National college football analyst predicts who will win Alabama's QB battle and how long he'll keep the starting job
The Alabama Crimson Tide have arguably the highest profile quarterback battle in the nation happening this spring. With Jalen Milroe off to the NFL, Alabama will turn to either Ty Simpson, Austin Mack, or Keelon Russell to lead the offense in 2025. For now, according to On3's Charlie Potter, "no one has separated themselves from […]
The Alabama Crimson Tide have arguably the highest profile quarterback battle in the nation happening this spring.
With Jalen Milroe off to the NFL, Alabama will turn to either Ty Simpson, Austin Mack, or Keelon Russell to lead the offense in 2025.
For now, according to On3's Charlie Potter, "no one has separated themselves from the pack" in the Alabama starting quarterback battle.
While the quarterback battle appears to still be wide open in Tuscaloosa, On3's Ari Wasserman took a crack at predicting how this battle will play out.
Wasserman predicted that Simpson will begin the season as the Crimson Tide's starting quarterback and then lose the job midseason to Russell.
From On3: Alabama is in a critical situation in which it has to make the College Football Playoff and the wildcard may be five-star freshman quarterback Keelon Russell out of Duncanville (Texas) High. Though I’m tempted to just go with Russell — a truly special talent with a huge arm — I think Simpson’s experience and dedication give him the edge. Russell, though, will start before the season ends. Prediction: Simpson, replaced in the season by Russell
This feels like a reasonable prediction from Wasserman.
Simpson is entering the fourth year of his college career. It's now or never for the former five-star recruit.
Russell, who was rated as the No. 2 overall player in the 2025 recruiting class, is undoubtedly the future at quarterback for Alabama. But there's not a coach in college football that's keen on the idea of starting a true freshman quarterback in game one.
Simpson has the advantage thanks to the experience factor, but it almost certainly won't be long before Russell is knocking on the door.
