Three days into Alabama Fall Camp, the first real hints are starting to surface in Tuscaloosa - and on Friday, the Crimson Tide got a little good news with a side of quarterback intrigue.
The good news came off the field of practice, where Alabama finally showed up in a 2026-27 College Football Playoff prediction after being left out by others. Will Hollon of TWIN slotted the Crimson Tide in as the 8-seed, which would send Alabama into a home playoff game at Bryant-Denny.
And if Hollon’s bracket holds, the opponent would be a familiar kind of headline-grabber: the 9-seed and defending champion Indiana Hoosiers. Beating “Google Me Cignetti” would only be eclipsed by the Crimson Tide winning it all in late January.
Hollon’s field includes four SEC teams. Georgia comes in as the 1-seed, Oklahoma is projected at 7, and Texas lands at 10. Georgia also could benefit from a change that lets the top three seeds pick their “bowl path” in the Quarterfinal and Semifinal rounds, with the Bulldogs expected to choose the Peach Bowl and get a near-home setting.
Back on the practice field, Alabama was in shoulder pads on Friday, but full contact still wasn’t part of the mix. The pads should start popping soon, and that’s when the quarterback picture may get clearer.
For now, the bold call is this: Austin Mack has the inside track to QB1. Keelon Russell can still overtake him after the two camp scrimmages, but the read here is that Mack takes the first snap against ECU. There’s also a good chance both quarterbacks get work with the first unit against the Pirates, and that same setup could carry into the Kentucky game in Lexington in Week 2.
Kalen DeBoer and Ryan Grubb are not going to lean on a rotating two-QB system, but neither quarterback has a deep bank of meaningful game snaps, and both need to be ready if the job changes hands.
The less daring forecast is that Keelon Russell claims the QB1 role no later than the South Carolina game.
The only thin evidence backing the Mack-first guess comes from the early reps. Mack has been taking snaps from Racin Delgatty and handing off to Daniel Hill, while Russell has worked with Casey Poe and given the ball to AK Dear.
In Other News...
Alabamas RB Battle Is Getting Real As One Name Emerges
The running back picture in Tuscaloosa is starting to come into focus, and Daniel Hill appears to have moved to the front of the line. Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said the junior is currently viewed as the leading candidate to open the 2026 season as the primary back, a sign that the competition has begun to separate a little as the staff looks for the right fit.
Even so, this is far from a one-man race. Grubb pointed to sophomores AK Dear and Kevin Riley, along with freshmen EJ Crowell and TreShawn Brown, as viable options in a room that has both depth and versatility. Alabamas coaches are still weighing different combinations in hopes of finding a group that can help jump-start the running game, which keeps the battle very much alive even with Hill now carrying the early edge. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama May Already Be Seeing EJ Crowells Role Take Shape
EJ Crowells first Alabama fall camp has already offered a useful early glimpse at how the freshman running back might fit in. After dealing with a soft tissue injury in late March, Crowell was back out there on day one, and coaches Kalen DeBoer and Ryan Grubb saw enough to come away encouraged by what he brought to the field.
Crowell is still in the process of learning the college game, but the early signs around him are the kind Alabama can build on. The Crimson Tide have noted his physicality and his hands, and teammate Daniel Hill also praised the progress Crowell has made since the injury and through his summer work, which makes the coming weeks a key stretch in sorting out how his role could develop. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Defense Watching Two Returnees With Something To Prove
Alabamas defense has gotten a welcome boost in fall camp with Jeremiah Beaman and Jah-Marien Latham both back on the field and taking part fully after long injury recoveries. Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack has singled out Latham for the way hes attacked the grind of getting back to football fundamentals, while Beamans return has carried its own kind of weight as he works through the final stages of a comeback that tested his patience and persistence.
For a defense looking to build depth and reliability up front and at linebacker, having both veterans available again matters. Beaman and Latham are expected to play roles this season, and the early camp signs suggest they are not just healthy enough to practice, but intent on proving they can be part of the rotation once the games count. [Read more 🡒]