When Jalen Milroe declared for the 2025 NFL Draft, many Alabama football fans thought that Keelon Russell would become his immediate successor. Instead, Kalen DeBoer never wavered from Ty Simpson as his quarterback, leaving the star freshman third on the Crimson Tide's depth chart, behind backup Austin Mack.
While DeBoer immediately recognized Russell's talent, he acknowledged that the freshman might not play much in 2025 on the ‘Hey Coach & The Kalen DeBoer Show' on the Alabama football YouTube channel. The decision is no knock on Russell's talent, but mostly a testament to the experience Simpson and Mack have with the team.
“You got a little taste of what we get to see in practice,” DeBoer said. “Again, there are steps. It's like, ‘Why aren't you playing [Keelon Russell] more?' But there are steps that he has taken. He's continued to go up, but there are just two guys that are just so much further ahead in the verbiage of the offense when it comes to the spring. It's complicated. We love making it as simple as we can, but in the end, our system, there are a lot of working parts to it.”
Russell was the No. 2 quarterback of the 2025 recruiting class, only behind Michigan super prospect Bryce Underwood. Although he competed stride for stride with Simpson and Mack in the offseason, he appears destined to redshirt the 2025 season.
Kalen DeBoer seeks improvement from Alabama in Week 3
After Alabama's offense struggled against Florida State in Week 1, many fans were calling for both DeBoer and Simpson to lose their jobs. However, the Crimson Tide rebounded as expected in Week 2, blowing out ULM 73-0 in their home opener.
Alabama faces a slightly tougher opponent in Week 3 when it welcomes Wisconsin to Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Badgers are 2-0 in 2025, but are expected to be one of the worst teams in the Big Ten. They also appear to likely be without quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. for both teams' final non-conference game of the season.
While DeBoer is not close to benching Simpson just yet, he made it clear that his quarterback needs to deliver in Week 3. Alabama still has championship aspirations, but is aware that it needs more from its signal-caller when it matters most.
With Mack and Russell both seeing the field in Week 2, DeBoer teased the idea of playing them again against Wisconsin. Week 3 will be the team's final game to figure itself out before a massive clash with No. 6-ranked Georgia arrives.
