Ty Simpson, Keelon Russell and Austin Mack - Alabama OC Ryan Grubb chooses 1 frontrunner for Kalen DeBoer’s QB1

As Alabama’s offseason progresses, the quarterback competition remains a topic of discussion, with offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb reiterating the comments he made in April. After spring practice, Grubb said that if the team played a “game tomorrow, Ty Simpson would start.”

On Thursday, he didn’t indicate much had changed since spring. Ryan Fowler asked him on Tide 100.9’s "The Game” whether Simpson would be the QB1 over Austin Mack and Keelon Russell if the season started on Saturday. Grubb replied:

“He is. He is right now.”

Ryan Grubb on Ty Simpson being the team's starter. NCAA Football: Mercer at Alabama - Source: Imagn

Simpson is in his fourth year at Alabama. He accumulated 381 passing yards, 130 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns in his three years with the Crimson Tide.

Simpson played under former Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban for two years, who also praised him during May’s “Nick’s Kids Golf Tournament.”

“Ty was an outstanding high school player, no doubt. He’s a fine young man,” Saban said. “I think his example is a true example of development. He matured for two years, and now he’s getting an opportunity, and his experiences will help him be successful.”

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Ryan Grubb on the quarterback competition at Alabama

While Ryan Grubb says Ty Simpson’s ahead for now, he also said the competition is ongoing with Austin Mack and freshman Keelon Russell.

“We don’t really deal in absolutes until we have to, but I was trying to answer that as honestly as I could,” Grubb told Fowler.

“I knew that people were looking for direction and, shoot, so are the guys in the room. Those were not surprising things. Those are things that we had already talked about with the guys. We had our post-spring evaluations done with the guys.

“Ty took care of the football better, he operated better. I thought he improved for an older quarterback – and I know 'young' to playing or starting experience, but I thought for an older guy, especially towards the latter part of the spring, he really started to show more of those characteristics.

"But we’re still going to let them compete. We still are right now. We will again in fall camp.”

Mack is in his third year with coach Kalen DeBoer, and Russell is a five-star freshman.

Alabama will start its 2025 season on the road against the Florida State Seminoles on Aug. 31.