Alabama HC Kalen DeBoer makes major admission regarding QB1 battle ahead of 2025 NCAAF season

The departure of Jalen Milroe to the NFL left the starting quarterback position at Alabama Crimson Tide vacant. For this reason, it will be a crucial task for Kalen DeBoer to resolve this issue if he hopes to have a title-contending team once again, ahead of 2025 NCAAF season.

As the first moves begin to take shape across several college football programs, the goal in Tuscaloosa remains unchanged: reaching the National Championship Game.

DeBoer knows that finding the team’s on-field leader won’t be an easy task, despite having several options to choose from. In a recent appearance on Always College Football with Greg McElroy, the experienced head coach addressed the situation.

“I think it’s just continued growth. They’re all on the right track. They’re all super invested, as you would expect,” DeBoer stated. “I talked about a healthy competition and who they are as people. They are finding their ways to lead in their own way, because that’s probably the hardest thing when you have a quarterback battle.

Head coach Kalen DeBoer of the Alabama Crimson Tide looks on during warmups prior to facing the Georgia Bulldogs at Bryant-Denny Stadium on September 28, 2024 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

“You want them not to step on each other’s toes, but they also need to kind of take it and run with it when they have their opportunities, and they need to speak up. That’s when you really find out who are the guys that the team, [when] the rest of the team follows along, not just the players on the field, but who they are as leaders.”

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The quarterback process moving forward

A long and challenging season lies ahead for Bama in college football, making preparation absolutely key. DeBoer has three strong candidates to be the Week 1 starter, each of whom will need to gradually sharpen their game as they gear up for what’s to come.

“These guys are, again, balancing the reps. Keelon [Russell] started out lower and as he really earned more and more reps. We gave him those. They’re all making those strides in their own ways, taking the steps. I’ve mentioned many times we’re not where we need to be. That might sound like a knock on those guys, but that’s expected.

“There’s a progression, and there’s a process these guys have to be on. None of them have taken this overwhelming number of college snaps, especially in a game, much less, you know, with the ones on the practice field. So, we’re trying to keep them moving, speed up the process for all of them, while we’re also balancing the reps that each of them are getting. They’re earning those reps,” he finally concluded.