Report: Jalen Milroe to start Alabama's season opener vs. MTSU

The cake might finally be ready to take out of the oven. According to a report from ESPN, Alabama is set to name Jalen Milroe as its starting quarterback for Saturday’s season opener against Middle Tennessee State.

Milroe, a redshirt sophomore, filled in for an injured Bryce Young last season, making his first career start against Texas A&M. In eight appearances, he completed 58.5% of his passes for 297 yards and five touchdowns with three interceptions. He also added 265 yards and a score on the ground.

"I think Jalen has made a significant amount of improvement," Alabama head coach Nick Saban said when asked about Milroe earlier this week. "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.”

Milroe has been competing with redshirt freshman Ty Simpson, Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner and true freshman Dylan Lonergan for the starting quarterback role this offseason.

Over the past month, Nick Saban remained adamant that his quarterback competition won’t end after a starter is named for the opener. During his weekly radio show Thursday night, the head coach doubled down on that statement.

"The quarterback who plays on Saturday, that's the quarterback for Saturday," Saban said. "The life of a quarterback, any quarterback, depends on how they perform. If a guy plays well, that's what creates security at that position. If you don't play well ... the first thing everybody does, when you have success, the quarterback gets a lot of credit. But also, when things don't go well, the first guy they point at is the quarterback. So a guy has to understand the way he performs is really, really important."

Alabama and Middle Tennessee State are set to kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. The game will be televised on SEC Network.