Jalen Milroe is no longer in Alabama football’s quarterback room. But he has a better idea than most of what the Crimson Tide will have at its disposal in 2025.
“When you have guys who love it as well, it’s nothing but passion that’s poured into the football field,” Milroe said Nov. 19. “That’s what we have.”
One will take the reins from Milroe heading into Alabama’s 2025 season after the redshirt junior announced he would forgo his final season of collegiate eligibility and declare for the 2025 NFL Draft.
Here’s a look at each of the Crimson Tide’s three scholarship options heading into its 2025 season opener against Florida State, and what they bring to the room.
Ty Simpson backed up Bryce Young. He backed up Milroe. Two quarterbacks, two head coaches and three offensive coordinators later, it may be Simpson’s time to show what he can do.
Simpson was a heralded recruit in the 2022 class, signing with Alabama as the No. 26 player and the No. 3 quarterback in the country behind Cade Klubnik (Clemson) and Conner Weigman (Texas A&M).
Once the Tennessee Gatorade Player of the Year, Simpson could not be stopped in high school, recording 2,827 yards passing, 862 yards rushing, 52 total touchdowns and three interceptions.
Simpson hasn’t had much of an opportunity to show what he can do in three seasons with the Crimson Tide, He has 381 career yards passing on 50 pass attempts, 130 yards rushing on 22 carries and three rushing touchdowns.
But he is someone Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer has praised for his ability to escape a collapsing pocket and extend plays, and his throwing ability.
“Everyone gets tied up on Jalen’s running ability, but Ty is tough to handle when it comes to running the football, too,” DeBoer said after the Mercer game Nov. 16.
Austin Mack was DeBoer’s hand-picked quarterback at Washington, committing to the Huskies as the No. 230 prospect and the No. 16 quarterback in the 2023 class.
After redshirting his first collegiate season at Washington after reclassifying, Mack was the first transfer Alabama secured in the DeBoer era.
Standing at 6-foot-6, 236 pounds, the Loomis, California, quarterback had nearly 3,500 yards passing and 40 touchdowns in his last season of high school as a junior.
Mack showed off that arm talent against Mercer when he found Rico Scott for a 31-yard touchdown pass.
Keelon Russell is the highest-rated Alabama quarterback signee since Young. And he has the numbers to prove it.
Playing for Texas high school football powerhouse Duncanville, Russell completed just over 74% of his 243 pass attempts for 3,267 yards passing, 35 passing touchdowns and three interceptions as a junior, per MaxPreps. He added 304 yards rushing and four rushing scores. A year later, he completed nearly 70% of his passes for 3,874 yards passing with 53 passing touchdowns and four interceptions.
“The defenses you see and the things you see, because everyone’s trying to beat Duncanville,” former Duncanville quarterbacks coach Mike Arogbonlo said. “By the time you get to the college level, you’re pretty much like a sophomore already as a freshman.”
Alabama views Russell as the best quarterback in the 2025 class, one it picked up after he had originally committed to SMU.
Based on Young’s path, Russell could compete for starting quarterback reps almost immediately.
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him atcgay@gannett.com or follow him@_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
