Heading into his third season at Tuscaloosa, Kalen DeBoer had a critical decision to make. Who’d be his signal-caller to replace Ty Simpson for the 2026 season? Throughout the spring camp and a portion of the fall camp, the Tide coaching staff evaluated the two contenders to be the QB. And now, DeBoer has finally arrived at a decision.

Alabama named sophomore Keelon Russell as its starting quarterback on August 22. Russell won the starting spot over senior Austin Mack following an intense competition that stretched through spring practices and fall camp. 

ESPN reporter Pete Thamel posted the news on X, which was confirmed by the team’s NIL collective, Yea Alabama, and the Alabama football program itself. 

Russell entered college as a five-star recruit out of Duncanville, Texas. 247Sports ranked him as the No. 2 overall prospect and No. 2 quarterback in the 2025 class, He’s one of the highest-rated passer recruits in school history. 

Now, he is set to replace Ty Simpson, who threw for 3,567 yards and 28 touchdowns last season before being selected No. 13 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams.

The final turn in the quarterback race came during a 90-play scrimmage on August 20. Russell ran with the first-team offense to open the scrimmage and delivered many brilliant plays. While Mack stayed steady, Russell created the kind of big plays the coaching staff wanted to see. 

An SEC general manager noted that Russell has huge talent, even if he has not played on a big stage yet. By naming him now, the coaches give him two full weeks of first-team reps to get ready for week one.

Mack is in his fourth year working under DeBoer. He spent one season with him at Washington before moving to Alabama. His understanding of the playbook also earned him the nickname “human playbook” among his teammates. 

He spent the 2025 season as Simpson’s primary backup and completed 24 of 32 passes for 228 yards and two touchdowns. During the Rose Bowl against Indiana, Mack completed 11 of 16 passes for 103 yards when Simpson went down.

Throughout the spring and summer, DeBoer kept his thoughts quiet and praised both passers. Right after the August 20 scrimmage, DeBoer mentioned that the team could win with either player, but acknowledged a choice had to be made. 

The decision is now final, but naming a starter is only the beginning of what lies ahead for this offense. Fortunately for Bama fans, they now have a QB1 that they can talk about when discussing SEC QBs. Some are already deeming Russell as a top-5 signal-caller in the conference.

What Keelon Russell’s promotion means for Alabama’s offense

The most surprising part of this decision is how little college action Russell has seen so far. As a true freshman in 2025, he appeared in just two games and completed 11 of 15 passes for 143 yards. He also had two touchdowns against Eastern Illinois and Louisiana-Monroe. 

According to PFF, he enters the season with around 37 total career snaps under center. That makes him one of the least experienced opening-day starting quarterbacks the program has fielded in recent years.

At Duncanville High, he won two Texas state titles and earned Elite 11 MVP honors. He was also named the 2024 Gatorade National Player of the Year. In his senior high school season, he put up over 3,000 passing yards and scored around 50 touchdowns. 

Fans got an early preview of Russell’s potential during the A-Day spring game in April 2026. He completed around 20 of 32 passes for over 230 yards and four touchdowns with just one interception. Mack was limited by a minor injury during that game and received fewer reps. 

Russell will take his first official snap on Saturday, September 5, when Alabama hosts East Carolina. Entering the year ranked around No. 13 in preseason polls after an 11-4 campaign in 2025, the team is working to integrate new starters after losing 10 players to the NFL Draft.

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