After leading the Alabama Crimson Tide offense for the last two years, starting QB Jalen Milroe left Tuscaloosa to declare for the 2025 NFL Draft. He leaves behind the void at QB1, which has three names coming up as potential contenders: Ty Simpson, Austin Mack, and Keelon Russell.
This is some headache for head coach Kalen DeBoer and his new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb to figure out this offseason. But what did ‘Bama’s new OC say about the quarterback room in Tuscaloosa?
Alabama OC Ryan Grubb Reports on QBs After Spring Practice
Alabama OC Ryan Grubb’s offense held its second spring session on Wednesday in preparation for April 12’s A-Day game at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
According to a report by AL.com, all three quarterback frontrunners threw around but without defenders. They were all accurate, but it’s only half the job without defense to block their passes on the field.
Following the session, Grubb fielded questions from reporters about the quarterbacks.
Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb broke down what he’s seen from the Crimson Tide’s quarterbacks and their game through two spring practices. #RollTide pic.twitter.com/qlNDF4sueU
— Alabama Crimson Tide | AL.com (@aldotcomTide) March 5, 2025
“Every quarterback has their own individual strengths and weaknesses,” Grubb said before going on to talk about Simpson.
“And I think Ty has done a good job. I thought he made the biggest jump from day one to day two, just in terms of being able to take in all the information, process it quickly, and move,” Grubb continued.
The offensive coordinator also shed light on Mack and freshman Russell.
“Austin has done a really good job of showing command for a young player,” Grubb said. “And then Keelan is awesome, man. He’s very unflappable. Even when things don’t go right—and they invariably won’t for a freshman quarterback—I think he’s done an awesome job of just staying the course and being very steady. And he can make a lot of plays.”
From this report, Simpson seems to be the frontrunner for the job, but Alabama will still announce its starting quarterback many months from now.
Ty Simpson Receives Endorsements For ‘Bama QB1 Job
After Milroe, Simpson was next in line to get the most time on the field as quarterback in 2024. He threw for 167 yards, completing 14 of 25 passes.
Now that Milroe is gone, college football analyst Josh Pate believes it’s Simpson’s job to lose.
“I have done some digging…I think Ty Simpson’s the overwhelming favorite to win that starting job,” Pate said.
This goes against the growing idea of Mack as a potential candidate for the job, given his past ties with the program’s head coach and offensive coordinator.
WHERE DOES TY SIMPSON RANK AMONG NIL EARNERS? READ HIS NIL VALUATION
“I know there’s going to be a lot of talk, as there should be, about the fact that DeBoer recruited Austin Mack when he was in Washington. And Ryan Grubb was there and they recruited Austin Mack. Now, he’s transferred to Alabama and he’s been there a year. Knowing all that, I’m telling you I think it’s Ty Simpson’s job to lose,” Pate added.
Whoever gets the starting nod will have to face disappointed Alabama fans after the program failed to make the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff last season.
Alabama, led by whoever is determined to be QB1, will begin the 2025 campaign with a road trip to Tallahassee to take on the Florida State Seminoles.
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