ESPN has a detailed article about the way Saban handled his QBs last year. Pretty interesting. 

Short version: Blake Barnett, the #1 national QB recruit in 2015, says Saban told him prior to the first game that he was the guy, and that Jalen Hurts would just come in for some read option series. Fast forward 2 series, and Hurts is in the game - not to run a limited offense but to take over permanently.

The issue isn't whether Barnett deserved the starting job, but it's about communication. Basically, leading Barnett to believe he was the starter prevented him from transferring before the season started (which he got around by quitting the team mid-season to preserve an extra season of eligibility - which Saban publicly torched him for). 

http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/20279681/nick-saban-tact...

QB competition is always tricky, and I'm sure Urban will have his own challenges navigating the conversations next year. But hopefully he will handle the competition more gracefully and honestly than Saban.