*** The UA quarterbacks were active in individual drills, firing rounds of short out routes and a slightly deeper set of "back shoulder" throws to the wide receivers. A.J. McCarron and Phillip Sims, frontrunners for the job, both looked sharp Wednesday, particularly on the out routes. WR Michael Bowman made an outstanding catch on a pass from Sims during the back-shoulder drill, in which the pass is thrown slightly behind and above the receiver by design. On Wednesday, there was no evident separation between McCarron and Sims during individual work. Redshirt freshman Blake Sims, whom UA coach Nick Saban is grooming as an "emergency" option at quarterback, looked more like the guy who quarterbacked UA's scout team offense last year than the guy who otherwise worked with running backs. The "other" Sims has visibly improved in individual drills since practice opened on March 21.