Ryan Grubb shares what areas Alabama QB’s have improved in since spring ball

Alabama Quarterback Austin Mack (10) in action against A-Day at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, AL on Saturday, Apr 11, 2026.

The quarterback competition at Alabama is heating up as Austin Mack and Keelon Russell are fighting for the starting job in fall camp.

Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb spoke to the media after the second day of fall camp. Grubb specifically shared something that each quarterback has gotten better at over the last few months.

“I’d say Keelon did a better job taking care of the football in the summer than he did in the spring,” Grubb said. “And then with Austin, I thought he was better on the run out of the pocket. I thought he really grew in that regard.”

Grubb added that he believes the coaching staff will need to see how Mack and Russell perform in both of Alabama’s upcoming scrimmages before deciding on a starter.

Mack has more experience being in a Kalen DeBoer system than Russell has, but the battle heated up tremendously after Russell took the majority of snaps at Alabama’s A-Day due to Mack being a bit dinged up. Fans learned a lot about Russell and his style of play, but Mack is going to have two scrimmages to show what he can do in a game-like situation.

On Thursday, Mack was the first quarterback in the rotation when taking snaps in practice, and Russell was right behind him. That could be a sign of where things are at right now for the Crimson Tide, but the quarterback competition is still anyone’s game based on what the coaches have said over the last few days.

“Both guys are growing,” Grubb said. “I think the attention to detail right now is on the things they know they got to work on. Each one of them has different strengths and weaknesses, but it’ll be very similar to the timing last year and that we’ve done every year back to 2021 at Fresno State. So, same mechanics on that, and the guys will be getting an equal opportunity and are doing a good job.”

The quarterback battle at Alabama will continue to be one of the biggest storylines to follow this fall.