Ever since his arrival in Alabama, Kalen DeBoer is facing a litmus test of his own patience and restraint. When DeBoer accepted the job last year, even he knew that succeeding Nick Saban was never going to be a cakewalk. While his recruitment and action plan seems to be on the right path, HC DeBoer is facing a very Alabama dilemma when we are just four months away before the season begins. In the name of Ty Simpson and Austin Mack the Crimson Tide are blessed with some elite quarterbacks. While this may look like a luxury, DeBoer now finds himself facing an even bigger challenge as a new contender enters the mix—Keelon Russell.

A dual threat 5-star QB, the highest-rated Alabama recruit ever, and Gatorade NPOY 2024; you could not have asked for a better quarterback. When asked if Russell is ready to challenge Simpson and Mack for QB1, DeBoer did not sugarcoat his words, saying, “He’s up there, he certainly is.” Simpson being at the program for four years, seems like an obvious choice but Austin Mack and Russell are too good to ignore for DeBoer.

On March 27th, the Crimson Tide held its first scrimmage of the spring and surprisingly, all three QBs stood out. Colin Gay of Tuscaloosa shared DeBoer’s thoughts after the scrimmage. “While not specifying Simpson, Mack or Russell, DeBoer said one quarterback is set apart by his ability to throw catchable balls, while another who is better at field throws, another better at scrambling,” Colin said. Alabama HC, who is yet to decide on his QB1, will have another scrimmage before the A-Day practice, but before that, we may already have the answer, according to Tim Watts.

Watts, lead publisher at bamaonline.com, shared some intel from spring camp over the On3 Recruits YouTube channel. He was asked the latest word on “how Keelon Russell is developing.” To this, Tim Watts said, “He is as good as they thought he would be…He throws a pretty football. He’s confident. He relates well with his teammates. He relates well with the recruits on campus. We can see him mentioned a lot…He’s as advertised, so far.” Watts proceeded to imply that Russell is indeed a contender for the QB1 shirt.

“The quarterback battle is going to go on [for] a while. You have Ty Simpson, who’s been there three years and he’s done a great job. As well as Austin Mack. But I think Keelon’s everything they wanted him to be on in off the field.” he said. Ah, the elephant in the room- Austin Mack. He’s had some spring to himself. The former 4-star isn’t an afterthought in this 3-way battle. However, he does appear to be losing the traction that he’d gained earlier in camp.

Austin Mack potentially tumbling down Kalen DeBoer’s depth chart

Austin Mack’s an interesting wrinkle in this trifecta. Perhaps the biggest feather in his cap is the fact that he’s the only one who’s been through an entire season with Ryan Grubb before. Mack transferred over from Washington alongside Kalen DeBoer last year which also lends to his case- why would the coach tag him along unless he saw a potential starter? This did seem to be transpiring, and Mack reportedly was trending toward it about a fortnight ago. Pete Nakos of On3 reported Austin Mack “has been turning heads in spring practice and is a serious contender for the starting job.” However, it’s not been sunshine and rainbows since.

Bama Standard Network’s Justin Riley lent his thoughts on how the QB depth chart is shaping up. He offered an exact order based on a mesh of intel and opinion. Ty Simpson as QB1, Keelon Russell backing him up, and Austin Mack stashed beneath. If this really was true, you’d think Mack hits the transfer portal when it reopens. Being overtaken by the freshman would all but be the death nail in his Bama career before it really even kicked into gear.

Kalen DeBoer isn’t in an enviable position here. There are positives on all fronts, as well as negatives offsetting them. If Keelon Russell is the most skilled, he’s also had the least time in the program and system. Plus, throwing the kid straight into the deep end against SEC defenses may be counterproductive to both his development and Bama’s results, which Coach DeBoer does need to quell concerns about his job security. Ty Simpson being the week 1 starter makes sense from the perspective that he’s deserved his shot. But this is a cut-throat business, and there are no guarantees.