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What Kalen DeBoer said about Alabama football QB battle after first spring practice
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- What Kalen DeBoer said about Alabama football QB battle after first spring practice
Alabama football's 2025 quarterback battle has officially begun in spring ball.
With the Crimson Tide's first spring practice , Ty Simpson , Austin Mack and Keelon Russell each took the field vying to be the next starting quarterback at Alabama with Jalen Milroe off to the NFL.
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To Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer , it's a room that's only getting started.
"They're all at different points," DeBoer said Monday. "Few things, procedure wise that were a little different. Good to see those guys all operating through that. They all had their times, of course, where they looked really good. And times where they got to continue growing, get better."
Simpson appears to be the leader of the room heading into 2025 with three seasons under his belt backing up Bryce Young and Milroe. Simpson only has 50 career pass attempts and three rushing touchdowns.
Mack, in his one season at Alabama after transferring from Washington, completed two of three passes for 39 yards and a touchdown against Mercer in 2024.
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Russell is the newcomer to Alabama's quarterback room, one who's already gained 17 pounds through the Crimson Tide 's offseason weight training program and "looks good" to DeBoer.
Nov 16, 2024; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson (15) catches a ball as he warms up before the game with Mercer at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News
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"He's up there. He certainly is," DeBoer said when asked if Russell is as good of a prospect as he's had at quarterback. "He's got a long ways to go because I think that's the way he looks at it. And he's excited about what this growth is going to be, even during the spring. But his ceiling and what he accomplished through what you can see on the high school film, he's a pretty elite quarterback."
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DeBoer may not know who will be Alabama's next quarterback. But DeBoer knows exactly what kind of quarterback he wants.
"It's got to be a guy that can deliver the ball, command the huddle, command everything we do with the team," DeBoer said. "Just that presence, that belief and confidence in your signal caller. It starts with a lot of that, just the belief. But, again, the belief comes because you're making the throws and you're getting the ball to the guys in a fashion where they can go make their plays and reap the rewards of all the work that they put in."
Alabama will hold its A Day spring game at noon April 12 at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Crimson Tide will open the 2025 season Aug. 30 at Florida State.
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Kalen DeBoer addresses Alabama football QB battle after spring practice
