Alabama football held its annual A-Day at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday. This version of A-Day was much different than in recent years, with little scrimmage play between offense and defense.
The event was a 90-minute open practice in front of a notably smaller crowd. Despite the lack of a game, the quarterbacks faced off against defenders in 11-on-11, 7-on-7 and 1-on-1 scenarios during portions of the practice, answering some questions surrounding the quarterback battle.
Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer said to Tide 100.9 on Thursday that he is looking for a difference-maker under center.
“We want that playmaker,” DeBoer said. “I don’t want just a game manager out there. If we’re gonna win at the level we want to win at, we want a guy that’s gonna produce.”
Quarterback Ty Simpson looked the sharpest in the few glimpses of scrimmage action and was the first quarterback to take reps in drills. He completed his throws consistently and connected with wide receiver Derek Meadows in an 11-on-11 play, stepping up in the pocket to avoid pressure and firing over the middle.
Simpson is the most experienced signal-caller on Alabama’s roster, having appeared in 15 games for the Crimson Tide thus far. His veteran presence earned him a spot on the team’s leadership council for the coming season.
DeBoer praised Simpson, Keelon Russell and Austin Mack for their leadership qualities.
“He does a great job really taking advantage of knowing the guys that are on the team, helping them,” DeBoer said of Simpson. “Keelon does it with his presence,” adding that Mack “has gained a lot of confidence being a leader as well.”
Former Alabama quarterback and current ESPN college football analyst Greg McElroy said on ESPN’s Always College Football podcast that, from his understanding, Simpson had asserted himself into the lead of the quarterback battle.
“My understanding of what’s going in Tuscaloosa is that Ty has had a solid camp,” McElroy said. “He is in firm control of the number one job so far, that the other two between Austin Mack and Keelon Russell, those are the ones that are kind of competing for that number two spot right now.”
Russell showed some flashes of the talent that garnered him the No. 2 ranking by 247Sports in the 2025 recruiting class. Still, he had a humbling moment early on, throwing an interception to safety Ivan Taylor on his first pass.
Russell later threw an impressive touchdown to wide receiver Rico Scott, hitting him in stride in the end zone.
He connected with Meadows in a 1-on-1 play for a touchdown pass, but overall, Mack did not perform best in front of the Bryant-Denny crowd. He threw interceptions to defensive back Zabien Brown in an 11-on-11 play and linebacker Abduall Sanders Jr. in a 7-on-7 play.
While Simpson appears to be in the driver’s seat in a hotly contested quarterback battle, there is plenty of time for Russell and Mack to pull themselves back into the picture, with DeBoer unlikely to name his starter in the immediate future.
Alabama will begin fall camp around a month before its season opener at Florida State on Aug. 30. The Crimson Tide will return to Bryant-Denny Stadium on Sept. 6 against Louisiana-Monroe.
