How would you grade Kalen DeBoer’s first season at Alabama? A season following the departure of Nick Saban. The time after that wouldn’t have been easy, with waves of players departing, including Caleb Downs and Isaiah Bond. The transition then wasn’t easy; DeBoer was inheriting a challenge. A challenge that would always be measured with the ‘Nick Saban’ scale. DeBoer finished his first year with a 9-4 record, and voices began to grow louder. Bama HC quickly decided to mend his fences, because even he knew that at Alabama, the stakes were going to be extremely high.

So naturally, he started preparing and roping in prospect after prospect for his 2025 class. He knew that players like Jalen Milroe would depart, and the reinforcements needed to come soon and come fast. In came 5-star Michael Carroll (IOL), 5-star Dijon Lee (CB), and 5th-ranked safety Ivan Taylor. But DeBoer’s crown jewel was Keelon Russell, a five-star 99.62-rated quarterback on On3. This was a guy who was touted to be the replacement for Milroe, a potential starter for the 2025 season who would be expected to give Ty Simpson a run for his money. The quarterback battle was just starting, and Keelon Russell’s signing was a proclamation of a long and tiring competition.

There are currently three players who are touted to be QB1 and fill in the shoes of Jalen Milroe. Those players are last year’s freshman Austin Mack, the 2022 freshman still yearning for his break, Ty Simpson, and lastly, the well-touted 2025 prodigy Keelon Russell. But, considering not one of these players has started a single game, filling the shoes? Yeah, good luck trying that. That said, one of these QBs will have to take the mantle and step up on the occasion. Ty Simpson has been on the sidelines for too long, and he fits naturally in that QB1 spot. Former Alabama quarterback and current ESPN commentator Greg McElroy didn’t buy into the supposed ‘battle’ and gave his verdict.

“I believe the gap exists right now between Ty Simpson and everybody else. But how big is that gap? One thing that I’ve been really interested in with Ty Simpson is how he developed as a leader? The problem is that, at that point, there were some things that needed to be ironed out with his own confidence. What he could get away with, what he can do at this level, what he can’t do at this level. The other thing I think they have found with this stuff is that he is a little bit more mobile, a little more athletic than people realized, and he can be a factor in the quarterback run game if needed.”

Surely Ty Simpson didn’t get any starts, not in the Saban years and then not when DeBoer took charge. Still, he has 381 passing yards under his belt in 50 pass attempts. He also has 130 rushing yards; that at least gives us a glimpse of what he can do as a dual threat. Now, many would argue about Keelon Russell, about how the player is 5-star and is touted as a ‘generational’ prodigy. Well, that is the case, but Simpson was also a 5-star prospect when he joined in 2022 and had a great high school career under his belt.

During his senior year alone, the player threw for 2,921 yards and scored 44 touchdowns while also showing his rushing prowess as he ran for 1,206 yards. The only case with Ty Simpson is that he hasn’t seen many snaps, as with Keelon Russell and Austin Mack. So, all in all, DeBoer will likely lean on Ty Simpson because of his years in the program but also because of how he has improved in the past years. Furthermore, they might have the best man to help them through that too.

Kalen DeBoer’s latest addition expected to emulate Nick Saban’s legacy?

Yes, we are talking about the former Kalen DeBoer’s OC at Washington, Ryan Grubb, who has now joined Alabama. He will be the new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. This is a guy who was instrumental in Washington’s 2023 national championship final run. He was even touted to come sooner than expected when Saban was in charge. But the man turned down the offer and decided to stay at the Huskies. Not many could have resisted coaching under the GOAT Saban, and he has provided the reasoning why he did so.

“That was a little bit more. That was really hard, that was just about the guys we had in the locker room in Washington. Michael Penix, Rome Odunze, Jalen McMillan, and Troy Fautanu. We felt like we were poised for a really big season. It would have been hard to walk away from those guys.” He even said the type of football he is going to play at Bama. “Aggressive…We’re going to be aggressive.”

Even if we take Grubb’s words, a lot needs to be better at Alabama. Kalen DeBoer needs to tighten things on both sides of the ball. And you know what can help the second-year coach in Bama? Well, as per Mick Gillespie of Bama Tailgate, Nick Saban. How does that work? Well, he suggested that DeBoer should talk to Nick Saban and ask, “How did you keep those guys prepared?” That preparation could have come in handy against close losses that the Tide suffered against Vanderbilt and Tennessee. Even in the Oklahoma game, the offense didn’t look prepared, and that showed on the field. “Take advantage of Nick Saban! […] find out what it takes to be a better coach,” Gillespie said.

If it works out for DeBoer-Grubb in the following years, we can see a re-run of the Nick Saban-Kirby Smart duo. Okay, maybe not 4 championships together. Let’s start with getting one. Can that happen in 2025? Let’s see.