No matter what happens in Kalen DeBoer’s encore season at Alabama, remember that he did not add a transfer quarterback.
That’s not a criticism. Not yet, anyway. For now, it’s just a fact.
Considering how few meaningful snaps Ty Simpson played throughout three seasons as an Alabama backup, most evaluation of him must come from what he does in practice. And, apparently, DeBoer saw enough to determine Simpson would fare better atop Alabama’s quarterback competition than one of the quarterbacks the Tide could have secured from the transfer portal.
Let DeBoer be judged on how that evaluation pans out.
Quarterback evaluation and development is supposed to rate among DeBoer’s strengths. That reputation absorbed a ding after Jalen Milroe regressed in his lone season operating under DeBoer.
In fairness to DeBoer, his hiring last mid-January put him behind the 8-ball as far as roster construction. Rolling with Milroe became the obvious and best option. Milroe’s union with DeBoer started well enough. The quarterback became a Heisman Trophy front-runner after a dazzling September, before devolving into a turnover machine.
DeBoer already took one step toward energizing Alabama’s offense. He’s hiring offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, the Tuscaloosa News reported Sunday. Grubb was DeBoer’s long-time right-hand man that helped Washington reach the national title game in 2023 before spending last season in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks.
Next up, solving Alabama’s quarterback vacancy.
DeBoer puts his faith in a quarterback who arrived at Alabama as a five-star recruit before throwing a grand total of 50 passes the past three seasons.
Simpson has not been named starter. No need for such proclamations before the dogwoods bloom. Five-star true freshman Keelon Russell spices up the competition, as DeBoer’s first quarterback signee at Alabama. Plus, there’s Austin Mack, a career backup who followed DeBoer to Alabama from Washington.
This job sure seems like Simpson’s to lose, though.
Simpson built “relationships to get ready for this chance that he has right in front of him,” DeBoer told reporters at the Senior Bowl, “to not just step up as a leader, because I think he’s been doing that, but to have that opportunity to step in and be the quarterback.”
Evaluating whether to trust incumbent options or pivot to a transfer quarterback ranks among a coach’s most important roster construction duties. Blowing that evaluation can derail a season.
For evidence of that, look no further than Alabama’s chief rival, Auburn.
