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Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer said after Friday’s scrimmage that each of the Crimson Tide’s top 3 quarterbacks got their shot to run the offense. As can be expected, though, he was careful not to reveal too much about the pecking order.
Any time there’s a quarterback competition at a major school, the storyline dominates the offseason and the preseason. But at a place like Alabama? And with a coach like DeBoer? The competition between Ty Simpson, Austin Mack, and Keelon Russell to be the starter when the season opens Aug. 30 is going to dominate headlines across the country for months. Much will be made about who leads the first-team offense out onto the field next Saturday when Alabama holds its annual A-Day Game, and DeBoer hinted Friday afternoon that there is a hierarchy at the moment.
“I don’t want to say it was even across the board, but they all kind of got their shot with the 1s and 2s,” DeBoer said. “Keelon’s doing a great job with Ty and Austin. Keelon definitely works in with the 2s. He’ll get (first-team) reps from time to time, but that’s no indication of where we feel he’s at.”
DeBoer suggested that Russell’s exposure with the second team is more a product of his youth and inexperience within the offense. Simpson and Mack have been in the program longer and thus have a stronger baseline understanding of what DeBoer wants to do. As DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb continue install, the older guys in the room let them run through more.
Russell, a 5-star recruit, was one of the very best high school prospects in the country in his class. And DeBoer was quick to praise him.
“He’s killing it, doing a great job,” DeBoer said. “You can see when he’s out there, he’s getting more and more comfortable moving the ball down the field. When there’s a throw to be made, he’ll make the throw. That’s for sure. Just a learning curve that comes along with being young.”
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Simpson is believed to be leading the race. Greg McElroy said as much earlier this week. And that belief was bolstered by the reveal that Simpson was selected by teammates to serve on the Tide’s leadership committee. DeBoer said Friday that it shouldn’t be viewed as an indication that a decision on QB1 has already been made.
“I would expect Ty to be on it,” DeBoer said of the January vote. “He’s been here, invested a lot. I would have voted for Ty to be on that in January as well.”
Simpson, a former 5-star quarterback in his own right, has spent 3 years as a backup at Alabama. He played in 4 games his first year with the program and has seen time in 6 games each of the last 2 seasons. Mack began his career at Washington before following DeBoer to Alabama. He’s entering his third year, and has had the most exposure to both DeBoer and Grubb.
Russell, the uber-talented freshman, is the wild card in the race.
“They’re all 3 making throws, making some big-time throws. I thought they all moved the chains at times when they maybe had their backs to the wall,” DeBoer said. “It’s just a matter of who can move us up and down the field the best.”
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
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