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Kalen DeBoer identifies potential timeline for naming starting QB
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer is entering his 2nd season with the program after an up-and-down debut season for the Crimson Tide. He is also overseeing a crucial quarterback competition for Alabama that will be the focal point of the summer and fall camp.
On Wednesday, he made an appearance for “McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning” from the Regions Tradition Pro Am, and he shed some light on the offseason competition. That includes DeBoer’s comments on how to try and juggle the competition in camp while getting one player ready to take the first snap of the 2025 season vs. Florida State.
“I think it felt like there was growth that they had and they were all getting a fair shake at it,” Deboer said in regards to the spring QB battle. “Keelon (Russell) comes in, you don’t all of a sudden throw him in with the 1’s… but he did as spring went on, did earn the opportunity to get some reps with those guys.”
Russell, the 5-star freshman from Texas, is among the group fighting for the QB1 job alongside Ty Simpson and Austin Mack. DeBoer credited all 3 guys with moments that impressed, but each has areas where they “dropped off” and need to find improved consistency ahead of the season.
As for finding a starter, there is a point in time in DeBoer’s mind that Alabama will have to make a decision and begin focusing on preparing one guy to start the season opener:
“There comes a point in fall camp, a couple weeks in for sure, it’s kind of been consistent with how we’ve done things in the past, where you gotta make that decision because you’ve got to roll,” explained DeBoer.
The head coach also explained that the pressure of the QB battle is sometimes tougher than the pressure a player experiences once they’ve locked down a starting role. For now, the team is still looking for a replacement to Jalen Milroe, but fans can at least look forward to the potential timeline for a starter being named in the fall.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
