While many programs around college football already have a sense of who exactly their next anointed starter under center will be this fall, Kalen DeBoer and Alabama still find themselves torn between Austin Mack and Keelon Russell when deciding who will be their new field general ahead of the 2026 season.
This conundrum comes after seeing 2025 starter Ty Simpson command the Crimson Tide huddle on offense for a season before declaring for the NFL Draft. Simpson's empty seat now leaves DeBoer and staff left to figure out exactly which talented passer in the program can successfully take over in the fall.
Despite the Crimson Tide fanbase already voicing their opinions and takes as to why Mack or Russell has the goods to eventually do so, DeBoer is still noncommittal to either arm in the early stages of this offseason. Instead, the third-year Alabama coach wants the two to battle it out this spring, summer, and fall, giving the Tide their third QB battle in as many seasons. While making this evident Thursday night to reporters in Montgomery, DeBoer still didn't shy away when dropping subtle gems on what exactly it will require for either Mack or Russell to successfully earn the reins of being Alabama's next starting QB.
"I would say that you always love going into a season where you absolutely know who your quarterback is, but that won't be the case," DeBoer said. "We'll let these guys battle it out. Both guys have a year at minimum in our system, understanding what we're trying to accomplish. We'll tweak what we do around their strengths and make the adjustments this year to what they can do, and what our other personnel can do. But Austin's certainly known the system; this is year four for him. And Keelon's shown what he can do, putting his nose in there as a true freshman, and really doing a lot of great things as well. So, these guys certainly have what it takes, and now it's just a matter of who can do the best job of moving the ball up and down the field for us."
Austin Mack vs. Keelon Russell will be a tight QB battle for Alabama
To DeBoer's point, his assessment of both Mack and Russell is true, especially having come off a season of seeing both QB's flash their talents in limited opportunities. This promising play was last seen when Mack was thrust into action against the eventual national champions, Indiana, when the redshirt sophomore passer completed 11 of his 16 pass attempts for 103 yards. That small sample size, along with his success against lesser competition like Louisiana Monroe, where he connected on 8 of 10 passes for two touchdowns, combined with his perfect 5 for 5 performance against Eastern Illinois for 45 yards, gave many hope of what the 6-foot-6, 235-pound California native could bring to the table for the future.
The same can be said for Russell, who seems to already be an early fan favorite, after the former 5-star prospect came to Alabama as the highest-rated recruit in program history. The Duncanville, Texas native appears to be capable of living up to his status after seeing him carve up that same Louisiana Monroe defense in garbage time during his debut, throwing for 65 yards and two touchdowns on 4 of his 6 passes. Russell encored this promising performance later that season when he threw for 78 yards on 7 of 9 passes in his second appearance in a Crimson Tide uniform.
With both resumes being laid out and all things being considered, both quarterbacks definitely appear to have the goods to be a viable starter in 2026.
But the big elephant in the room this offseason will be which option will present and convince DeBoer, along with second-year Tide offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, that they are the right man to be passed the torch next this fall? This question, combined with the reality of just how long will it take for one or the other to clearly rise above another will be on the front end of the mind of all Crimson Tide fans for the next six and a half months, before Alabama football officially takes the field to kickoff their season against Eastern Carolina at home under the lights of Saban-Field at Bryant Denny stadium on September 5th.