Kalen DeBoer’s tenure at Alabama has been defined by high expectations and fierce scrutiny. DeBoer was tossed straight into the SEC fire, replacing Nick Saban, the GOAT himself, after Saban announced his retirement in January 2024. That’s like someone giving you the keys to a Ferrari and instructing you not to scratch it, right? DeBoer’s Tide finished at 9-4 in his first year, which, for nearly any other team, would be a season worth celebrating on a float. But this is Bama, where anything short of a Playoff appearance is a disappointment. But boy, there were some puzzlers as well. Alabama’s 40-35 loss to Vanderbilt was surprising, not forgetting the ReliaQuest Bowl’s 19-13 defeat by Michigan.

If you need to comprehend the rollercoaster that was Kalen DeBoer’s first season in Alabama, just observe how the offense attempted to get its identity throughout the entire season. The quarterback situation fluctuated, and at times, the play-calling seemed a beat slow, particularly after Ryan Grubb (DeBoer’s right-hand man) left for the NFL and Nick Sheridan had to transition from tight ends coach to OC. Jalen Milroe flashed lightning in moments, but the offense struggled when it needed to.

Fast forward to 2025, and the word on the street is that this offense is finally ready to burst. Grubb is in the OC chair once again, and the playbook is starting to open up. In a recent interview in the Coca-Cola chat with DeBoer, the host asks, “Ryan Grubb, from one year in Seattle back to your staff um how’s that been and and how awesome is it to have him back?” With a beaming face, DeBoer replies, “You got two top-level level uh, you know, quarterback coaches, coordinators, um and and having them in the same room, now you know which really really has never happened.” He added, “It’s been great having Nick bring the information to Ryan Grubb and um, tell him the why, and you know there’s reasons why you did this or why we did that.” 

Kalen DeBoer making the move to reacquire Ryan Grubb for just $1 million annually? That’s straight-up front office magic right there. The Seahawks showed Grubb the door after one season in Seattle, and poof, the door swung wide open for a Tuscaloosa reunion. DeBoer and Grubb have a background, they concocted one of the ugliest passing attacks in the nation at Washington, so you know DeBoer was eager to get his guy back in the building. And, now he and Nick were working in the same room to glorify Alabama’s offense? Boy, you can bet Kalen’s grinning like he’s already won the championship!

“Ryan is just putting his stamp on it in his different way. He’s elite and uh you know he’s obviously been someone that uh I got a lot of trust with uh going back to our first year in 2007,” states Kalen. Look for a vertical, hard-hitting attack with a downhill run game, think pulling guards, power runs, and then, boom, hitting you over the top with big passing plays. The receivers are more experienced, the O-line is older, and there’s a new group of QBs (Ty Simpson, Keelon Russell, Austin Mack) who fit the system DeBoer and Grubb desire to implement. Kadyn Proctor and Wilkin Formby are holding down the line, and the entire feel is that Bama’s offense is going to look a lot more like those high-scoring Washington teams DeBoer and Grubb constructed.

“I think they’ve really pushed that quarterback room uh have high expectations, which we got to have from those guys uh to reach the goals that we have as a football team.” Grubb, fresh off the NFL, didn’t waste any time establishing the tone. He’s a detail guy, so practice has been crisper, film meetings are more spirited, and every rep matters. Nick Sheridan, now quarterbacks coach, is the “good cop” to the “tough love” of Grubb. And then there’s DeBoer, controlling it all like a chess player, particularly with Ty Simpson, who finally saw his chance to play with the ones. It’s all about who can execute Grubb’s scheme, make the correct reads, and remain composed when bullets start flying.

Can Ty Simpson lead Alabama back to glory?

With all the new OC drama settling, DeBoer has also made a major decision to put a stop to his QB dilemma. It appears that someone is going to hand Ty Simpson the keys to the Crimson Tide offense. If you’ve been along for the ride, you know this was not an easy decision. DeBoer inherited Tuscaloosa with a three-man QB competition on his plate: Ty Simpson, the veteran guy who’s been waiting for his turn; Keelon Russell, the sizzling freshman everyone’s talking about; and Austin Mack, the transfer with the gun. But after a spring of speculation, leaks, and some old-fashioned SEC pressure, DeBoer is going with the veteran.

Ty’s spring game outing was a firm declaration that he’s ready to assume the role of Alabama’s QB1. Though he didn’t necessarily light up the board with showy statistics, impressive was his cool and solid decision-making under duress. The stress on Simpson is crazy.

Simpson’s taking over for Jalen Milroe, who provided command in the previous season, with 2,844 yards passed and 16 TDs, but 11 interceptions too, so there was some rollercoaster action in the passing game. Where Milroe excelled, though, was with his feet-he ran for an astonishing 726 yards and scored 20 times with his feet. But Simpson kept his cool. He didn’t set the stat sheet ablaze this spring, but he also didn’t commit the big errors; he was the steadiest QB of the day and the lone Bama QB of the three who didn’t turn the ball over during the A-Day scrimmage. Mack was the most inconsistent, with two interceptions, while Russell opened the practice with one. He’s making the intelligent throws, playing with poise in pressure situations, and gaining the coaches’ trust.

CBS Sports podcast host Bud Elliott commented, “Do we think that we can win big with Simpson? Or is it more like ‘Hey man, take care of it until Russell is ready this year?’” It’s a reasonable thing to wonder. Russell’s got all the talent, but he’s still a little green-spring ball, indicating he’s got some maturing to do, with some erratic throws and fumbles. Meanwhile, Simpson’s been consistent, if unremarkable, and sometimes that’s just what you need at QB1, particularly when you’re introducing a new system with Ryan Grubb at the controls. New Alabama legend AJ McCarron also reminds Simpson that pressure creates diamonds and that he was made for this moment.