Alabama OC Ryan Grubb gives update on quarterback battle

Year 2 of Kalen DeBoer looks a little different in Tuscaloosa. DeBoer inherited a starting quarterback last season, going with Jalen Milroe. This go-round will have the Alabama head coach making a decision of his own, watching Ty Simpson, Austin Mack, and Keelon Russell battle for the job.

DeBoer is not the only person who will have a say in the decision, working with his staff. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb will certainly have major input despite it being his first season inside the program. Grubb recently gave his own personal update on the competition, saying nobody has separated from the pack thus far.

“I think we’ve got three really, really good quarterbacks, and I mean that,” Grubb said via ESPN’s Chris Low. “I don’t think anybody has separated. They’re all playing good, but they’re not playing great yet. You’re looking for the guy that’s going to be consistent, that can show up the same and make the same plays all the time.”

Simpson entered spring ball as the perceived favorite, at least from the outside. Russell may be the most interesting name of the group due to his lofty recruiting ranking coming out of high school. He was a Five-Star Plus+ prospect and the No. 2 overall player in the 2025 class.

Mack may be the one being slept on the most. DeBoer saw him be his first commitment back in January 2024, following the head coach from Seattle down South.

Either way, Grubb did not give an indication. Spring practice is almost over for Alabama and based on the offensive coordinator’s comments, they never anticipated a decision being made before fall camp. There is still a lot for the trio to go through before someone wins out.

“I wasn’t going into this thinking, ‘Oh, I bet by practice 11 this will be done,'” Grubb said. “I didn’t think that at all, and I didn’t think that because I thought all three of them were good players.”

Alabama opens the season on Aug. 30, heading on the road. A big-time showdown against Florida State is first on the schedule, the first of 10 games against power conference competition. Wisconsin heads to Bryant-Denny Stadium on Sept. 13 before an eight-game SEC slate.

Until then, we may not know who will be Alabama’s starting quarterback in 2025. Grubb gives reason to believe the competition will go all the way down to the wire.