Why Austin Mack could be the answer for Alabama in 2026

Alabama quarterback, Ty Simpson announced his decision to declare for the NFL Draft following the conclusion of the Tide’s 2026 campaign, which ended in the Rose Bowl, despite many offers from teams around the country to enter the transfer portal.

With Simpson now gone, the Crimson Tide will return two quarterbacks in Austin Mack and Keelon Russell, a redshirt junior and a redshirt freshman, who both received minimal late-game playing time last season.

Head coach Kalen DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb also secured two quarterbacks out of the 2026 high school class: four-star Jett Thomalla out of Nebraska and three-star Tayden Kaawa out of Hawaii, so the Tide will have plenty of depth.

Many fans thought the Tide might search the transfer portal for another addition, but Grubb made clear that wasn’t the case.

“I think a lot of people were waiting to see what we do in the portal,” Grubb said to WAKA Action 8 News at the ALFCA convention last week. “With Austin Mack and Keelon Russell, we got exactly who we need.”

Not only do DeBoer and Grubb have who they need, but they have who they want. As talented and successful as Simpson was, he was recruited by former head coach Nick Saban and the previous coaching staff, not by DeBoer.

Now, DeBoer played him for a reason: he was talented. But would Simpson have been one of DeBoer’s first picks at quarterback to throw into his successful air raid scheme, the same one fans witnessed at Washington with quarterback Michael Penix Jr.?

It doesn’t matter now, because DeBoer now has two quarterbacks who he wanted to throw into his scheme, who he wanted to run his offense. With Mack and Russell, the staff has the talent it needs and wants to be successful. But which one gets the start?

Russell, a former five-star in the 2025 recruiting class, has tons of talent but no experience. He’sven drawn comparisons to Penix from Grubb, but with four years of eligibility left, there’s time to let him sit and develop into a star.

Meanwhile, Mack was not just recruited by DeBoer, but he was recruited by DeBoer back at Washington. The former four-star recruit has been in DeBoer and Grubb’s system for years, waiting his turn, learning and developing.

“Both guys have a year minimum in our system,” Grubb said. “But Austin’s certainly known the system. This is year four for him.”

Mack got game time in three regular-season games this past season, tallying 13 completions for 125 yards and two touchdowns. That wasn’t it for him, though, as Simpson suffering an injury in the Rose Bowl against Indiana resulted in Mack playing all but one drive in the second half. He made the most of it, passing 11-16 for 103 yards and leading the Tide’s only scoring drive.

Throughout his four appearances, Mack displayed his impressive accuracy and mobility, despite some of it coming against weaker competition. However, Mack showed with his performance in the Rose Bowl that he’s ready for any situation.

The next situation Mack may be in is the starting job for Alabama, opening the Tide’s season in Bryant-Denny against East Carolina. Another bright side about starting Mack is that he still has two years left to play.

By starting Mack next year, not only would Alabama get a quarterback who’s been in the coaches’ system for years and already received some valuable game experience, but he’ll have another year left if he chooses to return.

Mack should get the start next season, unless Russell is noticeably better through practices. He’s more experienced, and it’s as simple as that. He’s in a similar situation to the one Simpson was in; he’s stayed and learned the system, now it’s his time.