Alabama football had little trouble dispatching FCS Mercer 52-7 on Saturday afternoon in Tuscaloosa. The game was never competitive, and it allowed for something that has been a rare occurrence this season in that almost everyone got a chance to play.
The most interesting aspect of that was fans got a glimpse of the 2025 QB battle.
Jalen Milroe played just a little over two quarters. He threw for 186 yards and two touchdowns while adding 43 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Milroe has another season of eligibility left at the collegiate level, but it is widely expected that he will enter the 2025 NFL Draft at the conclusion of this season. He is currently Mel Kiper Jr.'s No. 3 QB in the draft class.
Ty Simpson has been Milroe's backup for the better part of the last two seasons. He got the first crack against Mercer when Milroe went to the bench. He completed 5/10 passing for 71 yards and added 14 rushing yards.
Simpson will enter the offseason as the presumptive favorite to be Alabama's starting QB in 2025, but that's far from a given with the talent around him in the locker room and the talent heading to Tuscaloosa in this recruiting class.
Dylan Lonergan was next up and he completed 5/6 passing for 23 yards. Finally, there was Washington transfer Austin Mack, who had the most impressive play of the day and has physical tools most resembling Kalen DeBoer's QB at Washington, Michael Penix Jr.
Mack was 2/3 passing for 39 yards, including a 31-yard touchdown pass on a rope to freshman WR Rico Scott.
This is definitely worth revisiting. Precision throw by Austin Mack. Incredible catch by Rico Scott. The future is bright at Alabama. #CollegeFootball #RollTide #BamaFactor
— The Bama Standard Network©️🐘 (@TheBamaStandard) November 16, 2024
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Of the players currently on the roster, Mack seems to be the guy who is most likely to challenge Simpson for the starting role in 2025. But there's another player, one who hasn't made it to Tuscaloosa yet, who could factor into the race as well.
5-star QB Keelon Russell is one of the best high school quarterbacks in the country. He's enjoying a tremendous senior season, and while playing QB in the SEC as a true freshman would be no easy task, Russell has the juice to push for the job immediately.
It's never easy to break in a new starting quarterback, but Alabama seems well set up for a post-Milroe world. There's plenty of talent between the three guys who got to play on Saturday afternoon, and more talent on its way to Tuscaloosa.