As the game of quarterback musical chairs persists throughout college football, Alabama can sit back and watch.
The Crimson Tide re-signed both of its quarterbacks who didn’t declare for the NFL Draft.
Austin Mack and Keelon Russell will stay for another season, which tells us a few things.
Neither is afraid of competition, and both has the belief they can win. Otherwise, one would have left.
That also confirms it is a legitimate competition. If Alabama was telling the quarterbacks behind the scenes it is Russell’s job, Mack wouldn’t still be in Tuscaloosa. He’s worked as a backup for three seasons at Washington and Alabama. Mack is eager and ready for an opportunity to at least compete for a starting job. If that door was closed, another place would give someone of his talent that opportunity.
The same could be said in reverse. Say Alabama told the room Mack would be the starter, Russell might not have stuck around either. He hasn’t waited as long as Mack, but Russell is a former five-star quarterback who’s viewed as a future superstar. Another program would have provided him the opportunity to compete if Alabama didn’t.
That’s why it’s also noteworthy both Mack and Russell re-signed and that Alabama made it known to the world through its NIL collective. Quarterbacks are the hottest commodity of all in the transfer portal, and it’s no secret programs in need of quarterbacks often make overtures through third parties to quarterbacks who aren’t yet in the transfer portal. So there can be no assumptions about anyone on the roster coming back until they’ve signed a deal for 2026.
Both Russell and Mack put pen to paper. And now Alabama can choose between the best of the two for this upcoming season.
And no matter who wins, Alabama will have a quality backup behind him for the duration of the season.
There will be no spring transfer portal window, so there’s no possibility of losing a quarterback after spring practices. Mack and Russell are about to battle for the next eight months or so to try and prove they are deserving of replacing Simpson. The other will remain on the roster.
Mack appears to have a head start, considering he was Simpson’s primary backup this season. Once Simpson left the Rose Bowl with a cracked rib, Mack played the rest of the game, not Russell.
But Russell is the former No. 2 prospect in the entire 2025 recruiting class. With a year of college football under his belt and the talent he has, Russell could overtake Mack.
Either way, Alabama’s in a good spot. It will have four scholarship quarterbacks in the room for 2026, one more than it had in 2025.
The two freshmen, Jett Thomalla and Tayden Kaawa, will have a chance to develop. Russell and Mack will have a chance to compete.
Having an experienced starter is the best-case scenario in college football, but being able to hold onto multiple scholarship quarterbacks to compete for the job is right behind it. That’s far from a given these days.