“There are no excuses in Bama”: CFB analyst breaks down Crimson Tide’s QB room as questions surround Keelon Russell

The Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback competition promises to be one of the most interesting plots heading into the 2025 season with Ty Simpson, Austin Mack and talented freshman Keelon Russell in the mix.

On3 college football analyst JD Pickell believes this is one of the trickiest quarterback situations in the country as he made his predictions for each quarterback race. At this point, none of the three quarterbacks looks like a certain frontrunner to get the job.

“Keelon Russell, from what I have been told from folks close to Bama, is arguably the most raw, talented quarterback of this group, so leave that there. You also think about the fact that he’s a freshman, so do you really want to roll with a freshman after a lackluster season in year one for Kalen DeBoer?... Ya’ll it’s Bama, there’s no excuses at Bama. It is win now, which makes me think it’s probably a Ty Simpson-Austin Mack discussion as we fit here right now before spring football,” JD Pickell said (4:06).

Simpson was Jalen Milroe’s backup in 2023, which could mean he has the inside track. However, his lack of playing time after the Alabama offense struggled so much last year raised a red flag for Pickell as the sophomore threw for only 167 yards in 2024.

“We all saw what Jalen Milroe lacked last year. The fact that Ty Simpson didn’t even get any burn at all to like spell Jalen Milroe. There was no ‘hey should we put Ty Simpson in and be a spark plug here’, that makes me a little bit nervous.” JD Pickell said.

Due to the uncertainties surrounding both Simpson and Russell, the analyst predicted that Austin Mack will be the starter. Mack is a Washington transfer who has more experience in DeBoer’s system, although he threw only three passes for Alabama in 2024.

Alabama announces homecoming game

Homecoming is always a special occasion for any school, and for the Alabama Crimson Tide, this year’s game holds extra significance. The game will be played on Saturday, Nov. 15, against the Oklahoma Sooners, as announced on Friday night.

Last season’s loss to Oklahoma knocked the Crimson Tide out of College Football Playoff position. Now they’ll get their shot at the Sooners in a house full of fired-up fans. The Sooners currently hold a 2-4-1 edge in the all-time series, including the 24-3 victory in Norman last season.

Alabama’s most recent homecoming game was a 34-0 beatdown of the Missouri Tigers. It was their 22nd straight homecoming victory.