In case you haven’t heard, Alabama football is on the hunt for a starting quarterback.

Jalen Milroe left for the NFL and became a third-round pick in the NFL Draft. That leaves a vacancy after he started most of the past two seasons for the Crimson Tide.

The contenders are Ty Simpson, Austin Mack and Keelon Russell. The coaching staff has said prior to the start of training camp that if the season started today, Simpson would be the starter.

That will either become official at some point over the next few weeks, or something else could happen. The season is one month away.

With all eyes on the quarterback situation, AL.com spent all of the media viewing period Wednesday during the first day of training camp watching the signal callers. The viewing period was relatively short, so no drastic takeaways or conclusions can be made.

Nonetheless, here’s what we saw.

Alabama practice observations: Quarterbacks

— The viewing period that reporters were allowed to watch spanned about 15 minutes. Reporters were out on the practice fields starting with the sixth period until the end of the eighth.

— During the first period open to reporters, the quarterbacks had plenty of eyes on them from the coaching staff, too. Head coach Kalen DeBoer, offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, quarterbacks coach Nick Sheridan and analyst Mitch Dahlen (who is essentially the assistant quarterbacks coach) all either watched or worked the drill with the quarterbacks.

— Period 6: The first drills open to reporters involved quarterbacks working with running backs. First, the quarterbacks practiced hand offs then rolling out to complete a short pass.

— Next, quarterbacks put the ball into the running back’s stomach, then each quarterback got a pitch from an assistant coach for the quarterback to then throw over the middle.

— The last portion of that drill with quarterbacks and running backs involved quarterbacks taking shotgun snaps and throwing read-option passes over the middle.

— Quarterbacks went through these drills one at a time. The order through these drills went Simpson, Mack then Russell. That’s how it was in the spring, and it’s not surprising that’s how it’s going in training camp, too. That’s order of seniority. Simpson has been with the program since 2022, Mack is in his third season of college football and Russell is a true freshman. It’s also the first day of camp, and a quarterback jumping Simpson wouldn’t have happened yet (if it happens at all).

— Period 7: Then the quarterbacks began working with the tight ends. Each quarterback went one at a time and took shotgun snaps then threw passes to the tight ends. Once again, it went Simpson then Mack then Russell. Tight ends ran a few different routes.

— The first few routes were short, within five to 10 yards max. Then the quarterbacks threw to tight ends on routes where the tight ends ran a few steps then broke in or broke outside.

— Next the tight ends ran some comebacks and curls.

— These types of routes aren’t as exciting as big passes down the field, but the shorter routes require a quarterback to be solid in his mechanics and be technically sound considering the small area of the field with which he’s working.

— It’s important to note in all of these drills that reporters watched Wednesday, the quarterbacks threw against no defense.

— Simpson seemed to throw the ball with good zip and control in the drills with tight ends.

— Period 8: All three quarterbacks threw simultaneously. On the receiving end of those passes were a variety of pass catchers, namely receivers.

— It was more difficult to watch every throw and catch because three quarterbacks were throwing to three different receivers in different areas of the practice field at the same time. So, with Simpson the leader in the clubhouse, we decided to focus our attention on him in this drill. He’s the most likely starter for the opener against Florida State, after all.

— At one point, Simpson had a well-placed ball to Germie Bernard along the right sideline. The exact distance was difficult to tell, but it was at least 15-20 yards downfield.

— Another pass that stood out: Simpson hit transfer receiver Isaiah Horton on what appeared to be a skinny post in the end zone.

— There was one throw that Simpson made to Jaylen Mbakwe that seemed to be a little behind Mbakwe, but the sophomore receiver made the catch anyway.

— To the average untrained eye, Simpson seems to have the best mechanics of the three quarterbacks. He’s crisp and looks confident.

— Russell also throws a nice-looking pass. The talent is clearly there for the freshman. His growth and potential will be interesting to watch.

— Mack didn’t stand out in any particular way, good or bad. But he does always literally stand out as the biggest and tallest of the group.

— Russell doesn’t look out of place even as a freshman. But it’s clear who the more seasoned of the quarterbacks are. You can see, even in these brief practice viewings, why Simpson is considered the frontrunner. It’s the first day of practice, though, and it’s a completely different scenario going against a defense. Reporters didn’t get to see that Wednesday and likely won’t in any future practice viewings before the season starts.

Nick Kelly is an Alabama beat writer for AL.com and the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X and Instagram.