The update on Alabama football's QB competition is that there is no update, at least according to what Kalen DeBoer said on Wednesday at SEC Media Days.
DeBoer echoed the same sentiment that has been shared about the three-way battle since the end of spring practice: if the season started now, Ty Simpson would be the starter, but the door isn't yet closed for Austin Mack or Keelon Russell, either.
"We did make it known at the end of spring if we plyed a game at that point, wouldn't have changed at this point because there's nothing that's happened as far as practicing, Ty Simpson would be the guy that would take the first snaps and be our starter," said DeBoer.
It's the update we all expected. Fall camp starts in two weeks, and the competition will gear up then. Simpson will start the fall first in line, but both Mack and Russell will have an opportunity to impress the coaches and their teammates.
Ty Simpson will probably start, but the competition is not yet over
DeBoer and OC Ryan Grubb have been complimentary of all three quarterbacks at separate times this offseason. That's either the truth, or just by design to avoid any potential for someone to seek out the Transfer Portal.
Alabama has three good options, but three is about as small as you ever want your QB room to be at this level. It's not like the NFL, where you can sign a veteran off the street. If someone gets hurt, you replace them with someone currently on the roster. Alabama couldn't afford to have anyone leave after the spring.
It's why it was at least a little surprising to hear Grubb state that Simpson had the lead in the competition back in April.
The expectation remains that Simpson will start on August 30th when Alabama rolls into Tallahassee to take on Florida State. He's the most seasoned quarterback of the group, and by all accounts, Simpson has had a good offseason. He was impressive at the Manning Passing Academy and certainly seems to have the respect of his teammates.
Simpson has waited for this moment. It won't be given to him, however. He'll have to take it. Grubb has always been high on Mack, who is the tall, big-armed QB that he and DeBoer covet. And everyone knows that it's only a matter of time before the job belongs to 5-star phenom Keelon Russell.
"All three of them have potential to do big things in our offense," DeBoer said.