A quarterback battle is brewing in Tuscaloosa with Ty Simpson, Keelon Russell and Austin Mack set to battle it out to be QB1 for Alabama.
This battle will undoubtedly garner a lot of attention with it being the Tide’s second year under Kalen DeBoer. The fact its outcome is a bit unclear at the moment with the lack of experience between the three in competition makes the battle even more intriguing.
Quarterback competitions in recent Alabama history have gone in different directions with Jalen Hurts, Tua Tagovailoa and Bryce Young beating out their older counterparts for the starting spot and with Jalen Milroe and Mac Jones taking advantage of being the most experienced Alabama signal callers and securing the QB1 title.
This battle, similar to those, could go in different directions, but at this very moment Ty Simpson is the likely favorite, and it is his battle to lose.
Simpson is a former five-star quarterback out of Tennessee, who will be a redshirt junior in 2025. He will be Alabama’s most experienced quarterback by two years in the fall, giving him a leg up in the experience column.
The Alabama quarterback did not get a lot of meaningful snaps during the 2024 season, playing in only six games. However, he was the Tide’s primary backup in front of both Dylan Lonergan and Austin Mack. Lonergan has transferred to Boston College but Mack remained with the Tide.
With Mack often being the last quarterback off the sideline in his limited opportunities, Simpson is perceived to be in front of him.
Then there is Keelon Russell. The former five-star out of Duncanville High School, who is an early enrollee.
Can a freshman quarterback win the starting spot?
Absolutely. But it will take him learning the system, gaining the trust of Alabama’s coaching staff and his teammates to go along with the quick adjustment to the speed of college football compared to high school football. He will have seven to eight months to do so.
Freshmen quarterbacks have started and had success playing major college football for top programs. Trevor Lawrence and Jalen Hurts are great examples, but this is still rare.
No team in the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff rolled out a true freshman as their starting quarterback.
The spring will be crucial for all three quarterbacks as it will be an opportunity for one of them to start to or separate from the others in competition.
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Justin Smith is the Director of Recruiting for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via @Jdsmith31Smith
