Alabama's quarterback competition is real this spring and Kalen DeBoer is not pretending otherwise. Quarterbacks Keelon Russell and Austin Mack are pushing hard for the starting job with the Alabama Crimson Tide. Currently, the belief is that Mack holds a slight edge.
He is heading into his fourth year in DeBoer's system and that familiarity counts for something. Russell, on the other hand, is a former five-star recruit and redshirt freshman who spent last season as Alabama's third-string option with limited chances to show what he can do.
DeBoer spoke about the situation on The Next Round ahead of A-Day on Wednesday and was straightforward about how different this feels.
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Kalen DeBoer offers update on Alabama’s unsettled QB race
Getting to this point in the offseason without a clear starter at quarterback is not exactly comfortable for any head coach, and he acknowledged that. DeBoer was careful not to frame it as a problem, offering an update on where things currently stand in the battle..
"It's two guys that have high ceilings and they've done a really good job for the most part all spring long," DeBoer said. "I know I referred to in the scrimmage it is not as sharp as they've been. Well, it's because they've been very, very sharp all spring long and so a little bit of drop-off wasn't a bad thing for them to go through, because what's their response going to be? That's been positive here this week, seeing them come back and get back to that level and then some of what they've been through all spring."
The second scrimmage was not their best showing. But the dip stood out only because the bar had been set so high through the rest of spring. Both quarterbacks came back the following week and responded well, which is exactly what a coaching staff wants to see from players competing for a starting role.
What also works in Alabama's favor is that neither Mack nor Russell is a stranger to the program. They know the culture, they know what is expected and they have built real trust within the locker room over time.
Their leadership styles are different but both have earned the respect of their teammates not just through practice reps but through how they carry themselves every day.
DeBoer noted that the players believe in both of them and in a battle where no decision has been made yet, that kind of trust quietly shapes everything.
