After naming Ty Simpson Alabama’s leader at the quarterback position coming out of spring camp, Ryan Grubb said there hasn’t been a change in the Crimson Tide’s pecking order behind center so far during summer workouts.

When talking about Alabama’s quarterback competition in April, Grubb stated that “if we're playing a football game tomorrow, Ty Simpson would start.” During a Thursday appearance on Tide 100.9’s “The Game with Ryan Fowler," the first-year offensive coordinator was asked to update that statement.

So, is Simpson still the starter if Alabama had to suit up this Saturday?

“He is,” Grubb said. “He is right now.”

Grubb went on to explain that Alabama’s coaching staff doesn’t like to deal in absolutes until it’s necessary. He said his original proclamation of where Simpson stands in the competition was made to provide direction within the quarterback room.

“Those were not surprising things,” Grubb said of his spring statements. “Those were things that we had already talked about with the guys. We had our post-spring evaluations done with the guys.

“Ty took care of the football better. He operated better. I thought he improved for an older quarterback. I know he’s young to playing and starting experience. But as an older guy, I thought, especially toward the latter part of the spring, he started to show more of those characteristics.”

Simpson led Alabama’s quarterbacks throughout the spring and was the only passer to make it through Saturday’s open A-Day practice without an interception. Serving as Jalen Milroe’s backup last season, he appeared in six games, completing 14 of 25 passes for 167 yards while adding 44 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

Simpson is currently competing with redshirt sophomore Austin Mack and true freshman Keelon Russell for Alabama’s starting job. During his Thursday interview, Grubb described the qualities he wants to see from the winner of the competition.

“ I think the first thing is just elite decision making,” Grubb said. “You obviously have to have all the physical attributes that the ball can spread to the right places on the field, but decision making, command and leadership are non-negotiables. Those are things that every great quarterback is going to have. There’s things that we talk about quite a bit that the best guys, the quarterbacks that you want to have is they make everybody in the facility better. When they walk in, everybody's doing better. So from the defensive guys to coaching staff to the players on offense, they’re trying to… not really that charisma, but just work ethic and how they approach their days. Everybody looks at them with the same approach.”

Skill set is one thing, but Grubb is also looking for the ability to replicate production on a consistent basis.

“I think it's really hard to have an elite offense, an elite football team, a championship-level team, when you don't have a guy that's the same guy showing up every day. That’s one of the things we talk about in the quarterback room quite a bit is just being the same guy every day so that your teammates know what to expect— that you’re going to push them. You’re also going to support them, but it’s the same so that you don't show up one day, and the guy’s like, ‘Well, he was on one today.’ And then the next day, you’re not the same. I think there’s a lot of value in that.”

While Simpson is still leading Alabama’s quarterback race, the Tide doesn’t have a game on the schedule this weekend. Instead, players will continue to participate in summer workouts before taking the field for preseason camp in August.

“We’re still going to let them compete,” Grubb said. “We still are right now and will again in fall camp.”