Alabama football has historically been full of depth at every position, with starting-caliber players on the bench waiting their turn to succeed.
Just this year, starting running back Jam Miller was out for two games, causing Alabama to turn to its backup running backs. For some teams, this would be a threat to success, but not for Alabama. Kevin Riley, AK Dear, Richard Young and Dre Washington stepped up in Miller’s absence.
Quarterback
Alabama has always had depth at the quarterback position. This helps when faced with injuries, bad quarterback play and other factors. Jalen Hurts was the starting quarterback for two seasons from 2016 to 2017 and led the team to the national championship game two years in a row.
Alabama had a tough loss to Clemson in the championship Hurts’ freshman year but had a shot at redemption the next season against Georgia. However, after a bad first half from Hurts, former head coach Nick Saban made the switch to backup 5-star quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa. He led the team back from down at the half and ultimately to an overtime victory.
“If we’re going to have a chance to win this game, we need to give this guy [Tagovailoa] a chance,” Saban said in an NFL Films interview.
It is a tough choice for coaches to make, but having the option of great backup quarterbacks to potentially save a game is golden in the college football world.
In 2023, Saban made the switch for a game against USF following a 34-24 loss to Texas the week prior. Tyler Buchner made the start and was underwhelming. The team was struggling to score points, and it looked like it could ultimately lose the game. Saban decided to bench Buchner and put in Ty Simpson, who led the team to a victory over USF in a close game.
Preventing injuries
The 2025 roster has depth at each position, which is a good thing. In Alabama’s recent blowout win over ULM, not only did all three quarterbacks get playing time, but each of them were also responsible for at least one touchdown. Having this depth allowed for the starter, Simpson, to sit out the entire second half of the game, so he would be available for future, more important games.
Alabama has had injuries give it fits in the past, such as in 2021. Alabama lost both Jameson Williams and John Metchie to injury, its two best receivers at the time.
Due to depth, the team was able to continue competing at a high enough level to earn a spot in the championship game against Georgia.
“I mean, Metchie is someone that you just can’t replace,” former quarterback Bryce Young said. “Losing Metchie was huge for us; that definitely hurt. It’s really tough.”
Current team’s depth
The 2025 Alabama football roster is loaded with depth at many positions. This year alone, it has former 5-star Simpson starting, 4-star recruit Austin Mack as the backup and 5-star freshman Keelon Russell at quarterback.
Alabama will face seven ranked teams in its next nine games, and having three viable options at quarterback will be huge. Alabama also has four starting-caliber running backs on the roster who have the potential to be successful for years to come.
“You know, all three of those guys are really smart,” center Parker Brailsford said. “Obviously you’ve got younger guys that are still figuring it out, but they all have a chance to win that battle. Sometimes I have Austin in there, sometimes I have Keelon in there and sometimes I have Ty. I feel like there’s really no drop-off.”
Development
The depth of the Alabama football roster allows its talent to have more time to develop. Mac Jones sat behind both Hurts and Tagovailoa and did not start until his senior season. He learned from future second and first round picks respectively, and it set him and Alabama up for success. Alabama went 13-0 and won the championship in 2020, Jones’ sole season as a starter.
“I knew I wasn’t good enough to play,” Jones said. “You either complain, or you figure it out and figure out how to get better. … I knew eventually I’d get my chance and to be ready for that chance.”
Alabama has a similar situation now with quarterback Simpson, who sat behind No. 1 draft pick Young and 2025 third-round pick Jalen Milroe. Simpson is in his fourth season with the program, and a developed veteran quarterback in his first year as a starter is huge for the program.
Simpson has the experience to overcome mistakes and is familiar with the system. If Alabama wins another championship, it will most likely come from Simpson at the quarterback position this season.
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