Saban narrows Alabama QB race to Bateman, Barnett

Nick Saban wouldn't name a starting quarterback Monday, but he did admit the competition for the position at Alabama is down to two players.

The legendary coach told reporters before practice that Cooper Bateman and Blake Barnett will both play against USC on Saturday.

While most expected the Crimson Tide quarterback race to come down to those two combatants, true freshman Jalen Hurts had impressed throughout fall camp, leading to some speculation he would get the nod.

The junior Bateman played sporadically in 2015, finishing with 291 yards passing with one touchdown and two interceptions, while Barnett, a redshirt freshman, came to Alabama as the top-ranked pocket-passing quarterback in the country for the 2015 recruiting cycle.

Saban is no stranger to entering a season with multiple quarterbacks. Both Jacob Coker and Bateman saw time to begin the 2015 season, before the coach decided on Coker as the starter. That proved to be a wise move, as the senior led the Crimson Tide to the national championship.