Alabama is in the midst of a 3-man race to replace Bryce Young. The competitors are:
-- Jalen Milroe, the default favorite given that he played the game and a half Young missed last season. While getting starter's reps in the second half versus Arkansas and the entire Texas A&M game, Milroe went 16-of-28 for 176 yards with four touchdowns against one interception. Milroe also rushed 23 times for 174 yards and a touchdown over that span. The redshirt sophomore is an explosive athlete and would offer the more in the run game than any Tide quarterback since Jalen Hurts, and perhaps even more than him, too.
-- Ty Simpson, a redshirt freshman who threw five passes while playing in his allotted four games while not burning the 'shirt. The son of UT-Martin head coach Jason Simpson and a former 5-star recruit, Simpson is the least experienced of the bunch but also possesses the most arm talent.
-- Tyler Buchner, the wild card of the bunch. Buchner transferred in May, following offensive coordinator Tommy Rees from South Bend to Tuscaloosa. Buchner has the most experience within the offense, but the least familiarity with the personnel. Also a redshirt sophomore, Buchner has played in 13 career games with three starts.
All three offer something the other two do not. Simpson appears to be the favorite of the pundit class, but Saban said Wednesday he is in no hurry to declare a winner.
"Grandma Saban used to bake the best cakes in the world. I used to stand by the oven when I was a kid and say, 'When's this cake going to be done? When's this cake going to be done?' And she said, 'If I take it out of the oven too soon it's going to turn to mush.'
"So I think we've got to let this develop and make sure we let the cake bake until somebody separates themselves. All the players are working hard, they all have a good attitude, they're all competing well."
Alabama is destined to take a step down at quarterback after losing a Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 draft pick, but Saban believes the personnel around whoever wins the quarterback job will be better in 2023 than '22.
"The receivers are the same guys -- older, more experienced. We've got good runners. The offensive line doesn't have a lot of experience but we've got some good young players who have developed nicely. Tight end, we have a transfer there that can help us and some young guys that are developing."
Saban has shown he'll pull the cake out of the oven when it's ready, not when the buzzer sounds, in this case the first snap of the Sept. 2 opener vs. Middle Tennessee.
In 2015, Saban alternated between Jake Coker and Cooper Bateman through September before Coker won the job. Alabama won the national title that season.
In 2017, Hurts was memorably entrenched as Alabama's starter until he wasn't, at halftime of the national title game. Alabama also won the national title that season.
For what it's worth, Saban's favorite flavor of cake is carrot. If you're Buchner, Milroe or Simpson, the coming days and weeks should be spent in the playbook, in the weight room, and in the film room so your head coach feels comfortable cutting himself a slice of the notably sweet, moist and cream cheese-topped dessert by opening day.