How close is Alabama to naming a starting quarterback?

Photo via Alabama Athletics

Alabama football waited until fall camp to name Ty Simpson its starting quarterback, and all signs point to the Tide repeating this trend in August.

Keelon Russell and Austin Mack are competing for the Crimson Tide’s starting quarterback position. Kalen DeBoer has not named a starter ahead of summer workouts.

Former Alabama quarterback and ESPN commentator Greg McElroy checked the temperature on how close Alabama is to choosing a starting signal caller while interviewing Kalen DeBoer.

“I’m not ready,” DeBoer said while laughing. “I’m not ready. I think you mentioned it. I think the thing to say is that we do have two guys that you always talk about the— I talk about the ceiling for some of these guys, but also I think it’s also what’s the floor? And I think knowing that, hey, at the very least we’re at this point, like it leaves a lot of optimism on what that room’s going to be and what it’s going to lead to as far as the production on the football field each and every Saturday.”

When Ty Simpson, Mack and Russell were competing for the role last season, DeBoer told McElroy he would prefer to name a starter almost two weeks before the first game of the season.

“There’s been a similar kind of timeframe throughout fall camp,” DeBoer said in May of 2025. “The last week and a half, we usually have a little bit longer of…We call them bonus practices leading up to week one. There’s a weekend before and then a few days before that. There is kind of when you’d really for sure like to have the starter named and him be able to start really being in sync with his receiving core, gel in that way and really dialing on the reps. But, you know, if you feel like you’re at that point earlier. It’s been a few practices earlier, maybe a week earlier at some point.”

Simpson was named the starter on Aug. 11. Alabama kicked off the 2025 season against Florida State on Aug. 30, 2025