Alabama football already named one quarterback. The Crimson Tide won’t be showing the rest of its depth chart at the position.
“Yeah, we won’t really get into that as far as who’s the second,” head coach Kalen DeBoer told reporters on Thursday. “These guys are going to keep competing. That’s for every position. So right now there’s balance between in some things we do, the reps, but there’s certainly coordination on who’s getting those reps as well.”
DeBoer and the Tide named Ty Simpson the starter after an offseason-long battle for the job. Simpson was the obvious choice, given his role as Jalen Milroe’s primary backup for the past two seasons.
He competed with fellow returnee Austin Mack and true freshman Keelon Russell for the starting spot. Now, those two will compete for any remaining snaps.
Alabama not naming a backup ahead of time makes sense. The backup role tends to be much more case-sensitive than the starting quarterback spot.
Mack has been going through quarterback drills second, behind Simpson and ahead of Russell, during every Alabama media practice viewing this offseason. He followed DeBoer from Washington and is reunited with his Husky offensive coordinator, and primary high school recruiter, Ryan Grubb.
The redshirt sophomore seemed to be much more immediately competitive with Simpson than Russell did. DeBoer spoke of the two returnees in the same way after the Tide’s first scrimmage.
“I think your two guys that have been around the offense the longest, Ty and Austin, when they get in the huddle and they’ve got to rattle off a play, they’re sharp and confident with it,” DeBoer said. “Keelon is still learning those things, but he’s doing a great job.”
If Alabama needs a player to come in and win a game, especially early on in the season, Mack might be the way to turn. He’s more familiar with the offense than Russell and is likely a more polished product at this point in his career.
However, if Alabama believes that Russell is its long-term future at quarterback post-2025, he might get the nod to play more. Russell was DeBoer’s first major quarterback recruit at Alabama, joining up as a five-star prospect from Texas, and winning Elite 11 MVP before arriving in Tuscaloosa.
The freshman is still learning the offense. But if a game is already in the bag, perhaps he’ll get a chance in order to further his development.
“Very composed player for a young player,” Grubb said of Russell during camp. “Even when it’s not perfect and things aren’t going his way, I think he’s able to just slow the game down. I think that’s something that is somewhat innate that he can just do. I think when you can build and you continue to build on the knowledge base and understanding of the system, he’ll just keep getting better. He’s a really, really calm excellent player with great vision.”
