Alabama has one of the most talented quarterback rooms in college football, but there will be some turnover in the room this offseason.
Of Alabama's three scholarship quarterbacks currently on the roster - Ty Simpson, Austin Mack, and Keelon Russell - it seems a certainty that at least one of them will not be on next season's roster. Whether that's due to Simpson going pro and foregoing his final season of eligibility or Mack and/or Russell entering the Transfer Portal in search of a clearer path to a starting gig.
While Simpson and Mack's intentions aren't yet known, Russell made his abundantly clear on Tuesday at the Rose Bowl media day.
Russell was asked if he had given any thought to potentially entering the portal, which opens for business on January 2nd, the day after the Crimson Tide's College Football Playoff quarterfinal matchup against Indiana.
"Man, no," Russell replied. "I'm 100% here."
"Coach DeBoer, he protects me. I’m not going nowhere. That’s going to be my head coach, and I love him to death.”
Keelon Russell throws cold water on any Transfer Portal speculation
Russell finished the 2025 recruiting cycle as the No. 2 overall player in the class. A consensus 5-star, Russell has flashed his immense potential in the two opportunities he got to play this season against UL Monroe and Eastern Illinois.
A redshirt season was always likely for the elite prospect, but the signs of him becoming one of the top quarterbacks in college football and living up to his considerable hype have certainly been there.
It just remains to be seen whether that will happen next season or the year after.
Russell could enter the Transfer Portal and earn a guaranteed starting spot somewhere next year. But he seems to prefer the developmental track at Alabama. Simpson is a shining example of what patience can bring.
Russell isn't guaranteed to start next season. Far from it. If Simpson chooses to stay, Mack almost certainly transfers, and then Russell would be Simpson's backup in 2026. If Simpson decides to leave, Russell could find himself in a heated competition with Mack for the starting job next season.
Mack has always seemed the most likely to leave. He only has two seasons of eligibility left after this year, and he needs to go somewhere where he has a clear path to being the starter. With Nick Sheridan taking over as Michigan State's offensive coordinator after the conclusion of Alabama's season, that has always felt like a likely landing spot for Mack.
Perhaps Mack waits to see what Simpson does. The NFL Draft early entry deadline is right before the Transfer Portal closes.
While those decisions remain up in the air, Kalen DeBoer knows he can build his 2026 QB room around at least one elite quarterback prospect, to go along with true freshmen Jett Thomalla and Tayden Kaawa.