What Austin Mack needs to do to win Alabama’s quarterback battle

Sep 6, 2025; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Austin Mack (10) passes the ball during the second half against the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Leong-Imagn Images

With the Alabama Crimson Tide three months out from its 2026 campaign, who the starting quarterback will be has remained the largest unknown piece of the team following junior quarterback Ty Simpson’s decision to enter the NFL Draft.

For a period of time, junior Austin Mack seemed like the probable answer to that question, as he has seen more collegiate experience than his competitor for the job, Keelon Russell, who will be returning to Tuscaloosa as a redshirt freshman.

As a four-star signal-caller out of California, Mack originally committed to Washington, choosing to stay on the West Coast and trust in Kalen DeBoer. When DeBoer made the move to Tuscaloosa, it didn’t take long for Mack to follow.

While Mack has sat behind quarterbacks like Michael Penix Jr., Jalen Milroe and Simpson, waiting his turn and learning the system, giving him an obvious upper hand in the race to earn the QB1 title, Russell won’t make it any easier for him.

Over the course of spring practices, the two seemed to be neck-and-neck, at least according to the two short media viewing sessions and everything that the coaches were saying about them. But then, A-Day came around.

Mack was the first quarterback that fans got to see on the field. However, it didn’t last long, as the drive quickly stalled and left Russell with his first possession of the game, on which he scored, before leading a second consecutive scoring drive.

It took Mack a while to find his rhythm, finding his first and only touchdown of the scrimmage quite late. After the scrimmage, DeBoer defended the quarterback, saying he was dealing with some issues and needed to be limited with certain things.

Nonetheless, the performances jump-started quick conclusions from many. But with three months and fall camp still left to go, the competition between Mack and Russell is still in full swing and could go either way.

In order for Mack to find himself walking into Bryant-Denny Stadium on Sept. 5, there’s just one major thing he needs to do: get comfortable and prove that he knows the system well enough to execute and lead a successful season.

While the 2025 season did not go the way the Tide planned, Tuscaloosa now has an offense being run by the same successful duo that led the Washington Huskies to a National Championship appearance just a few years back.

The success of their offense, and the Huskies’ not long ago, is due to the air raid system that DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb tend to favor. While fans haven’t quite seen too much of that, it’s been somewhat limited due to player personnel.

DeBoer, without Grubb for his first year, inherited a system that was run a bit differently with players who were recruited by the staff before him. So, he didn’t get to choose the guys he wanted to be in and run his system off the jump; he had to adjust.

With Mack in line as a potential successor to Simpson, DeBoer and Grubb now get the opportunity to pick between two very talented players whom they both recruited out of the high school ranks with the intention of developing.

That’s precisely the upside with Mack, though; instead of needing to develop him and get him comfortable, he’s been in the system for three years now. He even led the one scoring drive for the Tide in its playoff game against Indiana last season.

Mack is talented, but he doesn’t have to be a playmaker to set himself apart; his experience will do that for him. Knowing what the staff wants and needs from him, combined with his skill and experience, will allow him to take over.

He just needs to get comfortable and remember that he’s the veteran in this scenario. If he can analyze the field and make the reads that DeBoer and Grubb want from him accordingly, the job might just be his to lose.