Ty Simpson might be the frontrunner in the Alabama Crimson Tide's QB battle, but Keelon Russell isn't too far behind.
The newly appointed Tide OC Ryan Grubb gave a glowing review of Russell's progress in Tuscaloosa so far, continuing his praise of the freshman QB.
"Certainly, as he gets more comfortable in our offense, you can really see the plays when it’s like, 'Okay, he really understands this concept. This is a grooved play for him, and he’s making decision really, really quickly'," Grubb told Tide 100.9’s Ryan Fowler on The Game. \
"He’s making decisions quickly and he’s getting the ball to the right people. So I think as a young player, when you see that, you’re like, wow, this guy’s really got a chance."
Regardless of being a freshman, Russell has kept his name alive in the Tide competition against Simpson, the QB with three years of collegiate experience. That alone speaks volumes about his skills.
"Then, you pair together an elite skillset physically that he has – his God-given ability – that’s where magic happens for guys," Grubb said.
"He is absolutely hunkered in and is not intimidated by the process at all. It’s been really impressive to see. He’s still got tons to work on, just like all these guys do. But yeah, we’re really, really excited. I think the sky’s the limit for him."
Simpson will have very little room for error to mess up the season for the Crimson Tide if he becomes the starter.
Year two is much more urgent for Kalen DeBoer to prove his worth in Alabama. He will hardly hesitate to replace Simpson with Russell.
Whenever Russell does take over, he will be the one with everyone's attention.