CFB analyst shares one thing holding back Alabama from competing for national championship in 2025 season

For many years, the Alabama Crimson Tide dominated in college football. Under former coach Nick Saban, playoff appearances and national championships were a common sight in Tuscaloosa.

The 2024 season (the first with new coach Kalen DeBoer) was somewhat disappointing as the Crimson Tide missed out on qualifying for the College Football Playoff.

College football analyst J.D. PicKell believes Alabama has one massive element missing, which will hold them back from making a run for the national championship in the upcoming season.

"Alabama has everything in place, apart from having a plus at quarterback to go and compete for a national championship," PicKell said. (4:40)

In the last few seasons, the Crimson Tide was led by Jalen Milroe as the starting quarterback. He proved himself with a strong run and passing game, causing problems for opposition defenses.

Bama has been investing in its offense, with star wide receiver Ryan Williams emerging as one of the strongest young players in college football. Williams, 18, will have two or three seasons left to fully develop and become a vital piece of any wide receiver room.

But while Bama has the receivers, according to PicKell, the quarterback will let them down this year. Milroe played every game during his tenure with the Crimson Tide, meaning the backups rarely had time on the field. When they were able to, it was against weaker opposition in games that were already won.

While we may not know who will be the starting quarterback for Alabama this season, all eyes are pointing to Ty Simpson, who only had 25 passing attempts last season, making 14 of them for 167 yards.

Ty Simpson praised by former Alabama quarterback

Despite the doubts surrounding Ty Simpson's ability to lead Alabama, he has been receiving praise from those connected to the Alabama program. On Wednesday, former Crimson Tide QB AJ McCarron praised Simpson. He said:

“I think he has a ton of talent. I’ve worked with Ty and have trained with him in the past, even when he was a young pup coming out of high school. I think he has a ton of arm talent. He can make every throw on the field.

"I think he’s very underrated using his feet as well, being able to escape the pocket when he needs to or throw into zone-read when you lull the defense to sleep and they’re thinking you’re handing it off to Jam Miller, and all of a sudden you pull it and bust around the edge. He has plenty of enough talent to go out there, win this job, and keep it.”

McCarron believes that Simpson can lead Alabama to glory since he has the right people around him, alongside a talented set of receivers that, when found, can gain many yards.