Several highly-profiled names in college football competed last week in the Regions Tradition Pro-Am golf tournament, including a coach that Alabama fans want to see improvement from.
Kalen DeBoer came to the University of Alabama last season from Washington to fill the shoes left behind by Nick Saban in retirement. His first year was not the greatest by the standard of Crimson Tide fans, yet DeBoer did the best with what he had.
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Alabama had incredible wins over Georgia, LSU, Wisconsin, and Auburn, but people remember the embarrassing losses to Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Michigan. Jalen Milroe has graduated to the National Football League as a third-round selection to the Seattle Seahawks.
Alabama is in a new quarterback competition that features Ty Simpson, Austin Mack, and talented former five-star Keelon Russell. Ryan Grubb, the Tide’s new offensive coordinator, said after spring practice that Simpson would be the starting quarterback for Alabama if the team’s first game came after A-Day. DeBoer unveiled his thoughts on Simpson and the quarterback room with the panel from The Next Round show after the golf event.
DeBoer shares Grubb’s mindset on Simpson being QB1 with how he fared in the spring.
*Alabama QB conversation starts at the 5:18 mark in video
“I think the way Ryan [Grubb] said it was very accurate,” DeBoer said.
“If we played a game today, Ty made a lot of progress through the 15 practices we had. … But we also want to give the other guys an opportunity to keep pushing.”
DeBoer wants the whole group to be better if Alabama wants to win a national championhip.
“For us to accomplish what we want to, including in week one, the whole group needs to be better,” he said. “I am pleased with how they have made the strides, starting with Ty — pleased with what he’s doing — but they all have to keep taking steps in the weeks ahead.”
He likes Simpson, but DeBoer is keeping the competition open.
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Fall camp returns in August and we will see who takes the job.
Stephen M. Smith is a senior analyst and writer for The Bama Standard. You can follow him on X via @CoachingMSmith.
