Nick Saban heard the question, on whether the long Alabama football quarterback battle had any impact on his team. After his non-answer, hitting on many of the points he has repeated throughout preseason camp on the battle, he looked up at assembled media.

“You’re looking at me kind of funny, did I not explain that very well?” Saban asked.

When the reporter tried to rephrase the question, Saban established that his comprehension had not been the issue.

“I heard what you asked,” UA’s head coach said. “And I just don’t want to answer it.”

Saban has made it clear throughout camp that the job of replacing Bryce Young is still up for grabs. Jalen Milroe, Ty Simpson and Tyler Buchner are the primary contenders, with their coach using his grandmother’s cake-baking as an illustration of where the battle has been.

As he wound around answering the question asked, Saban reiterated that he wanted one of the players to force him to give them the starting role.

“How about you playing good enough that I don’t have a choice,” Saban said he told the group. “That’s what you can control, that’s what you can do and somebody needs to do that. And it’s sort of taking shape to some degree, but somebody’s gotta do it.”

After the team’s first scrimmage, Saban noted that the battle was not going to end once he decided who would take the first snap against Middle Tennessee State. He said similar on Wednesday, saying he wanted the competition to continue and he would not leave a player starting who wasn’t performing when someone behind them could do better.

And as for the extended length of the competition’s impact on the Crimson Tide, Saban said the squad is dealing with it.

“We’re gonna make the best of it for our team and our team has to make the best of it as well,” Saban said. “Whoever plays the position, everybody’s gotta play ball around them and do the best job that they can to help them play well.”

Alabama opens the season Sept. 2 against MTSU at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

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