According to many prominent people… Jalen was strongly encouraged to declare for the draft by the staff. So the likelihood of him starting this year was slim to none. If Saban stayed another year…. IDK. Saban probably would’ve started him just based off how he got better and how he was the guy that the team liked, but as far as a leash… who really knows. Mostly because we don’t really know the quarterback group had he stayed.I get everyone knocking the coaches for the Jalen Milroe experiment. And this isn’t an attack, but I do believe the reason for the long leash was because of 2 staffs. Had Nick and Rees stayed a second year I believe Milroe may have been pulled at some point for Ty , like Jalen was pulled Tua . Milroe is that superb athlete that if the light comes on for him, he could be the best dual threat ever. The new staff thought they could turn the light on for him, Like Sark , then Rees before them.
We complain, but Jalen did get us within a play or two from playing in the National Championship game.
Also the Hurts to Tua move is far more complicated than what many believe it to be. Saban was more forced to make that decision by his staff than actually coming up with the move by himself. Saban for a long time was spooked by the Henson-Brady game in which he was on the opposite side of the field of, and has always valued the experience and guy who doesn’t turn the ball over more than than the guy with the highest ceiling but was prone to more turnovers. In 2017 Saban was constantly at war with his offensive staff over who should be quarterback and it almost blew up in his face twice that year. The halftime of the national championship they forced him to make that decision.