We return to football action for the University of Alabama next week.
Kalen DeBoer and the Crimson Tide will take the practice field for fall camp.
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Alabama is looking to capture its first national championship after coming up short in three consecutive seasons. The Tide returns experienced players, signed talented freshmen, and brought in veterans from the NCAA transfer portal. In this series, we provide a preseason grade for each position heading into practice.
The quarterback room is up first for Alabama.
QB Room
Alabama arguably has one of the best quarterback rooms in college football.
It returns an electrifying starter in Jalen Milroe.
Milroe, a native Texan, pushed the Tide to a Southeastern Conference Championship and a College Football Playoff berth in 2023. He posted 2,834 passing yards, 531 rushing yards, and 35 total touchdowns, en route to earning permanent team captain honors. Milroe endured some highs and lows, but he persevered with incredible leadership for his team. We know what he is as an athlete and deep ball passer, but he desires to show he is a complete signal-caller. The short to intermediate passing game is the final piece to the puzzle for him to master. Should he handle the high percentage passes, Milroe will be the most dangerous quarterback to defend in college football. He has everything else working.
Ty Simpson, a redshirt sophomore, is in his third year at Alabama. He has improved a lot of his game, including a sharper mental clock.
The former five-star from Tennessee showed last year he could come in tough situations and handle the moment.
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Alabama did not play its best game versus South Florida, yet Simpson entered the matchup and led two scoring drives to propel Nick Saban’s bunch to a 17-3 victory. Kalen DeBoer and the offensive staff believe if anything happens to Milroe then Simpson possesses the ability to come in and run the team. He brings a dynamic skill set, especially in the passing game.
Dylan Lonergan, a redshirt freshman, has a ton of potential.
He looked like the best quarterback on the team in spring of 2023 and continues to grow. Lonergan was a two-sport athlete at Brookwood (Ga.) High School, mastering football and baseball.
The 6-foot-2, 212-pounder did not get a lot of opportunities last season for Alabama, yet he has a talented arm. Lonergan is trying to push Simpson to be the primary backup behind Milroe.
Austin Mack, a freshman, is talented but raw.
He came to Alabama from Washington, enrolling early for spring practice. Mack possesses traits to make off-platform throws, but he’s still growing in how to do everything at the position.
He will be dynamic once his time comes, but Mack is developing for now.
Preseason Grade: A-
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Stephen M. Smith is the senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
