To the surprise of no one who has followed reports from spring practice and fall camp closely, Kalen DeBoer is set to name Ty Simpson the Alabama starting quarterback, according to multiple reports that broke Monday night. According to those reports, Simpson was named the starting QB during a team meeting earlier in the day on Monday.
Simpson has been trending in the Alabama QB competition the entire way. He was the leader in the clubhouse coming out of spring practice - both DeBoer and OC Ryan Grubb said as much back in April. And during fall camp, despite the fact that all reports have been positive about Austin Mack and true freshman Keelon Russell, Simpson has continued to lead the charge.
After a standout performance in Saturday's first scrimmage of fall camp, the redshirt junior forced the coaching staff's hands. It was time to tell the team, and the college football world, what had become readily apparent in Tuscaloosa.
The future is bright in the Alabama QB room. Both Mack and Russell are talented players who will be starting quarterbacks down the road, at least one of them likely not at Alabama, but the present belongs to Simpson. He emerged as the unquestioned No. 1 on the depth chart, allowing DeBoer and Grubb to come to that conclusion even sooner than they expected.
DeBoer had stated in his post-scrimmage press conference on Saturday that he intended to name a starter following the Crimson Tide's second scrimmage this coming Saturday. He had apparently already seen all he needed to see.
Ty Simpson gets the keys to a ready-made National Championship contender
Top-to-bottom, there may not be a better roster in college football than what Kalen DeBoer has at his disposal in Tuscaloosa. There could be some that are on equal footing, but you're unlikely to find any that are just outright better.
The biggest question mark facing this team is whether they can get good enough play from the QB position to win a National Championship. They got far from it a year ago with Jalen Milroe, but Simpson has always seemed to be a better fit for the system DeBoer and Grubb want to run. They'll have access to their full repertoire instead of trying to tailor-make the offense to fit around Milroe's unique skillset.
Simpson doesn't have to be elite. He just has to distribute the football to Alabama's vast array of playmakers and avoid turnovers. If he does that, this team is going to make the College Football Playoff.
If he takes that next step into elite territory, then this team is going to win the National Championship.