Alabama football has known the cast of characters for its 2025 quarterback battle since Jalen Milroe left: Ty Simpson, Austin Mack and Keelon Russell.
Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer has even known what he wants to see before he names a starting quarterback. DeBoer wants safety. He wants a quarterback who can be trusted to go through a progression and find the window that will move the football consistently downfield, even if it’s outside of the big, explosive play.
The battle itself is nothing new.
It’s one that’s been ongoing since winter workouts and spring ball. And with the clock ticking toward Alabama‘s season opener against Florida State, DeBoer said the approach to the quarterback battle this fall will “start out pretty consistent with how we finished the spring.”
“Here early on, you’re just installing and you’re trying to give each quarterback, along with each other position and player, the reps of the install,” DeBoer said. “And then once you get past that first kind of round of installs, then you really start kind of probably dialing it in at that time. But we’ll play it by ear as we go, because if someone separates themselves, one, two guys, then you do make adjustments along the way.”
During Alabama’s first practice of the fall, Simpson consistently took the first reps, followed by Mack and Russell. DeBoer was extremely complimentary of Simpson’s “gimme” mentality, the high-percentage, short-gain, plays that should be made “all the time.”
DeBoer may not have named a starter after the first practice. But as Simpson, Mack and Russell battle for reps, the Alabama coach made it clear that there’s “a lot of pressure on them,” especially from a veteran defense that does not carry many question marks.
