Nick Saban Gives His Perspective on Alabama's Quarterback Competition

Alabama has a quarterback competition heading into fall camp between senior Austin Mack and sophomore Keelon Russell. Neither player has a lot of in-game experience, but Mack has been in Kalen DeBoer's system for four years now dating back to his days at Washington.

Former Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban shared his perspective on Alabama's quarterback competition on the set of SEC Now at SEC Media Days in Tampa on Wednesday morning.

"Quarterback's the most difficult position to play based on how the people around you play, so that may have something to do with who they determine as the starter," Saban said. "What's the best fit with the rest of the players on the team? I think both guys are capable.

“Keelon Russell. I’ve watched this guy for two springs. He didn't play much in the fall. I watched him in two springs. This guy is a talented guy who is a playmaker who can make plays, and whether he's ready to play now or not, obviously the coaches have to determine that. He is going to be an outstanding player in the future.”

Russell only played in two games for Alabama last season, going a combined 11-of-15 for 143 yards with two touchdowns against Louisiana Monroe and Eastern Illinois. Saban dealt with multiple quarterback competitions throughout his time in Tuscaloosa, most notably with Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa in 2017 and 2018. Hurts had been Alabama's starter in 2016, but Tagovailoa was a very talented freshman in 2017.

"I will say this, we keep talking about young players," Saban said. "My experience as a coach: a good player is a good player. Jalen Hurts had a lot more experience than Tua when he was a freshman. Tua comes in, he's a good player, wins the national championship game coming in at halftime. Good players are good players. They develop more quickly. They have the kind of instincts and awareness that help them develop quickly, and they can play. I could never coach a bad player to play good, so we just had a lot of good players."

DeBoer did not announce a starting quarterback during his time at the podium Wednesday morning but said during a radio interview that he would like to name a starting quarterback a few weeks into fall camp.

Alabama opens the season on Sept. 5 against East Carolina.

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