Nick Saban’s departure before the 2024 season left a cascading effect of dominoes falling sequentially. The legendary head coach set the bar so high that coaches like Kalen DeBoer are now left playing catch-up. We saw that happening in the last season when Alabama struggled even against unranked opponents. The team lost 35-40 against Vanderbilt—first in 4 decades—and a struggling Oklahoma steamrolled DeBoer by 3-24. But, despite the season, fans remained patient and knew that DeBoer himself would take some time to settle and step into the shoes of Nick Saban. The former Washington head coach acknowledged it, too.
“(Last season) wasn’t good enough in any of our minds,” DeBoer said. “We need to be better, and we know that. We also know that from year 1 to year 2, that jump should happen, and we expect that to happen.” Year 2 undoubtedly has brought more thrills than spills. Kalen DeBoer continued Saban’s legacy and produced a 3rd ranked class in the nation for 2025. Keelon Russell, the 2nd-ranked QB, was there; Michael Carroll, the top OT, came in; and Dijon Lee, the 4th-ranked CB’s arrival, was a breath of fresh air. Everything till now seemed adequate except their QB situation. The same situation has now led to a very harsh verdict that has almost broken their fortunes.
On the May 17th episode of ‘That SEC Football Podcast’, Jake Wimberley of the CFB hourglass sat with Mike to analyze Bama’s 2025 predictions. It would have been just another prediction, except CFB Hourglass’s analytics predicted Bama’s season accurately for 2024. So, then began the dreading take that Jake provided about Bama. Mike started with the context and straight up cut to the chase. “This year, the models got them eight and four again. Kalen DeBoer, man, what a disappointing season that would be for the Tide fans.” The host even acknowledged Jake for his accurate take last year: “You nailed them last year, CFB Hourglass.” But why the harsh take?
While several things at Alabama look like a massive upgrade from the previous season, the QB issues still persist and maybe even more pronounced. The offense this year looks to offer more with Ryan Grubb coming in as the new offensive coordinator. Last year, the offense struggled and was ranked 22nd nationally in yards per play. Moreover, Alabama topped the national charts and stood 97th with 21 turnovers. And while the addition of players like Isaiah Horton and Kam Dewberry may look optimistic, the QB problem can still bring dark clouds.
Jake Wimberley provided the main reason why Kalen DeBoer’s QB, Ty Simpson, would underperform. “When you kind of comb through some of the SEC metrics, you know, what we don’t know is how good is Ty Simpson? And right now, he is 12th on my list of quarterbacks in the SEC.” Even though Jake put Kalen DeBoer as the 4th best coach and Bama’s roster was 2nd in terms of talent, Ty Simpson’s uncertainty finally regressed Alabama to an 8-4 season.
“I think you have to question that there are some intangibles here that we saw with Alabama last year, as far as possible, toughness, you know, preparedness.” Uncertainty regarding Ty Simpson isn’t new.
The 6’2″ and 215 lb. signal caller is in his fourth year at Alabama and was a five-star recruit. However, the QB waited behind Tyler Buchner and Bryce Young and last season behind Jalen Milroe without gaining significant playtime. In the brief playtime the QB has seen, he has managed to garner a total of 167 yards last season and 179 yards before that. But that’s not enough to assess a QB as a starter, right? Well, overall, the talent sure is there, but his inexperience behind the center is the biggest concern right now. Still, there must be one question in everyone’s mind: What’s the guarantee that Ty Simpson will be the QB1?
QB1 spot confirmed for Ty Simpson?
Currently, there are three QBs in Kalen DeBoer’s camp. The incoming Washington transfer, Austin Mack, the 5-star true freshman Keelon Russell; and Ty Simpson. Keelon Russell, initially, in spring games, had shown flashes of brilliance, but he is still a developmental prospect for the time being. That leaves Austin Mack and Ty Simpson in contention. That being said, we could still see Russell later in the season if he becomes ready to take those snaps.
In the May 16th CBS Sports podcast, Bud Elliot echoed a similar take. “Do we think that we can win big with Simpson? Or is it more like ‘Hey man, take care of it until Russell is ready this year?”. Still, Elliot picked Ty Simpson to start against Florida State and initially in the season. Due to Simpson’s relatively higher experience,” I think there is an element of that where there’s more like ‘Hey man, you got the most experience of this current three-man quarterback battle.” The verdict?
The verdict is simple: Ty Simpson is going to be the QB1 until and unless other players like Austin Mack or Keelon Russell show starter capability. It’s natural, too, since Simpson was also a 5-star and has waited patiently for three years for his chance. He could have simply transferred to another program, but the guy is a Bama loyal. And because of that, including his experience, Simpson will be the QB1 for Kalen DeBoer, at least at the start of the season.
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