When Ryan Grubb agreed to become the Alabama football offensive coordinator for 2025, he inherited a quarterback battle.

Ty Simpson, Austin Mack and Keelon Russell are the three scholarship quarterbacks on the roster, and the process has begun for Grubb to decide who will start in August against Florida State.

Alabama completed its second spring practice Wednesday, so there’s not much yet to go off. But Grubb already had thoughts about each quarterback with whom he’s working.

“I think they each, like any quarterback, have their own individual strengths and weaknesses,” Grubb said.

Here’s what Grubb said about each quarterback when asked Wednesday.

On Ty Simpson

Grubb said Simpson has “done a good job” and made the biggest jump from the first to second practice in taking all the information and processing quickly.

Simpson is the oldest and most experienced quarterback. This will be his fourth season with the program.

What are some of Grubb’s other impressions of Simpson from film and otherwise?

“Ty I think he’s really improving,” Grubb said. “The thing I like about Ty already that I can tell is he’s very serious about wanting to succeed. He’s had the mindset that he’s been ready in that he’s waiting in the wings so to speak. I know he’s committed to the process. I think that’s what makes great quarterbacks. As long as he understands it’s going to take a little bit and he’s got to be committed to those steps, he’s going to do great.”

On Austin Mack

Grubb is the most familiar with Mack. The two spent a season together in Washington in 2023. Then Mack transferred to Alabama for 2024 along with coach Kalen DeBoer.

“Austin has done a really good job of showing command for a young player,” Grubb said.

Grubb has not only worked with Mack, but Grubb was also the primary recruiter for Mack at Washington.

“I’ve always believed in Austin,” Grubb said. “I think he’s got big upside. I thought he had really done a great job working on his technique, throwing motion, things like that. I can tell he’s been working hard over the last year. But he’s a very bright kid. I know he can process the offense. He came into our system really, really young. A 17-year-old freshman. Kind of the thought there was when we got Austin to Washington was that he would have six months with Mike Penix and see how it’s supposed to be done. I certainly think he’s gravitated to that. Looks like he’s matured a lot, and I’m excited to be with him.”

On Keelon Russell

Grubb not only inherited a quarterback battle but also one of the top quarterback recruits in the nation.

Russell was the No. 2 overall player in the 2025 recruiting class, per the 247Sports Composite. Now he’s an early enrollee freshman at Alabama.

“Keelon is awesome man,” Grubb said. “He’s very unflappable. Even when things don’t go right, and they invariably will for a freshman quarterback, I think he’s done an awesome job of staying the course and being very steady. He can make a lot of plays.”

How does Russell compare to other young quarterbacks Grubb has coached?

“It’s been a while,” Grubb said. “One of things I noticed, I think about Jake Haener way back at Fresno State, he’s at the Saints now, Jake had a really whippy, quick release. Once he made his decision, he was very decisive with the ball. I see that with (Keelon) a lot. And then Keelon’s vision reminds me of Mike Penix a little bit. He has good wide vision with the field and he can see it even when he doesn’t know exactly what’s going on. He’s still working through all the processes, but he will get there. He’s a good player.”

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