Alabama football’s quarterback battle is about to enter the second week of preseason camp. Nick Saban has been extremely clear that the competition between Jalen Milroe, Tyler Buchner and Ty Simpson isn’t over until one of them separates themselves from the rest.

On Sunday, Saban clarified that even once camp ends, the competition might not.

“Fall camp is not the beginning of the end,” Saban said he told his signal-callers. “You got an opportunity to separate yourself show you can play with consistency and play winning football at the position, but that competition goes on and on and on and we need all our quarterbacks to continue to improve and continue to compete, compete far beyond even the time that we name a starter.”

Last season, Bryce Young had some injury issues and Milroe had to step in for a start against Texas A&M. Saban has changed quarterbacks before that, most famously putting Tua Tagovailoa in for Jalen Hurts after halftime of the 2017 national title game, a move that paid off with a win over Georgia.

Saban said the current room needs to be ready in any circumstances.

“We’ve had circumstances around here where quarterbacks have changed during the course of the year,” he said. “You know what they are, you understand the history of what’s happened with this place. So that’s going to be the way this situation is. Somebody needs to separate themselves and then all the (quarterbacks) need to continue to compete so they improve so that if they do get an opportunity to play, they’re going to be ready to play and play well.”

The quarterbacks have until Sept. 2 to make their case for starting the season opener against Middle Tennessee State that day at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama is scheduled to continue camp through Aug. 26.

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