Alabama OC Ryan Grubb shares latest on QB competition

Alabama had an up-and-down season last year. The Crimson Tide didn’t win at least 10 games for the first time in 17 seasons. Heading into this season, one of the most important decisions is who will be the starting quarterback next season. Jalen Milroe was spectacular for the Crimson Tide at times, but he did have some inconsistencies when it came to the passing game.

New offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb will help coach Kalen DeBoer run an offense led by 1 of the best wide receivers in the country, Ryan Williams.

Grubb spoke with ESPN’s Chris Low about where the Crimson Tide are right now at that position, as it is a 3-player race for the job.

I think we’ve got three really, really good quarterbacks, and I mean that,” Grubb said. “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.

The battle is between Tyler Simpson, Austin Mack and Keelon Russell. Simpson has been at Alabama for 3 seasons, having thrown for 167 yards in his career.

Mack is also a returner for the Crimson Tide, as he threw for 39 yards and a touchdown in a win against Mercer last year. Maybe the most intriguing of the 3 is incoming freshman Keelon Russell.

According to the 247Sports Composite Rankings, Russell was the No. 2 player and quarterback in the 2025 class.

In an ideal world, Grubb would know who his quarterback is going to be heading into the summer, but Grubb said right now they can’t make that decision.

But I wasn’t expecting that either. 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.

This is 1 of the most high-profile quarterback races in college football, and it may take awhile before the starter is chosen.