The Alabama Crimson Tide is about to enter the dog days of summer following what was, by all accounts, a highly productive spring.
With one more day in spring and the modified edition of A-Day arriving this weekend, fans in attendance will try to closely monitor the hottest topic of the season and get a good look at all three quarterbacks vying for the starting job.
Most reports have indicated all three of Ty Simpson, Austin Mack, and five-star freshman Keelon Russell have a real shot — and the job has not been won yet.
The commonly held belief however is that Simpson is the heavy favorite simply because of experience. Simpson has also been with the program for longest duration, including serving as the backup last season ahead of Mack on the depth chart.
Mack transferred from Washington with Kalen DeBoer after his freshman season on the bench, giving him the leg up of an extra season over anyone in the DeBoer system.
Keelon Russell is the wild card. While it would be a shock, some believe he has the talent to come in and start right away following a decorated high school career for Texas powerhouse Duncanville.
During an interview with Ryan Fowler of Tide 100.9, DeBoer spoke about the quarterback battle and it sure does not sound like anyone is winning the job by default.
“All of them are getting better, which is what you hope and need and expect,” DeBoer said as relayed by Charlie Potter of On3.
“And for us as far as like – I know people want to know a decision and things like that – for us, it’s just we don’t feel like they’re to the point where there’s separation, where there’s a ceiling that they’ve hit. And I think it’d be pretty foolish to make a decision right now. We have plenty of time still to work through it and let these guys continue to work through the summer. Obviously, that takes us into fall camp where they’ll get some more reps.”
While this quote reads fairly standard, it’s what DeBoer describes as his ideal quarterback which raised some eyebrows.
“I think a lot of it is we want that playmaker,” he said. “I don’t want just a game manager out there. If we’re gonna win at the level we want to win at, we want a guy that’s gonna produce, make the big plays. And obviously, there’s a piece, too, where you can’t make the big mistakes. We all know that, especially in the critical moments, whether it’s in the red zone, end of games, the half, things like that.”
DeBoer’s desire for a “playmaker” led many to believe that this could mean Russell – who is absolutely electric in terms of play style as compared to the other two – has a real shot to do the impossible and start for the Tide as a true freshman.
It’s going to be a long summer of speculation, though it certainly seems conceivable that Russell is right there with both Simpson and Mack.
