The lead story of the offseason for Alabama football will be the hotly contested QB competition between redshirt junior Austin Mack and redshirt freshman Keelon Russell. The two both agreed to return to Alabama for the 2026 season and will duke it out for the right to replace Ty Simpson under center for the Crimson Tide.
Most Alabama fans would give Russell the edge as the early favorite. The former 5-star recruit was the No. 2 overall player in the 2025 recruiting class and is a phenom. In just two appearances off the bench this past season, Russell showed his immense talent and potential.
But anointing Russell as the heir apparent may be premature.
Mack has the experience edge, spending three seasons already in Kalen DeBoer's offensive system. Mack spent the year ahead of Russell on the depth chart, too, culminating in him coming off the bench to replace the injured Simpson in the Rose Bowl against Indiana instead of Russell.
It's those facts that have led FanDuel to install Mack as a significant early favorite, at least in terms of Heisman Trophy odds.
In FanDuel's updated Heisman odds, Mack sits at +3000 for the award. That's well ahead of Russell, who is at +8000.
Austin Mack's Heisman odds give him an early upper hand in Alabama's QB battle
Perhaps it's silly to read into something as trivial as Heisman Trophy odds to declare an early favorite in the Crimson Tide's QB competition, but it is a significant change from where the odds were just over a week ago.
Last week, Mack and Russell were dead even at +5000. Now, Mack has surged ahead. Maybe that ultimately means nothing, but Vegas casinos aren't ginormous for no reason.
Perhaps Mack's performance in Pasadena is finally resonating. He acquitted himself nicely in a difficult situation against the eventual National Champion Hoosiers. He probably should be seen as the early favorite for the starting job. He has the edge in experience and was Simpson's top backup this past season.
But Russell will make a significant push. He's as talented as it gets, and if Mack is the one who ultimately wins the job, he'll have had to earn it.