Ryan Williams Makes His Opinion of Alabama's QB Battle Abundantly Clear

"Going through the spring and the winter, I've got to catch a lot of balls from all three of them," Williams said of Simpson, Mack, and Russell. "I've played a lot of football with them, and super excited to continue through the summertime. Honestly, I'm comfortable with all three of them going into the summer and fall camp."

That comfort level will be crucial for DeBoer, whose offensive identity will largely hinge on the winner of that three-man battle. Simpson, a former five-star recruit, has the edge in experience after backing up Jalen Milroe last fall. Mack, a Washington transfer, followed DeBoer to Tuscaloosa and is a former top recruit of the new Alabama bench boss. Russell, a true freshman dual-threat, is arguably the most athletically similar to Milroe and was the second-ranked quarterback in the 2024 class, according to 247Sports.

"They all have leadership intangibles in their back pocket," he said. "They know that they can rely on me, and I can allow them to just focus on being our quarterback. We're going to do a great job of making their job easy, just making plays for them, because we have the experience."

Whoever wins the quarterback position can rely on Williams to make splash plays. He shined as one of the nation's most dangerous true freshmen last season. Williams racked up 48 catches for 865 yards and eight touchdowns, emerging as Alabama's go-to threat in a transitional year for the program.