Greg McElroy is aware of what it takes to be the beginning quarterback of the Alabama Crimson Tide. Issues have modified from the Nick Saban period to the Kalen DeBoer regime, however the expectation stays championship-or-bust in Tuscaloosa.
McElroy was on the nice facet of these expectations in 2010 when he led the Crimson Tide to a BCS Nationwide Championship victory over the Texas Longhorns within the Rose Bowl.
The previous signal-caller spent a while as a backup quarterback within the NFL, however he is now a distinguished faculty soccer analyst.
McElroy believes redshirt junior Ty Simpson will finally exchange Jalen Milroe in Alabama. Simpson is squaring off with redshirt sophomore Austin Mack — who adopted DeBoer from Washington — and true freshman Keelon Russell, a 5-star recruit from Alabama’s 2025 class.
On Thursday, McElroy went on the “Andy and Ari On3 Podcast” to debate the Crimson Tide’s quarterback competitors heading into 2025.
“I’m nonetheless of the assumption that Ty Simpson is the man to beat. Now, will he beat [the others out]? Will different guys elevate and beat [Simpson out]? Maybe,” McElroy mentioned (h/t On3). “Ty Simpson, I feel for those who would’ve requested me two years in the past, I might’ve mentioned he was the man to beat as a result of that was coming from the workers. This man, as a redshirt freshman, the workers all believed his talent set would’ve probably put them in place to, if he performed his greatest, be at their greatest offensively.”
McElroy defined that Simpson did not have a terrific spring in 2024 and was middling within the fall as a redshirt freshman; thus, Milroe took over because the starter for the Crimson Tide.
He is undecided DeBoer will title a starter instantly as a result of he will not wish to danger any damage emotions with solely three quarterbacks on scholarship proper now.
McElroy additionally admitted that Mack and Russell have larger ceilings than Simpson, however he appears to assume Simpson’s seniority will work in his favor.
“I feel it’s going to be actually fascinating. I’ll nonetheless be shocked if wasn’t Ty firstly of the yr for the Tide,” McElroy mentioned.
Simpson has thrown simply 50 passes over the previous three seasons for Alabama and hasn’t but thrown a landing for the Tide. If McElroy is to be believed, that will change this fall.
