In the era of the transfer portal, nothing is guaranteed.
One day a player is on your roster, the next, they’re gone. It’s increasingly difficult to maintain depth and talent—especially at high-value positions—when other programs are ready to offer opportunities (and NIL incentives).
Quarterback is often at the center of this chaos. Just look at the recent situation involving Tennessee and Nico Iamaleava.
So, with the portal officially reopening on Wednesday, a big question looms: Can Alabama hang on to all three of its scholarship quarterbacks?
“I really hope we can,” said Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer. “But with the portal, you just never know. That possibility is always out there. Still, I feel good about our roster and the chemistry we’ve built. The quarterbacks know they’re being developed and have a chance to compete.”
One positive for Alabama: under current rules, SEC players can’t transfer to another SEC school and play immediately, so schools like Tennessee can’t poach Tide quarterbacks this cycle.
Ty Simpson has emerged as the frontrunner for the starting job, as offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb confirmed. Austin Mack returns for his second year at Alabama (and third with DeBoer), while 2025 commit Keelon Russell is expected to join next year. For now, that’s the full quarterback room.
“Three quarterbacks isn’t a lot, but that’s likely where we’ll be heading into the fall,” DeBoer said. “We had four last year, which was rare. Usually, I’ve had three, and it keeps you on edge.”
With that limited depth, keeping the QBs both on the roster and injury-free is critical.
“The rest of the team has heard ‘stay away from the quarterback’ more this spring than ever before,” DeBoer joked. “There were definitely some questionable sack calls, but I had to protect our guys. The defensive line might not like it, but it’s what we had to do.”
Leave a Reply