What Kalen DeBoer Wants to See from Alabama QBs During First Week of Fall Camp

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama football kicked off its 2026 fall camp on Wednesday, as head coach Kalen DeBoer and company had refreshers on various position battles.

The quarterback competition between Austin Mack and Keelon Russell has been the talk of the summer, and while no one is in pads on Wednesday, DeBoer shared his thoughts on their first performance ahead of a month-long journey.

"I thought they were consistent," DeBoer said. "A couple of explosive plays in there, a couple of plays where you can see they're getting on the same page with a receiver-type guy — tight ends, running backs. Just the little details. I thought they were consistent. I loved the demeanor, their command, you could see the guys have it."

Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb stressed in the spring that the competition is "pretty even," and DeBoer has previously said that a two-QB system is out of the question. It's going to take some time before the starter is named.

Mack and Russell each took a similar number of first-team reps in the spring, and the same will occur over the next couple of weeks. Ty Simpson was named the starter on Aug. 11, 2025, but this year's victor should be announced much closer to the season opener. Neither option has ever started a game, and while they have some similarities in their play styles, they differ in size, experience and athleticism.

So, what does DeBoer want to see from the two of them over the next week?

"We talk about response — someone's got to win a play every down — it's going to be something when you're going against each other and you just try to make that as game-like as possible," DeBoer said. "What's the response? That's a lot of football. And the momentum, getting it on your side, there's going to be plays that don't go your way. But what does it look like? How are you coming together?

Regardless of the level, the starting quarterback is considered one of the main faces of the program. DeBoer is well aware of this, but he also mentioned how that could be a challenge during practice.

"We're identifying leaders beyond the guys that we expect to be able to stand up when needed and take charge," DeBoer said. "As a whole team, that's what it's got to be. Right now it's kind of an offense vs. defense, so you're trying at the same time build belief and confidence in each other. But you're really trying to ask the one side of the ball to kick the other side's a— all day."

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