Alabama just finished its second scrimmage of spring practice, the final one before next Saturday's A-Day Game, which will signal the end of spring.
All eyes remain on the QB battle between rising redshirt junior Austin Mack and redshirt freshman Keelon Russell. It does not appear that Kalen DeBoer is any closer to determining a starter, which isn't unexpected.
What's disappointing, however, is that it sounds like both Mack and Russell struggled during Friday's scrimmage.
DeBoer said Mack and Russell split reps pretty evenly on Friday, but that today "wasn't their sharpest day."
Part of that seemed to stem from the offensive line struggling to hold up in pass pro....drink if you've heard that one before.
Neither Austin Mack nor Keelon Russell performed well in Friday's scrimmage, per Kalen DeBoer
DeBoer mentioned prior to his QB evaluation that Alabama's offensive line took a bit to get going during Friday's second scrimmage. He also mentioned that there was more pressure on the QBs this week.
None of that is surprising and shouldn't be considered overly concerning, either. It's just spring practice, after all.
Nobody expected the offensive line, with as many new faces and new coaches, to make a seamless transition in the spring. And it sounds like, from all the spring practice intel that has come in, that Alabama's defensive line is looking deep and versatile, which will put a ton of pressure on the Crimson Tide's O-Line. That should help them grow up quicker, too.
Mack and Russell both seemed to have an opportunity on Friday to perhaps gain a little bit of separation before A-Day. But both were evidently not sharp, leaving the door wide open as spring practice comes to an end.
The QB battle will likely extend throughout the summer and all of fall camp. Don't be surprised if it extends into the season, too, with Alabama opening up the 2026 season against East Carolina.