Why Kalen DeBoer wants to put pressure on the Alabama quarterbacks

4/10/25 MFB Last spring scrimmage Alabama Quarterback Ty Simpson (15) Photo by Kent Gidley

Alabama football’s head coach Kalen DeBoer joined the “McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning” show and discussed why he feels it is necessary to put pressure on Alabama’s quarterbacks.

Keelon Russell, Ty Simpson and Austin Mack are now competing to be the Tide’s next starting signal caller. DeBoer wants to use the competition to put pressure on the quarterbacks.

“One thing that I think competition does is it puts a lot of pressure on them,” DeBoer said. “That pressure is as much as the pressure when you get out on the football field. I mean it’s on them…It helps prepare them for the pressure that comes along with the season or a particular game or a particular moment within the game.”

DeBoer spoke about what he saw from the quarterbacks this spring and what one of the determining factors will be in helping name a starting quarterback for the fall.

“They all had their moments,” said DeBoer. “There was some consistency that you can look at throughout the spring but there’s also areas where they dropped off and that’s the challenge – to find out who can be the most consistent.”

Consistency in performance will be crucial at each position, especially at the quarterback position for the Crimson Tide during the 2025 season.

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Brody Smoot is a team reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “follow” him on X, via @brodysmoot.