Cheer Team in the World. Congratulations to the Alabama Volunteers Cheerleaders, 2025 World Champions.

Cheer Team in the World. Congratulations to the Alabama Volunteers Cheerleaders, 2025 World Champions.

Entering the second season of Kalen DeBoer’s offensive system, the Crimson Tide brought in Ryan Grubb to take over as offensive coordinator this season. As UA prepares for the start of camp, here are three questions for the Tide offense to answer before the FSU game.

The obvious answer is Ty Simpson. After spring practice, Ryan Grubb said the redshirt junior would be the starter if the season started that day, something DeBoer reiterated at SEC media days in July.

“Ty throws a catchable ball,” DeBoer said. “He’s smart. He’s been in college football now going into year four. He’s seen the ups and downs. He’s got great relationships with the team. He’s a leader that way. He’s really owned things on another level.”

DeBoer has said he’d like to have a starter in place a week-and-a-half before the season begins. If Simpson shows out early in camp, it could come earlier than that, even if Alabama opts not to publicly announce it.

Still, Austin Mack and Keelon Russell remain involved, even with Simpson clearly the frontrunner. DeBoer spoke highly of both of them during his media days press conference.

“Austin Mack, if you walked in here, the guy is 6′6″, 230, 235 (pounds),” DeBoer said. “He has a presence about him. That carries over to how he throws the football. Just really took his most meaningful snaps in college this spring working with the ones and twos

Keelon Russell, you never would have guessed, a lot of guys graduated from high school a month ago, really a high school senior, early enrollee, that came in and learned the system of college football, taking these huge strides in the course of the spring. Now again, getting that install over and over again in the summer, going into the fall. I’m confident he’s going to make big jumps as well.”