The Crimson Tide faithful aren’t buzzing—they’re bracing. It’s a weird place for Alabama to be. For the first time in over a decade, fans are looking toward the QB room not with swagger, but with squinted eyes and furrowed brows. Ty Simpson’s name is atop the depth chart, yet the outside noise is echoing a familiar tune: “What about Keelon Russell?” It’s déjà vu with a twist. Bama fans seem to have forgotten that Simpson himself was once a five-star darling, too. The talent’s not the issue—it’s the vibe. And for a fan base spoiled by generational QBs and January dominance, vibes matter.
Kalen DeBoer stepped into Saban’s monster-sized shadow last year, armed with an elite offensive mind and a winning pedigree. But the Tide’s four-loss campaign in 2024 took the shine off quickly. On ‘On Texas Football,’ SEC Mike didn’t hold back. “I think they are—I don’t want to call them a lock—but they should make the college football playoff. I think it’s going to be them, Texas and Georgia, that are going to be vying to win the conference this year,” Bratton said. The pressure is baked into the expectation. Alabama isn’t supposed to rebuild—they reload. And with the SEC crown and a playoff berth in view, anything less for DeBoer could trigger a fast exit.
Bratton made it crystal clear: “Kalen DeBoer, you know, he came in with such an outstanding resume. Certainly got dinged last year, losing four games. I think that’s inexcusable. Even if Jalen Milroe was a largely inconsistent player, but to me, that’s on the coaching. I mean, you adapt to your players. You don’t do it the other way in college football.” That’s the bite. Coaching isn’t about molding players into your system anymore. It’s about molding your system around your players. And with Milroe’s erratic 2024 campaign now in the rearview, Alabama’s offensive reboot must click instantly in 2025.
The good news? Kalen DeBoer gets his guy back in OC Ryan Grubb. That reunion is a major win for continuity. But Bratton didn’t mince words about DeBoer’s standing: “Hot seat is not the right word here, but I don’t know that there’s a coach that’s facing more pressure than Kalen DeBoer. Because if they don’t make the College Football Playoff yet again, I don’t think he’s back year three. And now, does that mean they fire him? Does that mean he goes to the NFL? I don’t know. But they won’t have him back. I mean—and nor should they.”
Sep 28, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer leaves the field after defeating the Georgia Bulldogs at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images
Inside the building, Ty Simpson may be pulling away from the competition, but outside? It’s radio silence from the fans. And that silence says plenty. Locked On Bama’s Luke Robinson echoed that apathy. “We don’t know much about him; I mean, like, because there’s not a lot out there. And he was—like, I get the sentiment that fans aren’t super fired up about him. And I go, ‘Yeah, because we have seen him,’ you know?” Simpson’s sample size is wafer-thin, and what little there is hasn’t lit anyone up. Robinson added, “The only thing we’ve got to see him do really was play some snaps against South Florida. And one thing I forgot about—that came directly after the Texas loss.” Tough context. Even tougher crowd.
Bama enters 2025 in the national conversation. On3’s Andy Staples slotted the Tide at No. 7 in his post-spring top 25. That’s the floor Alabama lives on. They’re one of four SEC teams in the top ten, part of a power-conference logjam with nine SEC squads inside the top 25. That’s the backdrop DeBoer walks into—one where the margin for error is microscopic. A quarterback question mark, sky-high expectations, and a fan base trained to expect nothing less than playoff berths and crystal balls.
Ty time? Alabama’s QB picture clears up heading into summer
Quarterback might be the most important position in football — and in Tuscaloosa, it’s the hottest topic heading into the 2025 season. Alabama is rolling into a new era with a fresh face under center, and right now, it’s looking more and more like Ty Simpson’s job to lose.
After spring ball concluded, OC Grubb didn’t mince words: “At the end of the day, if we’re playing a football game tomorrow, Ty Simpson would start,” he said on April 14. That’s as clear a vote of confidence as you’ll get in a QB competition this time of year.
And the rising buzz around Simpson is catching national attention. Staples explained why he bumped Alabama into his post-spring Top 10. “I moved Alabama into the top 10 because every time I look at the Crimson Tide’s depth chart, I get less worried about the quarterback competition,” Staples said. “Whoever wins the job — Ty Simpson looks like the favorite — is going to have serious talent around him and a defense that should take pressure off the offense.” Whatever people feel about Ty Simpson, all signs point to it being Ty Time in T-Town.
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