Ah....good ol' engagement farming....
I don't think the expectation is for Russell to start, but I would not be surprised if he is the starter by midseason. He's already on campus, so depending on how quickly he picks up the offense he could be a real contender for QB1 in fall camp. Nobody is really sure what we have in Ty Simpson and Austin Mack. Obviously they have time in the offense already, but there's a concern that neither of them could unseat Milroe last year even after we had to condense the playbook and he still was a huge liability in the second half of the season (outside LSU). I'm hopeful that there's an alternative reason other than they weren't good enough, but the QB reps in spring practice will be easily the most closely watched for Alabama. There's no team captain/returning starter to displace, and Keelon is their guy, so again, he may not be ready for FSU in week 1, but he may prove to be too good to keep off the field by NovemberThis group of freshmen QBs might be the best I've ever seen on tape. 1 maybe 2 make an impact this year that can affect the trajectory of a future. Expecting Sayin to start at OSU but Tavien St. Clair is definitely college ready as is Keelon Russell but no idea about Bama's depth chart. I'm sure GPS will know. Bryce Underwood will start day 1 imo at Michigan. All 3 could possibly be top 3 picks in the NFL draft one day imo. All tall, fast, and incredible accuracy on deep throws. Can hit every throw.
I don't think the expectation is for Russell to start, but I would not be surprised if he is the starter by midseason. He's already on campus, so depending on how quickly he picks up the offense he could be a real contender for QB1 in fall camp. Nobody is really sure what we have in Ty Simpson and Austin Mack. Obviously they have time in the offense already, but there's a concern that neither of them could unseat Milroe last year even after we had to condense the playbook and he still was a huge liability in the second half of the season (outside LSU). I'm hopeful that there's an alternative reason other than they weren't good enough, but the QB reps in spring practice will be easily the most closely watched for Alabama. There's no team captain/returning starter to displace, and Keelon is their guy, so again, he may not be ready for FSU in week 1, but he may prove to be too good to keep off the field by November
After a couple of years of pretty disappointing QB play across college, it does appear that this class may reverse that trend
He's never started a game, but yes, this is his 4th year at Alabama. He played the second half in that debacle at South Florida when we started Tyler Buchner, and ended up looking ok, but not great.Ty Simpson. Didn't he start before Milroe? Feels like he's been there forever.
Indiana lost a lot on offense but their defense will be stout. I won't make any predictions yet but they hauled in some good portal guys. My early guess is they go 10-2.I would have to look at their schedule but at quick glance I would be inclined to take the IU under.
I'm already penciling in UO and PSU as loses. Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin will be coin flips, imho.Indiana lost a lot on offense but their defense will be stout. I won't make any predictions yet but they hauled in some good portal guys. My early guess is they go 10-2.