Chris Low was mostly right when he excluded Alabama from his top 10 SEC quarterback rankings. Nine of the 10 have sufficient resumes to warrant their inclusion. Only one, No. 10 Kenny Minchey, like Keelon Russell and Austin Mack, can be called unproven.
Any ranking heavily weighting potential would include Keelon Russell. Since the spring of his freshman season, Russell has shown practice observers he has an 'it' factor. The zip he has on the ball and the accuracy in hitting tight windows often evinced 'wow' reactions.
At SEC Media Days, neither Russell nor Mack will be present. One reason for their exclusion is that the Alabama coaching staff has not named a frontrunner to become Bama's starter. A true competition will take place in Fall Camp. It might continue past the East Carolina game.
Even when Kalen DeBoer announces his starter for the ECU game, both guys might still be auditioning against the Pirates.
Three reasons why Keelon Russell will become the Alabama starter
- There is near-consensus among college football experts that Russell has a higher ceiling than Mack. Both guys have strong arms. Both can throw an accurate deep ball. But there is a difference in their passes. Russell's tight spiral makes a distinct sound. Alabama safety Bray Hubbard describes the sound as: "You can hear the ball sizzle when he throws it.”
- Russell is more quick-twitch than Mack, making him more mobile and able to extend and make plays with his legs
- Keelon is a near-perfect fit for the Kalen DeBoer - Ryan Grubb RPO offense. Beyond the standard RPO decision of whether to pull the ball and pass or hand off to a running back, Russell's third threat is to pull the ball and run.
Two reasons why Austin Mack will become the Alabama starter
- Austin Mack has an age and football maturity advantage. The 2026 season will be his fourth with Kalen DeBoer, compared to the second for Russell.
- A presumed advantage for Mack is that he has a higher floor than Russell. Mack may not make as many explosive plays as Russell, but he can be expected to make fewer mistakes.
If Mack shows in Fall Camp scrimmages and the East Carolina game that he is clearly better at pre-snap reads than Russell, he will likely be the starter against Kentucky. But if such an advantage occurs, Russell will likely catch up with meaningful snaps in Alabama's early games. Russell is the best bet to start by the South Carolina or Mississippi State game.
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