For Alabama football to be a serious contender in 2025, a significant improvement at quarterback is required.
For Alabama football and Kalen DeBoer, significantly better quarterback play is required for the Crimson Tide to be serious contenders in 2025, regardless of who starts at the position.
Two things are true about Alabama football in 2024: things could have been a lot worse at QB than what Jalen Milroe produced. One needs to only look at the QB performance of Tyler Buchner in the first half versus USF in Tampa last season to see that.
Another fact is that the Alabama Crimson Tide’s quarterback play was the primary cause of their failure to qualify for the College Football Playoffs and their lack of seriousness as a 2024 contender. Alabama must alter that if it is to return to the top division of the country and contend for a national championship rather than facing a five-loss opponent in an equally-ran bowl game.
This season, Alabama’s defense was strong enough to win a championship. In actuality, Tuscaloosa’s defense was likely the greatest in a number of years thanks to Kane Wommack’s squad. The Crimson Tide ended the season with the 10th-highest yards per play defense in the nation, despite having a young secondary and numerous injuries to important players.
With Ryan Williams, Germie Bernard, and a number of veteran alternatives behind them, Alabama’s wide receivers were adequate. The running backs had sufficient skill. The offensive line wasn’t as strong as everyone had imagined, but when your quarterback is incapable of making basic reads and may have been tipping plays all season, everything becomes more challenging:
At the end of the previous season, the book on defending Milroe was released. This season, astute teams copied the strategy that Michigan demonstrated in the Rose Bowl. To deter the deep shots that Milroe was so adept at making in 2023, you play two deep safeties. After that, you collapse the pocket and crash six defenders onto the line of scrimmage, forcing Milroe to make a snap decision—something he was never very good at.
For the most of the season, Alabama’s running offense was likewise nullified by crashing those defenders to the line of scrimmage. Because the running back provided an extra blocker, things were able to open up, which is why Alabama had the best success with designed quarterback runs. The offensive line has received a lot of criticism for the Tide’s difficulties in the conventional running game, but quarterback limitations also make that challenging.
In 2025, Jalen Milroe will not start at quarterback for Alabama. At that moment, it doesn’t matter if he enters the Transfer Portal or turns pro. Next season, he won’t be in Tuscaloosa. DeBoer and offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan must let him go and find a quarterback who will advance the offense rather than impede it.
It’s still unclear if that player is now on the roster. Ty Simpson’s career at the Capstone is about to take a drastic turn. It’s now or never for him as he enters his fourth season at Alabama. Is he capable of finishing the task? Even if Milroe played poorly at times this season, he was never given the chance to demonstrate it, which is why I have my reservations.
You have to assume Simpson would have played against Oklahoma if the coaching staff believed the quarterback race was close. Perhaps even a few weeks ago against Tennessee.
Washington transfers if Simpson doesn’t Austin Mack is physically capable of succeeding under DeBoer’s system. He has an advantage over Simpson because he is starting his third year of collegiate football in the same system. This season, in the second half of the Mercer game, Mack threw a spectacular touchdown pass to rookie Rico Scott.
Naturally, there is also Keelon Russell, a 5-star freshman who may immediately replace him as the starting quarterback. He’s that gifted. Given how crucial his second season in Tuscaloosa will be, is DeBoer truly prepared to risk all on the rookie quarterback next season?
He will be coaching for his job in 2026 after another season with eight or nine wins. It would take a lot of courage to start a freshman. However, it took a lot of courage for DeBoer to leave a lucrative position in Seattle to join the all-time great head coach in Tuscaloosa.
We’ll soon find out how DeBoer feels about this quarterback room. It will be fascinating to see if Alabama is connected to any possible portal quarterbacks when Milroe makes his departure official. After the Longhorns are done, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers will most likely go through the portal. At this level, would Alabama be interested in a proven winner? Would they be prepared to pay for his transportation to Alabama?
I don’t think Alabama will add a quarterback through the portal; if they had, they probably would have signed one of the first group of signal callers who entered the portal. Miller Moss of USC or John Mateer of Washington State would have probably fit well in this system. In any case, better quarterback play is essential for Alabama to be a serious contender again the following season, and quarterback play at the same or even lower level in 2025 will probably result in even more disastrous outcomes for the Crimson Tide and put DeBoer in the hot seat.
