Is Alabama football’s 6-foot-6 quarterback, Austin Mack getting looked over in the Crimson Tide’s current quarterback battle?
Early talks about the Alabama quarterback competition have mostly centered around the Tide’s most experienced quarterback, Ty Simpson, and prized freshman and former five-star, Keelon Russell.
The competition between the three is expected to take shape during the spring when all three quarterbacks will get an opportunity to put themselves on track to possibly be the next starting quarterback for the Crimson Tide. If what Kalen DeBoer has said about Mack in the past is true, he is working to put himself in a position to compete.
“He’s one of the hardest workers on the team,” DeBoer said about Mack during the 2024 season. “There’s a lot of guys that pour a lot into it. He’s doing stuff on his own pretty much every day. You pick an early morning time when we don’t have a practice, he’s doing something in some facility in here.”
The California product started his college football career at Washington before transferring to Alabama when Kalen DeBoer took over as the Tide’s head coach. He served as the Crimson Tide’s fourth-string quarterback during the 2024 season and only saw action in one game.
Mack completed two passes for 39 yards and a touchdown against Mercer, and he flashed the ability to throw an accurate deep ball in his one game of action.
Austin Mack’s first TD pass in the crimson and white pic.twitter.com/qssXglwV3F
— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) November 16, 2024
The former four-star graduated a year early from high school after throwing for more than 3,000 yards and 40 touchdowns while only throwing five interceptions as a junior. His ability to work from the pocket and deliver the football with accuracy were some of the brightest spots from his junior campaign.
A lot of eyes will be in Tuscaloosa to see who comes out on top in this battle.
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Justin Smith is the Director of Recruiting for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via @Jdsmith31Smith
