Alabama Starting Senior Backup QB Austin Mack at Vanderbilt

According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, the third-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide will turn to its backup quarterback this week, Austin Mack, while starting quarterback Keleon Russell recovers from an ankle injury he suffered last week in the Tide's 31-13 victory over the LSU Tigers.

Russell entered the medical tent with an ankle injury during the third quarter of last week's victory over the LSU Tigers, which the Tigers then capitalized on, taking a 13-10 lead over Alabama. It would be the only lead LSU held last week.

Russell didn't miss a snap, returning to lead Alabama down the field to take a 17-13 lead. The Tide added two more touchdowns for good measure. Russell threw for 102 yards and three touchdowns after his time in the medical tent last week. According to Thamel, Russell, who has been listed as probable all week on the SEC availability report, will be available, but the expectation is the Tide's staff will hold him out and let his ankle heal.

Austin Mack, a 6-foot-6, 237-pound quarterback from Loomis, California, originally committed to Kalen DeBoer when he was at Washington. Mack was a redshirt freshman on Washington's 2023 team that made the national championship. After entering the transfer portal and following DeBoer to Alabama, Mack was the third-string quarterback in 2024 behind Jalen Milroe and Ty Simpson before competing with Simpson and Russell for the starting quarterback job in 2025. He spent 2025 as Alabama's backup, filling in for an injured Ty Simpson in the Rose Bowl quarterfinals.

Mack again competed for the starting QB job with Russell in 2026, with Russell winning the job in fall camp. In his career, Mack has completed 74.4% of his passes for 290 yards and three touchdowns. In 2026, he's completed 3-of-4 passes for 23 yards. He's played in two games for Alabama this season: the season opener against East Carolina, and Alabama's win over No. 16 Mississippi State on October 3.

No. 3 Alabama will travel to Nashville, Tennessee, this Saturday, November 14, to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores. Kickoff is scheduled for 11:45 a.m. CT on the SEC Network.

For more free coverage of Alabama football, download the Tide 100.9 app.

Get our free mobile app

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.