Barnett shows glimpses of brilliance at QB

If it were just for those two plays, there wouldn’t be a quarterback controversy at all.

Redshirt freshman Blake Barnett showed flashes of his super-star potential during Alabama’s open practice Sunday, and it only took two plays to see what has Crimson Tide fans so excited.

First came a savvy, veteran move, as the 6-foot-5 freshman stepped away from pressure in the pocket before flinging a perfect pass to hit a wide-open B.J. Emmons in stride. Minutes later, Barnett stole the show by rolling to his left before dropping a 40-yard dime over the outstretched arms of safety Tony Brown and into the hands of receiver Trevon Diggs for a touchdown.

If it were for more plays like that, the five-star recruit from Corona, Calif., might have been leading the Tide to a championship last season.

“I think when Blake first got here, he was performing extremely well,” Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin said before practice Sunday. “At the time, we were thinking, he was really in the battle last year to be the guy.”

Barnett excelled on Alabama’s scout team last year, providing his best imitations of Tennessee’s Josh Dobbs, Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott and Clemson’s Deshaun Watson. However, he has been haunted by poor decision making this spring, showing a habit of racking up turnovers in scrimmages. He also turned in an unconvincing 9-for-16 performance during A-Day which saw him sacked six times.

“Like normal, when you are a freshman, he went up and down through some practices in spring, and really, to tell you the truth did not have his best spring,” Kiffin said. “He really had a great offseason. He had some health issues, where he lost some weight and gained weight back. He’s bigger and stronger than he has been. After a couple of days, he looks really good. He looks really strong, very quick feet. He’s continuing to grow in the offense, and we are very excited about where he is at.”

True freshman Jalen Hurts has similarly brought that excitement this spring. A true freshman has never started for the Tide at quarterback, but there times when the 6-foot-2 speedster from Channelview, Texas, looks as if he can be the exception. One of those moments came Sunday, as Hurts hurled a long touchdown pass to receiver Calvin Ridley toward the end of the practice.

“He has a very, very special skill set,” Kiffin said. “He’s a very strong kid, one of our top lifters... He’s just continuing to learn a completely new system from what he was in high school, and that transition for all players, especially quarterbacks, is difficult. But he’s handled it really well, and we’re really excited about what he’s done. Some of the plays that he makes that are really out-of-rhythm plays because he has the ability to make big plays.”

Since joining the Tide as an early enrollee in January, Hurts has been impressive. By far the most mobile of the four quarterbacks competing to be this year’s starter, Hurts created a buzz during A-Day, completing 11 of 15 passes for 120 yards and the game’s only touchdown. Sometimes its hard to remember he should have been getting ready for his high school prom at that time.

“If you come in as a mid-year and you perform well at all, you are going to be pretty good,” Kiffin said. “Most of the guys will struggle a lot.”

Despite the success of the two freshman, most believe junior Cooper Bateman will earn the starting spot for Alabama’s opener against Southern California on Sept. 3. While the junior had his moments on Sunday, he left the practice as the third out of the three quarterbacks competing on the day. Sophomore David Cornwell continued to take a limited role while dealing with a foot injury.

With Alabama’s opener looming, the pressure to find a starter would seem to grow. Logic says, the more time the Tide has with a certain quarterback in practice, the more comfortable the offense will be during games. However, the team has taken a more patient approach and believes the right candidate will arrive in time.

“We kind of don’t look at it like that,” said graduate transfer receiver Gehrig Dieter when asked Sunday if the team was in a hurry to name a starter. “Whoever is out there is out there, and at the end of the day we run our routes the same way as we would for any quarterback. They are going to put the ball on us. They are all talented, and we feel confident with whoever is going to get the job.”

During his press conference Sunday, Alabama head coach Nick Saban stated he hopes the battle is won during practice, but suggested scrimmages might be a better indicator of how well a quarterback will perform.

“You have to evaluate, is this guy ready to take that step,” Saban said. “Then you hope he is ready to take the step to do it in that circumstance to take that step in the game.”

That opportunity will present itself soon for the quarterbacks, as Alabama will hold its first intrasquad scrimmage of the fall on Saturday. Will Barnett and Hurts continue to emerge as serious contenders, or will Bateman’s veteran status allow him to gain some separation?

Until the Tide names a starter at the position, it’s anyone’s game.

“If you took a poll of times two or three weeks before the openers the last few years, it’d be mixed on who was going to be the starter,” Kiffin said. “There were times that a guy that was three or four, we felt was one that week. Then he might not play as well and a guy that was three or four might play better. There is no timetable for it, because you have to make sure you find the right guy.”

This story was originally published August 10, 2016 at 3:07 PM with the headline "Barnett shows glimpses of brilliance at QB."