Truth be told, I haven't paid a lot of attention to the Alabama quarterback race. I figured it would be Ty Simpson with the inside track with the occasional chatter about some other guy "challenging" him.
So far it feels like that's the case, but for the sake of throwing the dogs off the scent, Bama coach Kalen DeBoer is trying to generate some buzz for the "competition".
Alabama QBs Ty Simpson, Austin Mack, and Keelon Russell throwing at Wednesday's practice in Tuscaloosa pic.twitter.com/DYPxEO0QYF
— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) August 6, 2025
According to Jim Henry of the Tallahassee Democrat, all the quarterbacks are each taking snaps with the ones and twos while Simpson is exempt from working the threes, because presumably he's going to be the starter, and it's a big waste of time for the starter to be working in with the practice squad.
The Crimson Tide quarterback situation is a big unknown. There's not much experience to be drawn off of, and it feels like they all kind of have the same basic skill set. Is Simpson any good?I don't know. He's a redshirt junior who's thrown 39 career passes.
It's hard to think of the last time Alabama didn't have a solidified succession plan at quarterback and there's something to the idea that FSU will have a better quarterback situation going into August 30. If nothing else, Thomas Castellanos has faced live bullets for the past two years. Heck, Brock Glenn has attempted four times as many passes as Simpson.
FSU should expect Simpson to be a game manager
Alabama has a pretty good offensive line, and they are going to try to run the ball. It's a lot to ask of Simpson to do too much in he first start facing a defense that's got a couple of dudes on it. I looked back at some of the recent Alabama quarterbacks in their first starts with the program. They all had similar numbers.
Greg McElroy's first start was against Virginia Tech in 2009. He went 15-for-30 for 230 yards with a touchdown and a pick.
A.J. McCarron's first start was against Kent State, so let's go to his second start, which was against Penn State in 2011. He went 19-of-31 for 163 yards and a touchdown.
Jalen Hurts did not start Alabama's opener in 2016 against USC. That was the well-traveled Blake Barnett, but Hurts played most of the game and went 6-of-11 for 118 yards with two touchdowns and a pick. He also ran for two scores.
Assuming Simpson isn't going to beat the Seminoles with his legs, all of these numbers are pretty pedestrian, and I don't expect much difference from Simpson. He is making his first start and will try to avoid turnovers. There will be opportunities where Simpson has to make a play and that's when Tony White has to unleash his different look to keep Simpson off balance.
There's nothing frightening about Ty Simpson or any of the Alabama quarterbacks. If the defense can hit him early or generate a negative play in the first series, Simpson might not be able to recover.