While physical ability is obviously important, it might not be the great decider in Alabama's highly anticipated QB competition in fall camp.
Both Austin Mack and Keelon Russell have plenty of physical ability. They both have good arm strength and can make all the throws required of Kalen DeBoer's offensive system. They're both also athletic, though Russell certainly gets the nod for his ability to use his legs, though DeBoer has cautioned that Mack is a better runner than he's been given credit for.
When Alabama opens fall camp next week, all eyes will be on the quarterback battle. Every practice clip posted will be scrutinized by fans on social media. In reality, however, the competition might be decided more by an intangible than any physical ability.
To DeBoer, the most important intangible for the quarterbacks, and the one that could ultimately swing the job toward Mack or Russell, is poise.
"They got to do the things, throwing the football and all of that, but when you talk about intangibles, I think just the poise to lead, the poise in the big moments," DeBoer said in an interview with ABC 33/40. "That’s hard for the guys that haven’t taken the valuable snaps that these guys haven’t had a chance to have. Austin got in the Rose Bowl there in the second half and did some nice things; I guess that’s a few reps, but the volume isn’t there. These two guys are those types of people; they don’t have those types of experiences. So that’s our job to help them through."
Kalen DeBoer highlights 'poise' as the most important intangible in Alabama's QB competition
Poise will certainly be the most important thing for Russell to develop if he wants to win the job. We all know the former 5-star QB is supremely talented. But how will he react to adversity? How does he respond when he makes an in-game mistake? Those aren't knowable right now. And they won't really be knowable until they happen in a game.
It's not really knowable for Mack, either. But as DeBoer noted, Mack came off the bench in the Rose Bowl to replace an injured Ty Simpson, and he acquitted himself nicely. Alabama only managed a field goal during his drives, but his poise was certainly on display in a very difficult situation.
That intangible could give Mack a leg up in the competition as fall camp approaches. He definitely shouldn't be counted out as so many have already done. Mack could very well win the job and lead the Crimson Tide out on the field for the season opener against East Carolina.
It's also possible that the competition extends into the season, as Greg McElroy recently suggested. There are a lot of variables that still need to shake out in the coming weeks.
The competition is far from decided, and fall camp will be pivotal for both Mack and Russell as they look to position themselves as the Tide's starter in 2026.
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