Ryan Grubb describes biggest differences he sees in Alabama quarterbacks

For the first time in two seasons, Alabama will be starting a quarterback NOT named Jalen Milroe. Their starter will either be redshirt-junior Ty Simpson, redshirt-sophomore Austin Mack or freshman Keelon Russell, with Simpson reportedly in the lead for the job.

Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, who departed from the Seattle Seahawks this offseason and was subsequently hired by Kalen DeBoer, touched on the Crimson Tide quarterbacks on Thursday. Grubb was previously DeBoer’s offensive coordinator at Fresno State from 2020-21 and Washington from 2022-23.

“All of these guys are in different levels of their progression as quarterbacks in college,” Grubb said. “I think that all of them, just like any position, have a lot of different strengths. I think that right now Ty [Simpson] is continuing to show a ton of command. He did a better job today than the other two guys with that so he continues to progress as a leader.”

Simpson has attempted 50 passes over the span of his three seasons for just 381 yards and no touchdowns. He was a five-star recruit (ranked No. 25 overall in his class) coming out of Westview (Martin, TN) in 2022.

DeBoer likes the mindset of the Alabama quarterbacks

“Keelon [Russell]‘s ability to see the field and just his vision and innate ability to make a play, even potentially when there’s not one there, is at a really, really high level,” Grubb continued. “And Austin [Mack] is an elite arm talent. He’s a guy that’s strong and can power through things.”

Russell and Mack are likely fighting for the backup role instead of the starter role, but both arms are supremely talented in their own right. Russell was also a five-star recruit (ranked No. 2 overall in the Class of 2025), while Mack was a four-star recruit (ranked No. 219 in Class of 2023) and transferred to Alabama with Kalen DeBoer from Washington.

“I like the mindset of our quarterbacks because when you can trust your quarterback to go through his progression and be okay with checking down and not forcing something, you can call, as a play caller, a lot more balls down the field,” DeBoer said earlier this week. “And know that it’s not just going to be an incomplete pass or explosive play. There’s going to be a progression and there’s going to be some type of movement down the field that’s going to put you in manageable downs and distances where it’s second, third, or fourth.”

Alabama opens the 2025 season at Florida State on Aug. 30. Kick-off is scheduled for 3:30 PM on ABC.