Alabama football 's quarterback battle was one of the most discussed storylines heading into last season, with it not being revealed who would be the starter in Crimson Tide's season-opening game until the depth chart was released three hours beforehand.
Jalen Milroe emerged as the starter for the Crimson Tide , starting in every game with the exception of South Florida . He went onto finish the season throwing for 2,834 yards and 23 touchdowns and rushing for an additional 531 yards and 12 scores while also named a team captain and second team All-SEC.
While this season won't see the same quarterback battle, with Milroe entering this season as the presumptive starter for Alabama in its new offensive under head coach Kalen DeBoer and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Nick Sheridan, the battle behind him remains ongoing.
Alabama returns redshirt sophomore Ty Simpson , who was Milroe's primary backup in 2023, along with redshirt freshman Dylan Lonergan and redshirt freshman transfer Austin Mack , who followed DeBoer and company from Washington. Entering the season, it looks to be Simpson again in the No. 2 spot with Mack and Lonergan competing for No. 3 and No. 4 spots.
"I think you know we have some really good young players in that room and they push each other and they all have done a nice job and they are all improving and growing," Sheridan said following Wednesday's practice. "I've been pleased with the room, you know, like most of the other questions there's things we can do better."
Simpson made six appearances for Alabama in 2023, completing 11-of-20 passes for 179 yards. Most notably, he came in for Tyler Buchner in the South Florida game, leading the Crimson Tide to 17 unanswered points and a 17-3 victory. Mack, who reclassified to the 2023 class to join the Huskies program early, did not see any action in 2023 while Lonergan saw action against Chattanooga , going 2-for-2 for 12 yards passing.
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As a whole, Sheridan said he has been happy with the quarterback unit and its improvement from spring to summer now to fall.
"That's what's fun about coaching is to try and help them get better," Sheridan said. "You see growth, you see progress, new things come up, new installation, new defensive schemes, you know, reps that they see versus this coverage but maybe not that or this pressure but maybe not the other ones. The relentless pursuit of continuous improvement, I see that in the group and their mindset has been great, they are supportive of on another, I've been happy with that."
Alabama completed its 12th practice of fall camp on Wednesday and will complete its second scrimmage of the fall on Saturday. The Crimson Tide get its 2024 season kicked off on Aug. 31 hosting Western Kentucky at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama football's Nick Sheridan on QB room halfway through fall camp
