By JOSH BOUTWELL

As the 2016 Alabama Crimson Tide immerse themselves in spring practices this month the biggest question surrounding the Tide, for the third straight season, is who will lead the defending National Champions at quarterback?

Alabama features four highly touted young quarterbacks in Cooper Bateman, Blake Barnett, David Cornwell, and Jalen Hurts. Despite the many high school accolades of these four only Bateman has played a down in college football.

Bateman started one game last season before Coker won the starting position outright.

Bateman, Barnett and Hurts are all dual-threat quarterbacks with the ability to run as well as throw. Nick Saban has mentioned so far this spring that Bateman has received most of the reps with the first team offense and that he has the best grasp of the offense of the quarterbacks, but Cornwell and Barnett have also received time with the first team offense. Today’s first scrimmage of the spring will be a big test for the quarterbacks, and all four will likely share time with the starters.

No one should expect Saban and Kiffin to make a decision on the quarterback at the end of the spring, however, as the last three quarterback competitions at Alabama have all lasted well into fall camp even spilling into the first few games. In 2014, Kiffin embraced Blake Sims’ abilty to run and it gave the Tide an added dimension as a runner, and in recent years Alabama has begun to recruit more of the Sims like dual threat quarterbacks giving a hint at where Kiffin may be taking the 2016 Alabama offense.