couple of hours prior to the opener against West Virginia, and as was hinted at earlier in the week, Nick Saban confirmed to ESPN that Blake Sims will be the Tide’s starting quarterback for this afternoon’s game. Sims, AJ McCarron‘s backup in 2013, had been engaged in a competition throughout summer camp with Jacob Coker, the Florida State transfer who many (most?) had expected to stake his claim as McCarron’s successor.
The Tide head coach said the reason for his decision was that Sims knew the system better. While both Sims and Coker are in their first year with new offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin, the former had the benefit of an entire spring learning the new scheme. Coker, meanwhile, didn’t come to the Tide until the summer.
Even as Sims will start the WVU game, it didn’t sound as if he’s locked down the job for the remainder of the schedule.
“We’ll start Blake … and we’ll make the decisions and judgments from there,” Saban told ESPN.
Sims, a redshirt senior, will be making his first start at the collegiate level.