Ty Simpson May be the Starter, But Alabama’s QB Battle is not Fully Settled

While the battle for Alabama's starting quarterback battle may have ended, the Crimson Tide still has competition inside the quarterback room.

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Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb announced Ty Simpson as the starting quarterback during his Tuesday media availability, but the Crimson Tide quarterback battle is not completely finished.

"No. We're still working through all that," Grubb said. "I think you'd be pigeonholing yourself a little bit on reps and opportunity for both of those guys to get better.

What was the message to Austin Mack and Keelon Russell as the Crimson Tide still searches for a backup quarterback?

"I think for those guys - not I think, I know, they have to continue to progress. For quarterbacks in general, any position is tough, but the development of a quarterback to continue to move forward during a season is the toughest thing," Grubb said. "That's the thing, you have to find ways to generate both coaching staff-wise to create looks and opportunities so those guys don't just pause.

"Young quarterbacks that are really talented, like Austin and Keelon, what we don't want is that the starter is named and all this improvement that they've been making to this point just comes to a screeching halt. That part, they totally understood. I know they're up to the task, and I think a huge part of that is the relationships, the bond that's been built in that room. I told the guys, I thought one of the things that stood out to me the most about that room was that there never was this feeling of somebody conceding. So like, 'Oh, Ty's gonna be the guy.' There was never an approach by any of the three guys that it was like, it's him or him.

At the same time it was all organic. Guys were able to focus on their job and just be the best quarterback they can be. I think they all developed because of the type of room that we have. Tip of the cap to those guys, I don't think that's coaching, I think that's just guys doing a really good job of focusing on themselves. I think Austin and Keelon will be up to that."

You can watch Ryan Grubb's full press conference here.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.