Unexpected Contender Reportedly Emerges for Starting QB Position at Alabama

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matt De Lima | Last updated Mar 4, 2025 3:55 PM ET

The quarterback room has yet to be settled for the Alabama Crimson Tide. Reports suggest redshirt junior Ty Simpson and true freshman Keelon Russell are the top competitors to start under center for Bama.

However, according to reports from 247Sports' Mike Rodak on "The Paul Finebaum Show," the Tide has a third quarterback who is heavily considered to lead the SEC program in the 2025 college football season.

"Austin Mack ... this is also his third year in Kalen DeBoer's system. That's the big thing people may forget is that it's really Austin Mack who is most experienced within this system. Because he was at Washington, he was (at Alabama) last year.

Three players are fighting for the @AlabamaFTBL QB1 spot, including one of the highest-touted recruits in the nation.@mikerodak breaks down the early action from spring camp: pic.twitter.com/APpx2AiBqy
— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) March 4, 2025

"And the other thing with Mack, just physically, he's bigger than the other two guys. He's impressively big for a quarterback. He brings something a little different to the table than what Ty and Keelon do just from a size standpoint."

At 6-foot-6 and 236 pounds, Mack is a former four-star recruit who committed to Washington as part of the 2023 class. He followed DeBoer out to Alabama after entering the transfer portal in January 2024.

In a report from 247Sports about the quarterbacks from the 2025 recruiting class, it's believed that Russell will redshirt, leaving the QB competition between Simpson and Mack.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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