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Kalen DeBoer sets Alabama QB depth chart ahead of fall camp
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Kalen DeBoer said this week that if Alabama had to play a football game right now, Ty Simpson would be the starting quarterback.
The head coach of the Crimson Tide made an appearance on The Paul Finebaum Show earlier this week and covered several topics. But, with Jalen Milroe heading to the NFL, the quarterback competition has dominated the coverage of Alabama all offseason. Naturally, Finebaum asked about the ongoing battle. And Kalen DeBoer confirmed what was reported by several during the spring — Simpson is the leader in the clubhouse heading into fall camp.
“We’ve got the 3 guys, and they’re all, really, at different spots in their careers. Ty, having been in the program for a couple of years, and then, really, Austin getting a chance to take his first meaningful reps in practice this spring, and Keelon joining as an early enrollee,” DeBoer said. “If you had to play right now, you go with the veteran in Ty. [He] did a nice job this spring, as did the others.”
However, the competition isn’t over.
“We just need to keep that competition going,” DeBoer continued. “They know that. That’s their expectation because they know that where they’re at right now isn’t good enough to where we need to be to have the success we want to have as a football team.”
Russell takes the headlines because he’s a newcomer and he’s a former 5-star. The 6-foot-3 Duncanville passer was the 2024 Elite 11 Finals MVP and the second-ranked recruit in the entire 2025 class. But he’s still just a freshman. And he isn’t the only 5-star in the room.
Simpson was the third-ranked quarterback in his own class, the Class of 2022. He was a top-30 recruit out of Martin (Tenn.) Westview. So he has that same pedigree, but he has a major leg up in terms of experience. Simpson was the primary backup to Milroe last season, when he played in 6 games and threw 25 passes.
While he only has 50 career pass attempts, Simpson has seen time in 16 games over his 3 years with the program, and he’s had more than a year of hands-on work with DeBoer.
In terms of a timeline for when DeBoer might actually name his starting quarterback, a look back at his first season with Washington (2022) might be helpful. UW had a first-year transfer in Michael Penix Jr. and 2 holdovers from the previous year. DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb didn’t officially name Penix the starter until a little over a week before the first game, even though he was widely expected to win the job.
Alabama opens its season on Aug. 30 against Florida State in Tallahassee. For a marquee game, there are certainly benefits to making the Seminoles wait as long as possible before learning which quarterback they need to prepare for.
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Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
