With Jalen Milroe’s departure, these are the QB candidates to lead Alabama next season

The Crimson Tide have a major quarterback question for the 2025 season.

The Alabama Crimson Tide got some major news after their disappointing bowl loss to the Michigan Wolverines on Tuesday, as quarterback Jalen Milroe announced his intentions to enter the 2025 NFL Draft.

Milroe, a redshirt junior, had been Alabama’s starting quarterback over the past two seasons, leading the Crimson Tide to a College Football Playoff berth in 2023 before narrowly missing out in 2024.

While it was more of a down year statistically for Milroe, who threw 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, the quarterback provided a level of stability at the position for the Crimson Tide.

Now, they have a major question to answer at the most important position in football: who will be their starting quarterback in 2025? Let’s break down the options.

Ty Simpson

Ty Simpson elected to return to the program this past season to back up Milroe once again, and the redshirt sophomore could be seen as the favorite to win the starting job, as he’s the most experienced player in the room.

While he hasn’t necessarily shown much on the field over his few seasons at Alabama, attempting only 50 passes over the past three years, Simpson is a former five-star recruit who now leads a room that has three scholarship quarterbacks.

Austin Mack

A four-star recruit in the Class of 2024, Mack came with head coach Kalen DeBoer from Washington to Alabama, and could earn a shot at the starting gig as well.

Being only a freshman, Mack is behind Simpson in experience, while the Crimson Tide are bringing in a five-star quarterback in the 2025 class. So, it seems like an uphill battle at the moment for the 2024 four-star, but the competition should be an open one heading into next season.

Keelon Russell

That leaves us with the youngest and most tantalizing player of the trio: 2025 five-star quarterback Keelon Russell, who was ranked as the No. 2 signal-caller in the class.

Russell, a multi-year starter at Texas powerhouse Duncanville, is seen as the future of the Crimson Tide, and has a big opportunity to come in and compete for the starting job, which he believes is the expectation, even as a true freshman.

“With Jalen Milroe leaving, it opens up a lot of opportunities for me,” Russell shared at the Under Armour All-American Game this week. “Obviously, I won’t have to be behind somebody for real and watch him take over a little bit instead of just going in there and trying to win the starting position. Either way, I’m gonna still have that mindset.

“But honestly, you have a starting quarterback that starts the whole year [in Milroe]. You’re gonna get him the playing time he needs and as a senior, you’re gonna give him that last chance to showcase his years because he’s gonna go to the draft. So I mean, [with him leaving instead of coming back for his senior season], it opens up a lot of opportunities for me. . .At the end of the day, I’m just ready to ball, to be honest.”

Now, being the most intriguing candidate to win the job and actually winning the job are two different things, and Russell is a competitor who understands the process.

“If I don’t win [the starting job], I’m not [going to be] no baby about it. I won’t cry. I won’t think that it’s the world over for me. I’m competitive. You’ve seen Jalen Milroe get his job taken. Not to point that out, but you’ve seen Jalen Milroe get his job taken years ago. So it’s always gonna be something that’s gonna happen. . .I just feel like I’m going in there to compete, and best comes out of it.”

But, the five-star quarterback is going in with the mindset that he expects to win that starting quarterback position, which would be a major change for Alabama.

“I feel like I’m a quarterback that doesn’t really resolve around pressure. I’m more of a confident quarterback. I want to go compete, and that’s what it is. If I go compete, I’m [going to] win the starting position.”

The Crimson Tide have a major decision ahead of them in 2025, as it doesn’t seem like they’ll go to the transfer portal.

They’ve invested a lot into their five-star quarterback, who currently stands around 6’4, 185 pounds, which means the offense would likely change to support Russell.

But, the incoming freshman has a ton of talent, which will likely be on display as he competes for the starting job starting in the spring.