The Alabama Crimson Tide finished 9-4 last season, their worst in nearly 2 decades. That tells you the standards Nick Saban built at Alabama. 6 national titles and 9 SEC championships after Saban finally said goodbye and left the program wanting answers after his departure. For one, how could any coach match Saban’s heroics and constantly be judged through the lens of Saban’s standards? Kalen DeBoer faces that same problem in Alabama. However, Saban still gave one of his hidden weapons to alleviate some of the woes.

The 2024 class had several prospects and big names whom Saban personally recruited. There was Jaylen Mbakwe (CB), Zay Mincey (CB), and Zabien Brown (CB), all of whom were incredible prospects in their own right. Yet, the major weapon Saban gave Kalen Deboer was Ryan Williams. A five-star wide receiver ranked 5th nationally and 3rd in his position. This was a generational talent who was rated 98.97 on ON3. And Williams’ showed what he can do on the field last year. However, with Jalen Milroe gone, Kalen DeBoer still has to address the looming QB dilemma.

According to Chris Low, the ESPN senior writer, the battle is becoming more and more intriguing to witness. “My take on @AlabamaFTBL QB situation after being on campus: Ty Simpson is best positioned to be a starter, but has to go win it. Hasn’t done it yet. Austin Mack is battling and has some real support among players. Keelon Russell most talented of the three, but a freshman. Legit race.”

Right now, Kalen DeBoer has three options in his roster to take up the QB1 spot. First is Ty Simpson, who is widely touted to be the QB1 by analysts. The second one is Austin Mack, who joined Alabama as a 4-star QB in the 2023 class. The third and last one talked into the QB battle is the newly joined 5-star 2025 prospect, Keelon Russell.

Chris Low’s verdict posted on X on April 9th has garnered more than 60k views and seems to be steadily rattling the Alabama nation on the internet. Ty Simpson, while a five-star prospect of the 2022 class, hasn’t seen any starts under Saban or Kalen DeBoer. So far, the QB has managed to rack up just 381 passing yards in 50 pass attempts but is seen as a dual-threat QB widely since the player rushed for 1,200 yards and scored 15 touchdowns in his senior season at high school. Then comes the case for the other two QBs.

Austin Mack, a 4-star prospect of the 2023 class, redshirted initially at Washington and was the 16th-ranked quarterback in the nation. He transferred to Alabama in 2024 when Kalen DeBoer joined the program. The player, though talented, hasn’t seen any appearance except in the game against the Mercer Bears. In that game, the 2023 prospect passed for 39 yards and showed some glimpses of his capabilities. Moreover, in his high school junior year, the player passed for 3,498 yards and had an impressive 70%+ completion rate. So, that gives some idea about Austin Mack, right? Lastly, there is Keelon Russell.

Russell is also a five-star-rated prospect ranked 2nd overall in his class of 2025. The QB does have all the ingredients to make the transition with his incredible skills. The ability to deliver the ball in all three areas of the field, the knowledge to improvise swiftly, top speed and agility, and, most of all, the talent to slip out of the sacks like a slippery fish. All of this makes him a decent contender in the QB race. However, the freshman tag may hinder his transition to that spot.

Ryan Williams gets an optimistic verdict from Greg McElroy

Ryan Williams had a dream-true freshman season last year and turned up in almost every game. In total, the WR notched up 865 yards at an average of 18 yards per reception, a momentous feat for a true freshman. Now according to the latest verdict by ESPN’s Greg McElroy, Ryan Williams’ heroics will be more pronounced going into the season.

“He arrived last year in June. So, he didn’t have the benefit of going through those 15 padded practices in spring. He didn’t have the benefit of going through an offseason program. He was able to do that in about two or three months. Now imagine what Ryan Williams is going to be now that he’s had nine months to work and prepare for the upcoming season“.

Surely, the wide receiver will have a lot of time this season to eventually prepare, as the spring practices are going on in full swing right now. Moreover, the player has the right ingredients to develop into a well-rounded prospect. His frame at 6 foot and 175 lbs allows the WR to reach his top speed in just a moment. Moreover, Williams’ body control and ability to change gears comes up top in his skill sets. In addition, his positional awareness and catch radius are some of the things that would surely assist the player in his development this off-season. Still, his fate is tied to another problem Kalen DeBoer is facing.

Kalen DeBoer deployed Jalen Milroe last as his quarterback. The player produced 2,844 passing yards for 16 touchdowns and ran for 726 yards for 20 touchdowns. The player, while providing the edge in the rushing department, couldn’t quite do the same in passing, as he garnered just a 64.3% completion rate. Ryan Williams’ will thus depend on the QB who takes over the QB1 spot, eventually. Greg McElroy also echoed the same theory.

“He (Ryan Williams) had a quarterback last year in Jalen Milroe that was a little inconsistent throwing the football…Regardless of who wins the quarterback spot hopefully that quarterback will be a slightly more consistent intermediate and underneath passer than what we saw from Jalen Milroe, and that might allow Ryan Williams’s skill set to really come to the forefront“.

Surely, now, with the QB battle at its zenith in Alabama, Williams will have greater support in pass efficiency and would look forward to delivering more heroics this season.