The atmosphere is unusually tense for a place like Tuscaloosa, where records are broken and history is made. The Crimson Tide faithful are accustomed to dominance and having clarity around the quarterback position. And now, they find themselves in uncharted territory. Ty Simpson, a former five-star recruit, leads the depth chart, but questions still linger. The buzz isn’t about his talent but about the vibe— fans are squinting, not swaggering, wondering if Simpson can win them back the glory. Adding to the mix is Keelon Russell, the nation’s top-ranked quarterback recruit, who committed to Alabama despite lucrative NIL offers everywhere else. Fueled with long-term excitement, fans wonder about the future under the center. 

But he’s still not being made the immediate answer— Simpson is. And that’s where the unease sets in. The Tide aren’t used to waiting for results, sort of approach. Certainty is the foundation of their legacy, especially at quarterback. So, when the starting job doesn’t look promising, the scrutiny shifts from the players to the man orchestrating the whole set. The quarterback positioning becomes a subplot. 

Kalen DeBoer inherited probably the most high-pressure seat in college football. DeBoer didn’t just arrive with high expectations—he came with a reputation for winning. His offensive philosophy, quarterback development track record, and poise under pressure made him a compelling hire. But Alabama isn’t Washington. In the SEC, even promising resumes get chewed up if they don’t produce immediate results. On ‘On Texas Football,’ Bratton doubled down on that reality: “He came in with such an outstanding resume. Certainly got dinged last year, losing four games. I think that’s inexcusable. Even if Jalen Milroe was a largely inconsistent player, but to me, that’s on the coaching. I mean, you adapt to your players. You don’t do it the other way in college football.”

That criticism wasn’t just harsh—it was pointed. Because in Alabama, the scheme has to serve the moment. DeBoer was brought in to be an offensive mastermind, and yet the offense often looked uncertain and out of rhythm, especially in crucial games. Milroe’s inconsistency was expected to be offset by coaching clarity. When that didn’t happen, the heat turned up—fast.

​​The expectations are sky-high again in 2025. Alabama is projected to be a College Football Playoff contender. Bratton, who once covered the SEC with clinical precision, acknowledged that the path is still there, but the stakes have shifted: “They should make the College Football Playoff. I think it’s going to be them, Texas and Georgia, that are going to be vying to win the conference this year.” That “should” carries weight. Because if they don’t, and another playoff berth slips away, it may not just be DeBoer’s reputation that suffers—it could be his job. As Bratton bluntly put it, “If they don’t make the College Football Playoff yet again, I don’t think he’s back year three. And now, does that mean they fire him? Does that mean he goes to the NFL? I don’t know. But they won’t have him back. I mean—and nor should they– and nor should they.”

So while DeBoer has brought back Ryan Grubb—his trusted offensive coordinator from Washington—there’s no honeymoon period left. Continuity is no longer a luxury, it’s a requirement. With Simpson pulling ahead in the quarterback race, the coaching staff has to prove that the lessons of 2024 weren’t just bruises—they were blueprints.

But there’s an elephant in the room—Ty Simpson himself. The former five-star’s place at the top of the depth chart isn’t reassuring Tide fans the way it once would have. The problem isn’t Simpson’s skillset. It’s his sample size. Most of his game-time glimpses have been brief and came in less-than-ideal circumstances.

Following in Nick Saban’s steps, post his retirement, was going to be daunting. But a four-loss campaign in 2024 made his case even harder. You see, Tuscaloosa doesn’t have “rebuild” in its vocabulary. They “reload”. So, when the machine stutters, blame flows quickly. It’s as SEC insider Mike Bratton put it, “Hot seat is not the right word here, but I don’t know that there’s a coach that’s facing more pressure than Kalen DeBoer.” The noise around Ty Simpson might be growing, but it’s the silence around DeBoer’s margin for error that’s deafening.

This is why, even though Alabama enters 2025 ranked No. 7 in On3’s post-spring Top 25 and is still considered a heavyweight, the tone of the program is different. There’s anticipation, yes. But it’s laced with edge. The SEC isn’t getting easier. Nine teams from the conference are in the top 25. Georgia isn’t slipping. Texas isn’t waiting. And Alabama? They can’t afford to stall. And at the center of it all—right where the pressure condenses and the spotlight burns hottest—is the quarterback room.

Ty time? Alabama’s QB picture clears up heading into summer

Quarterback might be the most important position in football — and in Tuscaloosa, it’s the hottest topic heading into the 2025 season. Alabama is rolling into a new era with a fresh face under center, and right now, it’s looking more and more like Ty Simpson’s job to lose.

After spring ball concluded, OC Grubb didn’t mince words: “At the end of the day, if we’re playing a football game tomorrow, Ty Simpson would start,” he said on April 14. That’s as clear a vote of confidence as you’ll get in a QB competition this time of year.

And the rising buzz around Simpson is catching national attention. Staples explained why he bumped Alabama into his post-spring Top 10. “I moved Alabama into the top 10 because every time I look at the Crimson Tide’s depth chart, I get less worried about the quarterback competition,” Staples said. “Whoever wins the job — Ty Simpson looks like the favorite — is going to have serious talent around him and a defense that should take pressure off the offense.” Whatever people feel about Ty Simpson, all signs point to it being Ty Time in T-Town.