The Alabama head coach has made it apparent that Jalen Milroe is the first-team quarterback, but he stated on Thursday that any of the Crimson Tide’s quarterbacks is game-ready.
Kalen DeBoer was asked which position groups he had been most impressed with this spring. When a head coach is asked a question like that, especially during the offseason, they often hem and haw before responding, either not wanting to show preference, indicate skepticism, or divulge too much information. Instead, say something generic like, “Everybody’s looking good.”
But DeBoer took a different approach on Thursday, as Alabama completed its final spring practice before Saturday’s A-Day game. He has been impressed by four separate position groups: defensive linemen, defensive backs, running backs, and quarterbacks.
The new head coach and offensive assistants have made it plain during the spring that returning starter Jalen Milroe is the No. 1 quarterback and has been taking all of the first-team reps. Milroe is not the only one who has impressed so far; Ty Simpson, Austin Mack, and Dylan Lonergan have also done well.
“Just the quantity of quarterbacks we have who you would be comfortable starting in a football game. “I mean, all four,” DeBoer explained. “They’re incredibly solid. They do an excellent job at precision, reading, and competitiveness. I mean, just pick stuff up every day. That group has done a really outstanding job — I don’t want to say top to bottom, but just overall.”
Milroe is the only one of the four with significant in-game reps. Simpson has served as backup at Alabama for multiple seasons and played for a majority of Alabama’s road win at USF last season. Mack has yet to take a college snap, but already has a season of learning DeBoer’s offensive system under his belt at Washington. And Lonergan was highly-touted out of high school and received a lot of buzz last year throughout the season.
DeBoer also likes what he’s seen from the running backs, calling them “really steady.” This is the second offseason in a row that an Alabama head coach has expressed confidence in the running backs as a position group as last season Nick Saban repeatedly said that the running backs were one of the groups he had the least concerns with.
