As reporters walked into Bryant-Denny Stadium’s press box on Saturday, eyes darted to the flip cards in front of each seat. One scribe joked it felt like Christmas morning.

Reflecting off the window, it sat in all its glory: Alabama football’s 2023 depth chart.

After Nick Saban decried the practice on Monday, citing player attitudes about playing time, the public had been left wondering what the Crimson Tide’s two-deep looked like before Week 1. But Saturday’s release, hours before UA kicked off against Middle Tennessee State, provided some early insight.

Here are the key takeaways:

4 Quarterbacks listed, no clear starters

Let’s get the big one out of the way early, or rather, the big four. Alabama listed four throwers on its depth charts, listing four players as the first-team options — separating each with an ‘or’. In order, here’s how the Tide’s quarterbacks appear:

Jalen Milroe or Tyler Buchner or Ty Simpson or Dylan Lonergan

To overanalyze the sheet of paper, Buchner’s placement behind Milroe falls in line with reports that the Notre Dame transfer will be the second quarterback on the field against MTSU. Overall, the preseason three-way battle seems to be ongoing between Milroe, Buchner and Simpson while Lonergan’s mention speaks to the growth the freshman has shown since arriving in Tuscaloosa ahead of spring practices.

1st Freshman LT for Saban since 2014

A camp battle between Proctor and redshirt freshman Elijah Pritchett seems to have been won by the Iowa five-star Kadyn Proctor. The 6-foot-7 blocker will be making his debut protecting Milroe’s blindside. The last freshman left tackle to start for Saban was Cam Robinson in 2014, he’d go on to start at the position for three seasons.

7 newcomers listed as possible staters

Some new faces will hit the field for the Tide today. And the depth chart revealed many of them will be in prominent roles, like Buchner at quarterback. Proctor and fellow freshman Caleb Downs (safety) are listed as starters. JuCo wide receiver Malik Benson was listed as a co-starter with Ja’Corey Brooks at the X-position. Transfers CJ Dippre (Maryland), Jaylen Key (UAB) and Trezmen Marshall (Georgia) operate at tight end, free safety and middle linebacker, respectively.

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Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at [email protected].