Kalen DeBoer knows Alabama can’t just dump everything on Keelon Russell and hope the offense snaps back into gear.
That’s the real challenge now for the Crimson Tide: keep the sophomore quarterback aggressive without asking him to carry the whole operation by himself. After a blistering start to his career, Russell has already shown what he can do when everything is flowing. Through his first five collegiate starts, he completed 71.2% of his passes for 1,414 yards and 11 touchdowns, while also rushing for 184 yards and four scores to help Alabama open 5-0.
But the last two weeks have been a different story. Against Georgia and Tennessee, two of the country’s best defenses, Russell completed 35 of 59 passes for 332 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. He added 47 rushing yards and another touchdown on 20 carries, but he was also sacked nine times in those two losses.
With Texas A&M next, DeBoer said Monday that the answer starts with play-calling and with putting Russell in spots where he can do what he does best.
“You’re trying to have a balance, trying to take what the defense gives you,” DeBoer told reporters Monday. “I felt like, and this goes back to play calling, opportunities that were really simple, things that he’s run a lot this year now that he’s comfortable with.
There are certain run-pass options that have been successful, and ones that haven’t. And I think we’re doing a good job of understanding what he likes.
Quick game, getting it out of his hands, are things that he does well. He also has the opportunity and the knack for creating things with his legs, and I thought he did that at times.
He’s just got to try and not do too much.
"We aren’t going to let him think of himself as a young quarterback either. He’s our quarterback, and that expectation at Alabama comes with getting the job done.
He’s more than capable; he’s done a great job in so many ways for our football team. Every moment is a learning moment, the good and the times that are rough.
He’s got a great head on his shoulders."
That’s the line Alabama has to walk from here. Russell needs to avoid forcing plays, but DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb also have to give him a cleaner structure to operate in. The Tide need quicker decisions, more manageable down-and-distance situations, familiar run-pass option looks, and a steadier run game that can keep defenses honest.
The Georgia and Tennessee games showed how quickly things can unravel when Alabama falls behind the chains. In Knoxville, Russell was pushed into obvious passing situations early, and the offense never found a rhythm.
Meanwhile, those opponents didn’t need anything fancy to expose the Tide’s issues. They stayed patient, sustained drives, and made Alabama react.
That’s what has made the recent offensive slump so frustrating. The fix doesn’t sound complicated, but Alabama has to actually commit to it.
Texas A&M may offer a chance to do exactly that. The Aggies have only five sacks through seven games, which could give Russell and Alabama’s offensive line a more manageable test than the one they just faced.
Now the question is whether Alabama can use this matchup to reset the offense and give its young quarterback the kind of support that lets his talent show up the way it did in those first five starts.
In Other News...
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Charlotte and Miller agreed to a contract extension before the start of the 2026-27 season, keeping the franchise tied to one of its youngest building blocks for the long haul. The deal also puts him in a unique spot in Alabama basketball lore, giving him the biggest NBA payday ever for a former Tide player and underscoring just how quickly his profile has climbed since leaving Tuscaloosa. [Read more 🡒]
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Tennessee Just Made Alabama's Misery Impossible To Ignore
The Tennessee rivalry has turned into an uncomfortable marker for Alabama, and the latest trip to Knoxville only made that harder to ignore. After winning 15 straight meetings from 2007 through 2021, the Crimson Tide have now dropped three in a row there, a shift that says plenty about how much the balance has changed in a series that used to feel almost automatic on one side.
The frustration spilled over quickly after the loss, with fans taking to The Paul Finebaum Show to vent about the coaching staff and the teams performance. Callers like Legend and Handsome Joe reflected the mood around the program, turning the radio segment into a loud referendum on decisions, execution and pride, the kind of public backlash that tends to follow a loss when a rivalry has stopped feeling familiar. [Read more 🡒]