Jalen Milroe took his sweet time to orchestrate the perfect buildup before declaring for the 2025 NFL draft. The timing was perfect, as the big question started floating around almost instantly: who will be Alabama’s next starting QB?

Kalen DeBoer already has three QBs in his locker room, third-year Ty Simpson, freshman Austin Mack, and the highest-rated QB signee since Bryce Young, freshman Keelon Russell.

The latter of them is best believed to fill in Milroe’s shoes. 

Colin Gay of Tuscaloosa News is firmly behind Russell, thinking he would present the strongest case because of his fleeting echo of former Bama star QB Bryce Young.

“Based on Young’s path, Russell could compete for starting quarterback reps almost immediately,” Gay writes boldly, listing out the reason for him to believe so.

“Keelon Russell is the highest-rated Alabama quarterback signee since Young. And he has the numbers to prove it. Alabama views Russell as the best quarterback in the 2025 class, one it picked up after he had originally committed to SMU.”

The 2024-2025 Gatorade National Football Player of the Year Russell made a compelling case for himself with his statistics record at Duncanville High School, completing 70% of his passes for 3,874 yards passing with 53 passing touchdowns and four interceptions.

Although Russell makes a persuasive case for the QB1 position, Simpson, the senior-most QB in the Crimson Tide QB room, has a great shot at becoming Milroe’s successor for the starting position in Bama. 

“Ty Simpson backed up Bryce Young. He backed up Milroe. Two quarterbacks, two head coaches and three offensive coordinators later, it may be Simpson’s time to show what he can do,” Gay writes about Simpson.

From the little time he got on the field, he made DeBoer a keen appreciator of his skills too. 

“Everyone gets tied up on Jalen’s running ability, but Ty is tough to handle when it comes to running the football, too,” DeBoer said after the Mercer game Nov. 16, via Tuscaloosa News.

Interestingly, while Gay makes a case for Russell, several other analysts like Nick Kelly of AL.Com are strongly vouching for Simpson. 

Nonetheless, DeBoer’s choice between the two will define the years to come in Tuscaloosa.

Alabama basketball is set to begin conference play this Saturday, and the SEC is no joke this year. The conference just had one of the best non-conference showings for any league in recent memory, meaning every game will be a challenge.

The Crimson Tide’s first opponent is Oklahoma, who holds a No. 12 ranking in the AP Poll as one of three remaining undefeated teams in the sport. Coincidentally the other two are also SEC teams in Tennessee and Florida.

The Sooners are an interesting case, having outperformed expectations by starting 13-0, but not receiving any love from the metrics. Oklahoma started the season rated No. 40 by KenPom, and has dropped one spot to No. 41 despite 13 straight wins to start the year. The schedule has been underwhelming, with one solid win over Michigan but playing seven teams outside the top-250 in KenPom.

Oklahoma’s non-conference strength of schedule ranks outside the top-300, and the Sooners have yet to play a road game this season. Every game they’ve played has either been in Norman or at a neutral site, which adds an notable wrinkle to this game.

Another interesting note is that head coach Nate Oats is 0-2 in his Alabama career against Oklahoma. Both losses came in Norman in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge, once in 2021 and once in 2023.

How to watch, listen and other key information

Opponent: No. 12 Oklahoma Sooners (13-0)

Date: Saturday, Jan. 4
Tipoff time: 5 p.m. CT

Location: Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Venue: Coleman Coliseum
Capacity: 13,474

Television: SEC Network
– Play-by-play: Jon Schriffin
– Analyst: Richard Hendrix

Streaming link: WATCH

Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network
– Play-by-play: Chris Stewart
– Analyst: Bryan Passink

Satellite radio: CTSN on Sirius / XM 134 or 201

Varsity Network link: LISTEN

Series record: Oklahoma leads 7-3
Last Meeting: Jan. 28, 2023
– Oklahoma 93, Alabama 69

Point spread: Alabama -10.5

Alabama Statistical Leaders:

– Scoring: Mark Sears (18.0 PPG)
– Rebounding: Grant Nelson (8.6 RPG)
– Assists: Mark Sears (4.0 APG)

Oklahoma Statistical Leaders:

– Scoring: Jeremiah Fears (18.1 PPG)
– Rebounding: Sam Godwin (6.7 RPG)
– Assists: Jeremiah Fears (4.5 APG)

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He was killed in a terrorist attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Eve. Another former classmate, Parker Vidrine, was also injured in the attack and remains in the ICU.

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Who was Kareem Badawi?

Kareem graduated from Episcopal High School in Baton Rouge, where he was a beloved member of the football team. He formed a close bond with his best friend and teammate, Ethan Ott. The two carried their friendship to college, becoming roommates and pledging Sigma Chi together. Both students excelled academically, earning 4.0 GPAs in their first semester.

Kareem’s former football coach, Travis Bourgeois, fondly remembered him: “Why innocent people have to suffer, especially a guy like Kareem, was well liked, not a hurtful bone in his body. He’s a very kind, gentle guy, well liked you know, people went to Kareem because he’s a positive guy.”

On New Year’s Eve, Kareem joined several 2024 Episcopal graduates in New Orleans to reunite and share stories of their first semester in college. At some point during the night, the group became separated. Around 3:16 a.m., Ethan informed Kareem he was heading to Bourbon Street. Shortly after, Kareem’s life was tragically cut short.

“He thought it’s a big city and New Orleans would have parties … He thought it would be a good idea, and there would be a bigger party than Baton Rouge,” Kareem’s father, Belal Badawi, told the New York Post.

“The next day was the Sugar Bowl and he loves sports so he thought New Orleans was the place to be for New Year’s Eve. The New Year’s Eve is not what he expected or planned for and unfortunately he got killed.”

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Ethan and other friends honoured Kareem by getting tattoos that read “KB 1-1-2025.” Ethan explained, “Now I’ve got Kareem with me forever.”

The Episcopal School community held a closed memorial for Kareem, with the chapel overflowing to twice its capacity.