With Jalen Milroe choosing to enter the NFL Draft a year early, it left Alabama without a QB on the roster with any starting experience. Following a disappointing first season, and entering a pivotal year two for himself and the program, it would have been understandable had Kalen DeBoer aggressively pursued an experienced QB in the Transfer Portal to serve as a bridge at the position until 5-star freshman Keelon Russell is ready to take the baton.
Instead, DeBoer and the staff chose to stand pat, trusting that one of the three quarterbacks on the roster-Ty Simpson, Austin Mack, or Russell-would be able to get the job done at a high level in 2025, allowing the Crimson Tide to get back into the College Football Playoff after a one-year absence.
Despite some reports to the contrary, Alabama never pushed for a QB in the portal this offseason. DeBoer talked about why on Wednesday at SEC Media Days:
"(We) just felt like anyone who was reaching out to us, or that was there, you could not really make the argument they were better than what we had," DeBoer said. "I still feel we made the right choice."
Translation: Sure, we did our due diligence, as we should have, but we liked the guys in our room better than we liked any of the other options out there.
Alabama's decision to avoid a portal QB is a major vote of confidence in Ty Simpson
If pursuing a QB in the Transfer Portal would have cost them one QB, it would have been Simpson, who is entering his fourth season of college football and has yet to start. He was not going to sit the bench again, and if Alabama added a QB from the portal it intended to start, then Simpson would have left.
If you don't think Simpson is any good, then you live with that. It's clear the staff has confidence in Simpson's ability. He's also the perfect embodiment of what they want this program to be moving forward.
"It adds to and sets the direction you want your culture to be, and that's, if I just continue to stay the course and I continue to just believe in the development I'm going to get from our coaching staff, that time will come," DeBoer said. "Ty is the greatest example of that, just stay the course. Keep plugging away."
Simpson has certainly stayed the course. He's developed. He's gotten better. And now, he appears to be close to earning his shot. His performance will determine whether or not DeBoer and the staff were right in avoiding the portal and going forward with a talented, yet inexperienced QB room.