Alabama Names Winner of 2026 Quarterback Battle

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Keelon Russell will be Alabama's starting quarterback for the 2026 season, per multiple reports, including Yea Alabama, UA's NIL collective.

Russell, a sophomore, beat Austin Mack, a senior, in a quarterback battle for the ages. The competition went the entire offseason, as DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb constantly said how even the competition was and that neither QB ever truly created separation before and after the first fall scrimmage.

The second fall scrimmage was held at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Aug. 20, but DeBoer didn't tip a hand as to who was in the lead by saying, "We can go in with either one of them." Nevertheless, rumors swirled throughout the past couple of weeks that Russell was in the lead, and that now has become a reality.

Russell appeared in two games last season during blowouts and completed 11 of 15 pass attempts for 143 yards and two touchdowns. His accolade as the 2025 Gatorade National High School Player of the Year made him a fan favorite for this year's QB1 spot.

The quarterback from Duncanville, Texas, threw for 3,652 yards with a jaw-dropping 52 touchdowns and just two interceptions with a stellar 71.5 completion percentage during the 2024-25 high school season. Russell is the highest-rated prospect of the Kalen DeBoer era, as the former five-star was ranked as the No. 2 overall recruit in the class of 2025.

Alabama's 2025 quarterback battle lasted quite some time, and naturally, the three-man race had to be whittled down to two before making the final decision for the Week 1 job. Russell was the first one eliminated from the competition due to his lack of command in the huddle.

This key trait was something he needed to quickly fixed this offseason, and DeBoer said on April 3 that Russell is "almost to the point now where he doesn't have to think when he says [play calls]." In other words, he's clearly a fast learner and he's only continued to grow in this area during summer and fall camps.

Like most A-Day spring scrimmages, all eyes were on Alabama's 2026 quarterback battle on April 11. Simply put, Keelon Russell had the edge over Mack. Russell completed 21 of 33 pass attempts for 242 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. Mack went 6-for-12 for 101 yards, a touchdown and an interception. But as the numbers suggest, Russell had significantly more reps because Mack was "dinged up a little bit" prior to A-Day.

Nevertheless, the dual-threat continued to shine in the fall and is now Alabama's starting quarterback for the 2026 season.

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