Alabama quarterback runs Tide offense like he is a ‘human playbook’

Austin Mack is set to enter his fourth season in Kalen DeBoer’s system this fall.

Mack is one of two quarterbacks competing for the Tide’s starting quarterback role. He and Keelon Russell are set to battle it out for the starting job throughout fall camp. Mack, who transferred to Alabama from Washington, can operate DeBoer’s system like a veteran, according to Ryan Coleman-Williams.

“So for Mack, he does a great job of leading,” Coleman-Williams said during an interview with Ryan Fowler of Tide 100.9 at SEC Media Days. “He’s a vet now, hasn’t played much in the games yet, but he’s sat behind some great quarterbacks, and he knows the playbook inside and out. He knows stuff that I was like, oh, I thought I knew that, but yeah, this is why we do that. Obviously, he’s a human playbook. With that guy, you’re going to get literally all your answers. He knows the answer before the play even happens. He does a great job of leading the huddle, commanding offense, and really just, he knows where his spots are. So he does a great job with that.”

Some see Mack’s experience as an advantage for him. SEC analyst and former Alabama safety Roman Harper is among that group.

“I like starting off with Austin Mack because he’s the older presence, because he is the senior that’s been around this program, and he should be the one that’s more poised and being in situational football awareness,” Harper said on the SEC Network. “He (Kalen DeBoer) talked about Keelon Russell; the biggest thing that he learned earlier this year is that what the defenses are doing. Now he knows what the offense is doing, but now he’s still trying to figure out what the defense is doing. And that’s part of playing quarterback as well. You got to understand what everybody’s doing, not just what’s on your side in the huddle, but also what the defense is doing and what they’re doing so you can get us in the best situations. So, then you’re not in the second and nine like Coach talked about earlier. Now you’re in a second and six, a second and five, much manageable place. So I would start with Austin Mack because of the veteran presence, because you can always go back to the young guy.”