Throughout the offseason, Nick Saban remained adamant that Alabama’s quarterback competition wouldn’t end after a starting quarterback was named. During Wednesday’s SEC teleconference, the head coach remained firm on his word, stating that the Crimson Tide is still weighing evaluating the position after naming Jalen Milroe the starter.

“We evaluate every position every week,” Saban said when asked about the quarterback competition. “If guys want security in their position, they need to play well. Everybody on our team knows that. I think everybody’s responded in a positive way to try to get better and improve. We’ll constantly evaluate that position as we do every position.”

Through two starts this season, Milroe has completed 60% of his passes for 449 yards and five touchdowns with two interceptions. He’s also ran for 92 yards and a pair of scores on the ground.

After excelling in the opener against Middle Tennessee State, Milroe got off to a slow start during last week’s loss to Texas, failing to lead the offense to touchdowns on any of its first eight drives. The redshirt sophomore was able to find a bit of rhythm late, completing 14 of 27 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions. However, he was unable to complete the comeback as the Longhorns beat the Crimson Tide 34-24.

Monday, Saban commended Milroe for his mindset following the defeat, crediting him on his ability to move on from his mistakes.

“You don't want one play to affect the next play and to stay positive,” Saban said. “But you can say stay positive but we all have self talk right? You got to believe it. You can't just say 'Okay, I'm gonna do this' but don't believe you can do it. You got to believe and trust in yourself, too.

“So I think the players stayed positive. They tried to keep the energy level up. They didn't get frustrated in the game and Jalen didn't either. But still, you got to trust and have faith and confidence in doing what you're coached to do on a consistent basis and that's going to help you be successful."

Monday, Saban was also asked about Tyler Buchner, who is listed behind Milroe on Alabama’s depth chart. The head coach said the Notre Dame transfer has followed up an impressive preseason camp by showing progress over the past month.

"He played really well in the last scrimmage, and he's done well in practice,” Saban said. “So we feel really good about how he's continued to improve and develop and gain confidence in what he is doing and have a good feeling around his teammates and receivers.”

Buchner did not receive any snaps against Texas but came off the bench to lead a pair of drives during Alabama’s season-opening win over Middle Tennessee State. The redshirt sophomore completed 3 of 5 passes for 27 yards against the Blue Raiders while adding a 9-yard touchdown run.

Buchner has spent the past two seasons working under first-year Alabama offensive coordinator Tommy Rees at Notre Dame. The right-hander began last season as the Irish’s starting quarterback before suffering a shoulder injury that kept him out 10 games. He was able to return in time to lead Notre Dame to a 45-38 victory over South Carolina in the Gator Bowl, completing 18 of 33 passes for 273 yards and three touchdowns with three interceptions while adding 61 yards and two more scores on the ground.

Alabama also has redshirt freshman Ty Simpson as well as true freshmen Dylan Lonergan and Eli Holstein in its quarterback room. Simpson served as the Crimson Tide’s second-team quarterback during the A-Day scrimmage and was heavily involved in the competition behind center during camp.

No. 10 Alabama (1-1) will travel to South Florida (1-1) this weekend for a 2:30 p.m. CT kickoff on Saturday inside Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.