Being the starting QB at Alabama always comes with a significant amount of pressure. Every starter for the Crimson Tide over the last nearly two decades has been tasked with piloting the ship of a national title contender.
That won't be any different in 2026, whether Keelon Russell or Austin Mack ultimately wins the starting gig for the Crimson Tide.
The difference now, however, as Ty Simpson learned last season, is that the supporting cast isn't the same as it was for their predecessors. The margin for error for Russell or Mack - as it was for Simpson last season - is razor-thin, if it even exists at all.
Simpson was tasked with carrying the entire offensive burden for Alabama last season. That might be the same for Russell or Mack this year, as Bill Connelly pointed out on Tuesday.
The ESPN analyst wrote his annual story on the most important players in college football for this season. No. 1 was Russell.
Keelon Russell will face intense pressure if he's Alabama's starting QB in 2026
"Russell was one of 2025's top prospects and spent a redshirt year watching everything Ty Simpson had to do to carry the weakest Alabama offense in years to the College Football Playoff," Connelly writes. "Now he has to do the same with an even less proven skill corps and a brand-new offensive line. Recruiting rankings tell us there's plenty of raw talent here, and the Bama run game can't get any worse than it was in 2025. But while Russell hasn't even officially won the job yet, he might be the only guy with the upside to drive this offense to solid heights. If he's not awesome, Alabama probably isn't either."
Last season's offensive shortcomings have made a lot of experts forget just how elite of offensive coaches Kalen DeBoer and Ryan Grubb have been throughout their careers. The shortcomings on the offensive line in 2025 were the single biggest issue. Alabama couldn't get the ground game going, which forced Simpson to be the hero every single week. Once Alabama had to play elite teams at the end of the season like Georgia and Indiana, they were clearly outmatched.
As much as Alabama fans may want to believe the offensive line will be better in 2026, that's not a guarantee, especially early in the season. Alabama is breaking in four new starters up front. It will take some time for that unit to come together. On paper, the talent fits the system better up front, but that might not make an immediate difference.
In terms of the skill positions, Connelly is right that it is less proven, but there's reason for significant optimism in terms of Russell's weapons.
Ryan Coleman-Williams is expected to take a massive leap back toward the superstar he was as a freshman after a disappointing sophomore season. Sophomore Lotzeir Brooks is flying under the radar despite his heroic performance in the CFP win over Oklahoma. And then, even with the injury to NC State transfer Noah Rogers, Derek Meadows or Cederian Morgan could be big-time weapons for the Crimson Tide.
Kaleb Edwards and Marshall Pritchett could be mismatches at TE, and the addition of Oklahoma State transfer Josh Ford at TE should significantly help the running game. While Alabama swung and missed on Hollywood Smothers in the portal, Daniel Hill looks like he'll take a step forward, and 5-star freshman EJ Crowell is the most talented high school back to come through Tuscaloosa since Najee Harris.
Fall camp gets started tomorrow, and we'll start to get some answers to the myriad of questions facing Alabama this season. This is a young team that might experience some early growing pains. But by the end of the season, Alabama may develop into a true contender.
If that's the case, there's a good chance Russell is a big reason why, and that DeBoer's underrated work in the Transfer Portal paid bigger dividends than experts wanted to believe.
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