Former Alabama QB has bold prediction for Kalen DeBoer, Ty Simpson

Greg McElroy may have a slight bias towards the  Alabama Crimson Tide. 

He did play there, after all, and he helped the Tide with the 2010 BCS title game.

So yes, the former Alabama quarterback turned ESPN commentator might be partial to the Crimson Tide, but he did make some good points recently when giving a prediction for the 2025 SEC Championship game on the "Always College Football" Podcast.

McElroy predicts that in head coach Kalen DeBoer's second season, the Tide will make the SEC Championship game. He sees them facing off with Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns, though he does see Texas winning that game.

“I just think with some of the youth that Texas has, particularly at quarterback, particular at wide receiver and some of the guys that will be rolling in on defense, they’re a little bit deeper and have a slightly higher ceiling than Alabama at this point," McElroy said (h/t On3). 

Losing the SEC Championship game would be disappointing in Tuscaloosa, but it is a step up from last season when DeBoer went 9-4 with an embarrassing 19-13 loss to Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

Alabama being in the SEC title game would certainly mean that the Tide would be in the College Football Playoff conversation, and that's really the minimum standard in Tuscaloosa after Nick Saban brought six national championships home.

For what it's worth, McElroy does think DeBoer has the pieces to be a contender this season, though, and it starts with newly named starting quarterback Ty Simpson.

"I think Ty Simpson, their new starting quarterback, is a great fit for what Kalen DeBoer wants them to to be," McElroy explained. "He’s going to be a distributor, he’s going to get the ball out of his hands quickly, he’s going to make great decisions, he’s not going to put the defense in harm’s way by turning it over. I think Alabama is poised to make a run this year in a lot of different areas"

A run to the SEC title game and CFP would be a huge step up for DeBoer in Year 2. Alabama fans will certainly be hoping that McElroy's bold prediction will come true.