What Kalen DeBoer said about Alabama QB battle after first spring practice
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The quarterback question was coming. But the way Kalen DeBoer was asked it after spring practice No. 1 made the second-year Alabama head coach chuckle.
“Did the quarterback battle settle itself today?” a reporter asked DeBoer.
Obviously, no. But it is the question on everyone’s mind as the Crimson Tide returned to the practice field on Monday morning for its first of 15 spring workouts. With Jalen Milroe entering the NFL draft, Alabama has an opening at the most important position this spring.
Either Ty Simpson, Austin Mack or Keelon Russell will win the job. Just not on Day 1.
“They’re all at different points, but a few things just procedure-wise that are a little bit different,” DeBoer said. “Good to see those guys all operating through that. They all had their times, of course, where they looked really good and times where they’ve gotta continue to grow and get better.”
Related: DeBoer discusses Keelon Russell’s potential, added weight after first practice
DeBoer isn’t in a hurry to name Alabama’s starting quarterback for its season opener against Florida State on Saturday, August 30. In his past stops, it came in the weeks leading up to game No. 1. Michael Penix Jr. wasn’t named Washington’s starter until August 23, 2022.
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Simpson, Mack and Russell have 14 more practices, plus the summer and fall camp to push for the first-team job behind center. The oldest player in the position room, Simpson has the most experience, but Mack has the most time in DeBoer and Ryan Grubb’s offensive system, coming over from UW last offseason. Russell was the first QB commit of the DeBoer era.
Alabama will be back on the field Wednesday, and it would be a shock if the starter is decided by then. But what does DeBoer want to see from the competition’s eventual winner?
“It’s gotta be a guy that deliver the ball, command the huddle, command everything we do with the team,” DeBoer said. “Just that presence and that belief and confidence in your signal-caller. It starts with a lot of that, just the belief.
“But the belief comes because you’re making the throws and you’re getting the ball to the guys in a fashion where they can go make their plays and reap the rewards of all the work that they’ve put in.”
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