The crown jewel of Alabama’s 2025 recruiting class, Keelon Russell is the quarterback of the future for the Crimson Tide. He, very well, could get reps in 2025. But with Ty Simpson as the apparent starter and Austin Mack, with more experience, behind him, Russell’s likely path is waiting a year before the offense is entirely his.

Clearly, the quarterback competition is the most important storyline, but there are plenty of other key players to monitor in the spring.

Kalen DeBoer wrapped up his first season as the head coach of the Alabama football team a couple of months ago, and the Crimson Tide had their worst season since 2007. Alabama finished the year with a 9-4 record after losing to Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl as big favorites.