The assumption from the coaching staff, to the veterans on the roster, all the way through the fanbase heading into Alabama’s fall camp for the 2025 season was that redshirt junior Ty Simpson would eventually be named the starting quarterback for the Tide’s Week 1 trip to Tallahassee. However, just 25 days away from that showdown with Florida State, offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb is still fanning the flames of an open QB competition.
Following Alabama’s practice on Tuesday, Grubb told the media that all three of Alabama’s QBs in the running for the job- Simpson, Keelon Russell, and Austin Mack- are still receiving 1st and 2nd team reps. He did add that Simpson is the only one not receiving third-team reps, but he and Kalen DeBoer seemingly continue to leave the door open for Russell or Mack to overtake Simpson.
Alabama OC Ryan Grubb said Tuesday that all three quarterbacks are still getting 1st and 2nd team reps. “We’re still moving them around,” he said.
— Mike Rodak (@mikerodak) August 5, 2025
It’s time for Alabama to name its starting quarterback for Week 1
There is value to an open competition, especially in a situation like Alabama’s, where no player on the roster has attempted more than 50 career passes at the collegiate level. A fall camp battle can create enough pressure to reveal which players will be able to handle the demands of regular-season football. However, eventually, a QB competition can reach a point of diminishing returns.
DeBoer and Grubb have been saying since spring that if they had a game tomorrow, Ty Simpson would be their quarterback. Well, it’s not tomorrow, but Week 1 is right around the corner, and if Simpson is still their guy, he needs all the reps he can get to prepare for the season.
While he’s been in Tuscaloosa for three years and is in his second season with DeBoer, Simpson has never held the full-time starting gig. Now, he’s expected to inherit it with the program coming off the first single-digit win season since the first year of Nick Saban’s historic run.
No matter how well he’s recruited through his first two cycles, if Kalen DeBoer doesn’t lead the Crimson Tide to the College Football Playoff this season, he’ll be on the hot seat. That’s pressure that cannot be simulated by any fall camp QB battle, even one that features a five-star freshman like Keelon Russell.
Alabama has an elite receiving corps and one of the best offensive lines in the country. All of the pieces are in place for Grubb to lead an elite unit after rejoining DeBoer, his longtime boss, this offseason. All the pieces except the most important one.
Russell will get his opportunity eventually, but Simpson only has one season to sink or swim. He deserves the most possible reps with the first-team offense to prepare him to jump into the deep end.
I’ve said all offseason that the highest ceiling for the Alabama offense is with Russell leading it. But even I’m ready for this charade of a competition to come to an end. Simpson is going to be the starter, so let him start to prepare like it.