CBS Sports Shares Latest Intel on Alabama Quarterback Competition After Spring

Alabama ended spring practice with no announcement on who would be the starting quarterback, with head coach Kalen DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb content to carry the competition into fall camp. It's a similar trend to what we typically see from quarterback battles, with Alabama carrying last year's competition to the first scrimmage of fall camp before naming Ty Simpson the starter.

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Redshirt freshman Keelon Russell shined on A-Day with four touchdowns on nine drives, while redshirt junior Austin Mack struggled and departed the scrimmage early due to injury. Despite that, he still led the offense for five drives and had one touchdown. CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz and Chris Hummer published their post-spring practice intel from the Crimson Tide, stating "there's no decision at this point in Alabama's quarterback battle."

Zenitz and Hummer wrote that Russell 'comes with a higher ceiling while Mack is a more consistent game manager...' Mack signed with Kalen DeBoer at Washington as a four-star quarterback in the Huskies 2023 recruiting class, then transferred to Alabama after the Tide hired DeBoer. Mack has the most experience in DeBoer and Grubb's system, but "sources around the program view Russell as being at least a slight favorite to win the job," Zenitz and Hummer wrote.

The biggest key for Russell is consistency: limiting mistakes while still making the highlight plays. Hummer and Zenitz also question how Russell will respond when he takes hits from a defense, which he has yet to do with Alabama not allowing their quarterbacks to be hit during practice. Russell did play in two games last season for Alabama, but the Crimson Tide had already established sizeable leads over ULM and Eastern Illinois by the time Russell took the field in both games. Despite the limited sample size, Russell threw for 143 yards and two touchdowns last season.

Mack appeared in four games for Alabama last season, throwing for 228 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 22 yards and a score. When Ty Simpson left the Rose Bowl against Indiana with a rib injury, Mack came in during the second half and closed out the matchup with the Hoosiers.

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_.