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Who will replace former Alabama Crimson Tide starting quarterback Ty Simpson this upcoming season? Head coach Kalen DeBoer doesn’t have the answer to that one.
On Wednesday, DeBoer joined “McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning” to discuss the ongoing QB battle between senior Austin Mack and sophomore Keelon Russell. The coach made it clear that neither passer has separated himself in the competition.
Kalen DeBoer discusses QB battle
“I’d love to have the guy decided already,” DeBoer said (h/t Mike Rodak of 247 Sports). “I think that’s a benefit. But that’s not the case. I think it comes to timing — you want to have a starter named a couple of weeks before the season starts, and last year that’s what we went in with, but we made the decision earlier than that.
“Ty had separated himself. We’ll see how this goes. Rep-wise, we want to balance it out between the two of them as much as we can.”
The Crimson Tide open the season against the East Carolina Pirates on Sept. 5 (ABC, noon ET), meaning DeBoer still has more time to determine his starter in fall camp. Both have a solid case to win the job.
Mack, who played under DeBoer in 2023 when he was Washington Huskies HC, is the slightly more experienced option. He replaced an injured Simpson in the second half of last season’s 38-3 College Football Playoff loss to the Indiana Hoosiers, completing 11-of-16 passes for 103 yards. He completed 24-of-32 passes for 228 yards and two touchdown passes in four games.
Russell offers greater upside. The former five-star recruit has many of the tools that could make him a future NFL Draft pick. 247 Sports’ Andrew Ivins compared him to former LSU Tigers QB Jayden Daniels, the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner, in his scouting report.
“Elite playmaker for the quarterback position with no shortage of valuable game reps that knows how to feather the fine line between risk and reward,” wrote Ivins.
Russell flashed some of this playmaking ability in 2025, completing 11-of-15 passes for 143 yards and two TD passes in two games. Granted, he played against cupcakes (Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks, Eastern Illinois Panthers).
DeBoer is facing more heat after recently signing a two-year contract extension that many felt he didn’t deserve. He has gone 20-8 in two seasons with the Crimson Tide but has yet to win a national championship. With that in mind, figure on him rolling with the QB who may offer greater risk but also greater reward.
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