It is not hyperbole to presume that Kalen DeBoer's success or failure depends on his next starting quarterback. The two young men contending for the Alabama starting quarterback job are DeBoer guys. Austin Mack has long been one of DeBoer's guys, going back to the University of Washington. Phenom Keelon Russell is a DeBoer guy, too, just for a shorter length of time.
After Ty Simpson's announced exit to the NFL, DeBoer and Ryan Grubb could have chased a proven QB through the Portal. Apparently, neither coach ever considered a transfer QB as a necessary option. That says much about the confidence they have in Mack and Russell's potential.
But potential does not win games. Only performance does.
Some college football experts have already stated that Austin Mack will win the starting role. Perhaps he will, but at the earliest, that will not be known until August. Fall camp scrimmages could be pivotal.
Nick Saban often said that the team, rather than the coaches, chooses their quarterback leader. Players coalesce around players who give the team the best chance to win games. Whatever happens in Fall Camp scrimmages, Mack or Russell will have to prove themselves in early games. Whoever starts both guys should see meaningful action against East Carolina.
Game 2 for the Crimson Tide will be in Lexington. The Wildcats pretty much have a new everything. After xxx seasons led by Mark Stoops, the new Kentucky head coach is Will Stein. Stein brought in Jay Bateman as Defensive Coordinator. With Bateman comes a new scheme, one that will be veiled as much as possible in Kentucky's opener against Youngstown State.
Alabama's quarterback starter in Lexington will face a mental test of processing how to attack a Kentucky defense that will offer surprises. The game should be a good test of leadership.
An Alabama Football Quarterback Rotation?
DeBoer and Grubb may try to rotate Mack and Russell, rather than settle on one guy. Such a decision usually results because neither guy is good enough. Mack and Russell may still be auditioning in Lexington, but the odds are a two-QB rotation will not happen past the Florida State game in Week 3. There could be some value to keep a quarterback rotation going for five games, but Georgia will prepare for Mack and Russell however they are used.
When Joel Klatt said Alabama Football was trending in the wrong direction, his words shocked Alabama football fans. " They are on a trajectory that is down and I don't think that that is going to stop there. They have to level out at some point in order to start going back up, but I don't sense that moment of them leveling out."
More than any other variable, Klatt being right or wrong will come down to the Crimson Tide's next starting QB. It is no exaggeration to say that Kalen DeBoer's future as an Alabama coach hinges on the outcome.