Alabama football is in search of its next starting quarterback after Ty Simpson declared for the 2026 NFL Draft.
Austin Mack and Keelon Russell are expected to compete to be the Crimson Tide’s QB1 for the 2026 football season after spending one year together as backup quarterbacks. Simpson is excited about what the two quarterbacks could potentially do in Tuscaloosa.
“Being in the room with Austin for two years, I really just saw him grow, coming in and learning from Jalen (Milroe) and me,” Simpson told Touchdown Alabama. “I’m really excited about his growth. And then Keelon just coming in being eager, always wanting to work, always asking questions. Really excited about those two and their future.”
Simpson felt supported by both quarterbacks throughout the 2025 season. The bond they built is one Simpson feels has benefited each of them.
“It felt great, waited my turn and then being the leader and the oldest guy, it was a quick turnaround, but it was great,” Simpson said. “The best thing about it, it was one of the tightest QB rooms I’ve ever been a part of. It was really because we were just so close with each other and nobody had an ego. We were all just brothers to each other. We were always picking on each other, making fun of each other, but always love at the very end of the day, always bounce ideas off each other, like, Maybe we can do this or how do you read it?’ That’s how we get better and that’s why they’re going to be very successful quarterbacks.”
Kalen DeBoer recently discussed why it was important the Tide retained Mack and Russell.
“It’s huge,” DeBoer said. “Two guys who know our system at quarterback. Just the way, with an offensive line that’s got some leaders who are gone, two quarterbacks who can carry over from last year what we did and keep it moving forward.”
Both quarterbacks are the frontrunners to be the Tide’s next quarterback.
Justin Smith is the Managing Editor and Lead Writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine with over 10 years of writing experience & expertise. Smith has consistently delivered high quality, extensively researched information on the University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide football team that fans can trust. Smith is official credentialed media with the University of Alabama under Touchdown Alabama Magazine. He is also the Director of Recruiting for Touchdown Enterprises, specializing in scouting and analyzing high school recruits around the nation, specifically focusing on recruits within the state of Alabama.
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