What Ty Simpson's NFL Draft Declaration Means for Alabama's 2026 Quarterbacks

The Crimson Tide will have a new man under center next season, as a battle between Austin Mack and Keelon Russell is about to commence.

8/2/25 MFB MFB Practice 3 Alabama Quarterback Ty Simpson (15)_ Alabama Quarterback Keelon Russell (12) Alabama Quarterback Austin Mack (10) Photo by Kent Gidley | Photo by Crimson Tide Photos / UA Athletics

Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson declared for the 2026 NFL Draft on Wednesday morning.

What happens now?

Alabama's 2024-25 offseason quarterback battle was thought to be over before it started, but Simpson wasn't named the starter until Aug. 11.

In the months leading up to the final decision, Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb often discussed how well Austin Mack and Keelon Russell were performing in the competition. But now that Simpson is gone, Mack and Russell will be competing for the QB1 spot.

While both Mack and Russell held their own against Simpson before the season started, DeBoer and Grubb both mentioned multiple times that Mack, a redshirt sophomore, had more of a "command" of the huddle than Russell, a true freshman.

Mack was Simpson's primary backup during the season, and after the starter "cracked" his rib late in the first half of the Rose Bowl loss to Indiana, the QB2 subbed in and completed 11 of 16 pass attempts for 103 yards and led the Tide to its first and only points of the day via a field goal by Conor Talty.

"Every game I kind of just tell myself, 'Be Ready,' and I've never been surprised," Mack said after the game. "Anything could happen and I knew I was one play away from getting in the game. So when they told me I was getting in the game, it was just like, 'Let's go and let's just play ball.'

"It was the moment, I was ready for. It was something I had been preparing for the whole season. Something I put a lot of work in to get to. Obviously, it's a big stage — the Rose Bowl against the No. 1 team — but I was ready for it."

Mack and Russell will be the sole competitors in this battle, as it's extremely unlikely that incoming freshmen Jett Thomalla and Tayden Kaawa will be considered for the QB1 spot.

The transfer portal opened on Jan. 2 and will close on Jan. 16. The spring portal was eliminated in September and will no longer be an option for athletes. Here's what both Mack and Russell had to say about their plans for next season.

"I'm staying here, for sure," Russell said before the Rose Bowl. "Roll Tide all the way."

"I'm right here right now," Mack said after the Rose Bowl. "As of right now, I'm standing in the Rose Bowl locker room coming off a game. I still got to diagnose that, and honestly, I'm just kind of taking it day-by-day."

Should both Russell and Mack stay, the freshman quarterback opened up about the potential 2026 Crimson Tide quarterback battle before the Rose Bowl.

"Whether it's Austin or me, I feel like we're going to have the best opportunity for our offense," Russell said. "We're going to be competing all year, all season, all offseason. But I feel 100 percent that if it's going to be me or Austin, the offense is going to be in great hands.

"We're both competitors, we both love the game, we're both going to be in and out of the facility. It's going to be fun. I want to win the starting position, but like I said, whether it's me or Austin, I feel like it's going to be a great season no matter what."

So, in this two-man race, what has each quarterback learned from practicing with Simpson every day?

"That's my brother," Russell said before the Rose Bowl. "On and off the field, we have a chemistry that is not breakable at all. But he teaches me so many things.

"Seeing him do what he does on the field, seeing him in the meeting room, seeing him understand the offense, taking leadership, being controllable, being coachable, just all those little aspects make me feel like, 'OK, this is what I've got to be to be not only just the QB1, but a quarterback in the college football area and at the SEC level.' It's just a blessing being behind him.'

After falling to Florida State in the season opener, Alabama won eight straight games before its second loss against Oklahoma. But during that hot streak, DeBoer and company made some history, which helps their CFP resumé.

Following the win over Tennessee, not only did Alabama become just the fourth team in SEC history to defeat four consecutive ranked opponents, but head coach Kalen DeBoer and company are the first-ever program in the conference to accomplish this feat without any open dates.

"I've learned a ton [from Simpson]," Mack said before the Rose Bowl. "Whether it was last year, or even just coming into the competition this year, me and him have always been good friends. It's honestly one of the best QB rooms I've been in in my entire career. But I've learned a ton.

"Whether it's really what it takes week in and week out to get through a season like this, I mean we've been through the gauntlet. There's not many teams in the country that have played the schedule that we have. So kind of just seeing what it takes and kind of just seeing the kind of person he really is.

"He's a great leader, a great quarterback, great friend and having that mindset has been great for me to see."

The quarterback battle between Austin Mack and Keelon Russell is about to commence.

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