Alabama wide receivers coach evaluates quarterback room

It’s a common belief that Alabama has one of the best returning quarterbacks in all of college football in Jalen Milroe, but what many may not realize is the depth of the quarterback room. Crimson Tide quarterbacks behind the returning starter.

Appearing on Tide 100.9’s Inside the Locker Room with Barry and Wimp Sanderson, Alabama co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard gave his assessment of the Crimson Tide quarterback room ahead of the 2024 season .

“We have guys in there who, at any given moment, can throw the ball at a very high level,” Shephard said. “Obviously a lot of it starts with Jalen Milroe. He had a phenomenal spring, just learning the system and understanding how we wanted him to read the concepts. His leadership qualities were on full display throughout “It was fun to see what a young guy can do, honestly, just from being part of an offense where the quarterback might be the most athletic man on the football field.”

Milroe finished sixth in Heisman Trophy voting a season ago and is a staple on many preseason Heisman lists heading into the season. But behind him is a former 5-star quarterback who chose to stay at Alabama and compete rather than transfer elsewhere.

“Ty Simpson, his growth and maturation throughout the spring, he started to run the offense and at an extremely high level,” Shephard said. “He’s a playmaker, honestly. He’s been a playmaker throughout the spring, I’ve enjoyed watching that.”

Shephard continued to praise the two remaining scholarship quarterbacks on the roster, redshirt freshman Dylan Lonergan, a 4-star recruit in 2023, and redshirt freshman Austin Mack , a 6-foot-6 specimen transferred from Washington, after head coach Kalen. DeBoer.

“Dylan Lonergan, once he got there, he started driving. He showed he had natural arm ability,” Shephard said. “Then Austin Mack, he’s a young buck, but he showed throughout the spring that there would be a time and place for him at some point here in Alabama.”

The job undoubtedly appears to be Milroe’s at the moment, but this Alabama quarterback room appears to be one of the deepest Tuscaloosa has seen in a long time, and perhaps the deepest in all of country. There’s no reason to believe Alabama will have trouble finding a signal-caller in the near future.

“I feel like we have a pretty good room there,” Shephard said. “Very rarely do you get a chance to carry four quarterbacks in the room, and four mortals at that. I’m really excited about what that room is going to do this fall.”