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DeBoer tells where Alabama stands with quarterback decision

8/10/26 MFB Fall Camp practice 5 Alabama Quarterback Keelon Russell (12) Alabama Quarterback Austin Mack (10) Photo by Kent Gidley

One of the most intriguing Alabama football storylines currently is the quarterback battle between Austin Mack and Keelon Russell, and decision time is getting closer and closer for Alabama.

The Crimson Tide held their second scrimmage of fall camp on Thursday. After the scrimmage, Alabama football head coach Kalen DeBoer shared how the Crimson Tide’s quarterbacks performed.

“I think they’re clean with command, calls and getting to the line of scrimmage” DeBoer said when describing Mack and Russell. “I think pre-snap, any checks, I feel like they were on another level than what they were a week ago, which is what you’d expect. We made a note of that drastically. So, more than anything, getting us out of bad calls and bad looks, and that’s a big part of the quarterback’s job other than executing the play.”

DeBoer stated that the plan is to name either Mack or Russell the starting quarterback ahead of the Crimson Tide’s Sept. 5 season opener against East Carolina, and he gave an update on when the quarterback decision could be made.

“We’ll work through it here this weekend to see where we’re at and just continue to discuss it as a coaching staff,” DeBoer said.

A couple of weeks ago, offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb told reporters that he and the rest of the coaching staff would need to see how both fall camp scrimmages went before naming a starting quarterback.

With that being said, Alabama could announce a starting quarterback in the next couple of days.

Matthew Mason is a writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine with four years of experience covering Alabama athletics. Mason, a senior at The University of Alabama, began covering Alabama athletics for The Crimson White in 2023 and became a Staff Writer in 2024 before joining TDA in May of 2025. Mason crafts engaging articles that showcase his ability to tell captivating stories as well as his unique analytical skills and deep knowledge of Alabama football. Follow him on X at MatthewMason__

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