Kalen DeBoer reveals message to Alabama QBs coming out of spring ball
HOOVER, Ala. – Alabama ended the spring with Ty Simpson in front of the quarterback battle, as offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb revealed the redshirt junior would start if the Crimson Tide played a game tomorrow. But Alabama’s season opener is not until August 30.
On Wednesday, head coach Kalen DeBoer made one thing clear about the 3-man competition.
“It doesn’t (end),” said DeBoer before teeing off at the Regions Tradition Pro-Am. “The competition always continues. That’s this year. That’s any year.”
Simpson returns as the most experienced quarterback on Alabama’s 2025 roster, having been Jalen Milroe’s backup each of the last two seasons. The other quarterbacks in Tuscaloosa are Austin Mack, who enters his second year at UA after transferring from Washington, and Keelon Russell, a 5-star recruit in the 2025 class, per the On3 Industry Rankings.
The trio battled for the now-vacant starting job this spring, as Alabama held 15 spring practices from March to April. With the spring semester now over and the team turning its attention to the summer, DeBoer shared his message to the quarterbacks after spring camp.
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“I think the biggest thing for them, the message, is that they all have to keep getting better,” DeBoer said. “For us to accomplish what we want to do as a team, and of course, being quarterback driven in a lot of ways – personnel driven, too – but the quarterback position needs to keep progressing.
“So this summer, fall camp, they’ve all got to keep getting better. And that’s their mindset. They’re great kids and they understand that. They have high goals for themselves individually and also our whole team.”
Alabama will kick off the 2025 season at Florida State on August 30 at 2:30 p.m. CT (ABC).
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