Alabama Head Coach Kalen DeBoer Offers Starting Quarterback Insight
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Alabama Football has found itself in flux over the last 18 months since the retirement of legendary Head Coach Nick Saban. Despite the almost endless turnover thanks to the NCAA Transfer Portal, former-Washington Head Coach, Kalen DeBoer, seemed to be taking on an impossible task heading into the hornet’s nest that is the SEC and taking over the most prominent brand in College Football. However, despite a disappointing year in 2024, DeBoer has found success in managing Alabama post-Saban, and with one key change coming in 2025, he’s poised to solidify himself as one of the best in the country. That change? The quarterback position.
With two-year starter Jalen Milroe now gone to the Seattle Seahawks, Alabama Football must turn to a new face as the captain of its offense in 2025. While some fans loathed Milroe’s perceived inconsistencies at quarterback, others praised his loyalty in sticking around when Nick Saban hit the door. Either way, Crimson Tide fans are ready to turn the page; the only question is, “Which chapter are they turning to?”
RELATED: Manning Passing Academy Taps Ty Simpson: A Clear Sign He's Alabama's QB1
The Tide, still filthy rich with talent all over their 2025 roster, is in a unique position with three capable quarterbacks ready to take the helm. Due to excitement around the incoming freshman phenom Keelon Russell, and the patience and loyalty shown by former-Washington quarterback Austin Mack, or even the seeming favorite to take the proverbial bull by the horns, Ty Simpson, much debate has scattered itself along the internet leading many to inject their two-cents about who will win the job.
Alabama Football’s Quarterback - The Right Man for the Job
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Fans will clamor and utilize every shred of detail they can to name their own favorite option as the starting quarterback at Alabama. Although they may be onto something, noting Ty Simpson’s recent invite to the Manning Passing Academy, ultimately, fans don’t decide who’s the right guy for the job. That’s up to Head Coach Kalen DeBoer and new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb.
It’s a lot of fun to yap around the water cooler or on X, but realistically, if fans want Kalen DeBoer to maintain a shred of the philosophy that mimics what Nick Saban brought to a crimson-colored table supporting a plethora of National Championship rings, they’ll take note that Saban too found himself in this very spot with quarterbacks multiple times, even with a roster that included now NFL QBs Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovoila. Despite the chatter, Saban maintained command of the vessel and asserted that he would name a starter when he was well and ready, “so quit askin’!”
RELATED: Kalen DeBoer and Alabama Football Are Poised to Win It All in 2025
Part of that job means identifying the right man for the job. Senority, playmaking ability, football IQ, and a thousand other non-tangible parameters are sure to go into the decision, but for a team that was once run by a control freak, fans surely haven’t learned to relinquish their own fathoms of control over the program - consistently calling for DeBoer to take their advice from their well-broken in couches, perfectly centered in front of 4k television. However, a little trust goes a long way. This isn’t Kalen DeBoer’s first rodeo, he’ll name the right guy when he too is well and ready.
Desperate for Insight on Who the Starting Quarterback Will Be
Saying any of this out loud, of course, changes absolutely nothing in the eyes of Bama fans. Our expectations are high, and we are demanding, passionately concerned, and invested in something we have no control over. If that wasn’t the case, DeBoer would have surely benched his second-year starter, now NFL quarterback, Jalen Milroe, at some point last season in favor of a better option, no?
Certainly, he would, as coaches who don’t win correlationally don’t coach very long in the SEC. But opposing the “In DeBoer We Trust” crowd, fans (myself sometimes included) will grasp onto any and all evidence noting Ty Simpson, Austin Mack, or Keelon Russell as their preferred starter for Alabama Football in 2025.
It doesn’t matter what it is, an article from an incredulous source, a comment from offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, or even attempting to read between the lines of common “coach speak” you may get from Kalen DeBoer when he’s infront of a television camera, much like they are doing now.
The “Mouth of the South” Takes on Kalen DeBoer
We certainly get it. With a program as prestigious athletically as Alabama, the offseason can be a bit mundane. There has to be something to talk about, and as Alabama is home to an even more prestigious group of quarterback alumni, talking, sometimes arguing, over who will be the starter in 2025 is a great way to pass the time until fall. And as Alabama has three viable options, according to Roll Tide Wire, it’s an even more intriguing story as we roll into the summer months.
“Of the trio, redshirt junior Ty Simpson is easily t=he most experienced of the three, but has completed only 29-of-50 pass attempts with three rushing touchdowns as a backup from 2022-24. Austin Mack, who also returns, is the lone player with a touchdown pass to his name in college, but has only three career passing attempts, while touted five-star freshman Keelon Russell has yet to appear in a collegiate game.”
When attempting to actually predict who the guy will be, it’s always best to take the Head Coach at his word. And recently, while visiting with Paul Finebaum, Kalen DeBoer didn’t leave much to the imagination when discussing who his starting quarterback could potentially be in the fall.
“We got the three guys, and they’re all, really, at different spots in their careers. Ty, having been in the program for a couple of years, and then, really, Austin getting a chance to take his first meaningful reps in practice this spring, and Keelon joining as an early enrollee. So, if you had to play, you kind of right now go with the veteran in Ty, did a nice job this spring, as did the others. We just need to keep that competition going. They know that. That’s their expectation because they know that where they’re at right now isn’t good enough to where we need to be to have the success we want to have as a football team.”
The Crimson Tide Will Be Just Fine
Honestly, you can’t expect him to say much more than that. DeBoer understands that whatever decision he makes, the most important factor he must consider is what’s best for the entire team. Last year, that was keeping Jalen Milroe at the head of a sometimes stagnant offense. However, this season, the expectation is that the quarterback play (alongside the addition of Ryan Grubb) should open the doors to what fans expected in 2024. No matter the expectation, DeBoer, a proven winner, will do what’s best for the team. With a talented group of wide receivers heralded by sophomore star Ryan Williams, whoever it is, will have plenty of options to be successful.
