Former Alabama QB predicts Tide will play 2 quarterbacks early

Alabama quarterbacks Austin Mack (10) and Keelon Russell (12) participate in drills during practice. Photo | Alabama Athletics

Alabama football’s most intriguing ongoing position battle is the quarterback competition between Austin Mack and Keelon Russell.

Former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy called his shot when talking about Alabama’s quarterback competition, predicting that the battle will not be resolved before the beginning of the season.

“I think Mack and Russell will both play the first couple of weeks, and then Alabama will lock in on one,” McElroy said on Always College Football. “Then, the winner inherits Alabama.”

McElroy took a look at Alabama football’s schedule and highlighted the first two games as games the Crimson Tide could possibly get both quarterbacks on the field.

“If you look at how the schedule is built, Sept. 5 against East Carolina at home, Sept. 12 you’re at Kentucky, and then Sept. 19, you have Florida State in Tuscaloosa,” he said. “So, you have a little bit of a runway through Week 1 to assess both guys on the field playing real, live tackle football. You have that non-conference opponent. You can absolutely play two quarterbacks and learn something real. Then, you go to Lexington, and you figure out who’s more capable of handling the road environment. One would probably lean more toward the veteran in that situation, and that’s when kind of the deadline arises. Florida State, there’s no deadline there. Florida State beat Alabama last year in Tallahassee, and the back half of a home-and-home, the Seminoles first trip to Tuscaloosa since 1974. And you know Bryant-Denny is going to be an unpleasant place to visit that night.”

The Florida State game is one that Kalen DeBoer will likely want to play one quarterback in because the intensity will be high for that highly anticipated rematch. 

As far as the quarterbacks as individuals go, McElroy shared his thoughts about both quarterbacks, starting with Mack.

“Mack, he’s the experienced hand,” he said. “He came with Kalen DeBoer from Washington. He’s played in five games over the last two years. This is his fourth year in the system, and by the way, he was a Top-100 recruit himself, so let’s not do the thing where we pretend that this veteran guy can’t play. He knows every answer to the test, but he’s not been asked to take that test just yet.”

Russell is a former five star, and he won over the hearts of some Alabama fans in the spring. Wide receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams said it feels “like a video game” when Russell is out there. However, McElroy remembered how Mack was a bit dinged up this spring, keeping that in the front of his mind when talking about Russell.

“Russell, he’s the consensus five star from a couple cycles ago,” McElroy said. “He’s a redshirt freshman, saw almost nothing last year as the number three and then went out in the spring game and threw four touchdowns. Now one thing of note is that Mack was limited in that spring game, a little bit banged up. So, the scoreboard is a little bit of a mirage, and I think DeBoer knows that, which is exactly why he’s taking this into fall camp with Ryan Grubb the offensive coordinator and letting this play out.”

As far as what McElroy thinks the coaching staff is looking for in these next couple of weeks, he highlighted that playing clean football and gaining trust are things Mack and Russell will need to do to win the job.

“I think DeBoer and Grubb, they’re going to watch who takes care of the football,” he said. “Who is most capable of leading the offense, not necessarily a talent evaluation. This might be more of a trust evaluation.”

Alabama football’s fall camp will mark a new chapter in this quarterback battle, and it will be a storyline worth following.