TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Nick Saban isn’t ready to name a starting quarterback. At the moment, he isn’t even sure how many passers he’ll use during this weekend’s season opener against Middle Tennessee State.

However, reporters’ attempts to squeeze a bit of quarterback news from the head coach didn’t go completely in vein during his Monday press conference. While Saban didn’t offer up much of an update on Alabama’s quarterback battle, he did divvy out praise to Jalen Milroe when asked directly about the redshirt sophomore.

"I think Jalen has made a significant amount of improvement," Saban said. "I think he's more comfortable in the pocket. I think he has more confidence in the way he executes and the way he plays.”

While Alabama did not release a depth chart Monday, Milroe is expected by many to be the starting quarterback for Saturday’s opener against MTSU. According to sources, the redshirt sophomore worked exclusively with the first-team offense during Alabama’s second scrimmage and has primarily been first in line in the unit throughout the offseason.

Milroe filled in for an injured Bryce Young last season, coming off the bench during the win at Arkansas before beating Texas A&M in his first career start the following week. Over eight appearances, he completed 58.5% of his passes for 297 yards and five touchdowns with three interceptions while adding 265 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

“He's been more consistent in the way he's played,” Saban said. “I think that's going to be the key to the drill for him to be able to maintain that consistency in every practice so he is developing the kind of habits that are going to carry over into the game and help him be successful."

If Milroe does earn the start, he likely won’t be the only Alabama quarterback to see the field Saturday. According to sources, redshirt freshman Ty Simpson has also separated himself in the competition and is pushing Milroe for the starting role. Other quarterbacks in the mix include Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner and true freshman Dylan Lonergan.

“I think the whole room has had a lot of growth,” Alabama center Seth McLaughlin said. “Each guy has gotten a lot better. It’s been easier playing center for each guy, taking reps throughout camp. I’m glad to see how those guys are progressing and I think any guy that goes out this week is going to have a good time and play well.”

When asked Monday, Saban said he hasn’t decided whether or not he will use multiple quarterbacks over the weekend.

“We're going one day at a time,” Saban said. “We're repping the players and regardless of what happens in this game, it's the same thing that I told you guys before. Just because whoever starts in the first game, that doesn't mean you don't have to continue to compete and play throughout the season because the competition doesn't end with the first game, at any position, including quarterback.”

Monday marked the first time in the Saban era that the media was not provided a depth chart heading into the first game week. According to a university official, the team is expected to provide a depth chart in the press box on Saturday.

Alabama and Middle Tennessee are set to kickoff at 6:30 p.m. CT on Saturday. The game will be televised on SEC Network.