East Carolina coach Blake Harrell isn’t pretending the opener at Alabama is anything other than a major challenge. He knows the Pirates are walking into Bryant-Denny Stadium on September 5 as a 28.5-point underdog on Caesars Sportsbook, and he’s already looking for any edge he can find - even if it comes from the kickoff time.
“11 a.m. [CT] in Tuscaloosa -- hopefully they won't be as juiced up as they would for a night game,” Harrell told SiriusXM College Sports Radio on Thursday.
That’s why East Carolina will stage a scrimmage Saturday at 11 a.m., trying to recreate the same early-start feel before heading into the season. Harrell is also tracking Alabama’s quarterback battle the way plenty of Tide fans are: by watching social media.
“All of their stuff pops up on my social media right now like I'm a fan,” Harrell said. “I'm keeping up with their starting quarterback more than I am ours, I guess.”
What he’s seeing is enough to keep him on alert. Alabama has been posting clips from fall camp, including positional work that features Austin Mack and Keelon Russell, and Harrell says both quarterbacks look the part.
“I see videos popping up of all of them throwing together, whether it's 10, 12 -- whoever,” Harrell said. “They all look like they can sling it. So I think regardless of what happens, we're gonna have our hands full.”
Kalen DeBoer said Thursday after Alabama’s second scrimmage that he’ll keep “work through it here this weekend” before settling on a starter for the opener. Harrell, whose own quarterback competition is between Mitch Griffis and Emory Williams, said he wouldn’t be surprised if Alabama uses both Mack and Russell in Game 1.
“I would imagine, just like you might see from us, I'd imagine we might see them both in Game 1,” Harrell said. “I think the quarterback position is so hard to simulate in practice.
You never get your ass kicked in practice. Nobody touches you.
They don't come near you. You don't get hit.
All the sudden you get in a game and you got a guy laying on top of you, you're gonna find out a little bit about that guy.
“I think every other position on your football team, you can simulate what a game is going to be about, what a game is going to look like. All those things. You can put them in tough situations, and you try that with your quarterback, whether it's mental stuff, guys hitting him with a pad or something, there ain't nothing like getting hit by a 300-pound defensive lineman and all the sudden you got to get back up the next play and throw it again.”
DeBoer has been complimentary of East Carolina for months. In June, he said the Pirates are “probably a more solid team than people realize,” and in July he pointed to the new coordinators and the program’s recent success, saying, “I know people probably haven't dove into what East Carolina is all about.
Couple new coordinators that have had a lot of success at different places. High-level success, statistically, especially.
Them coming into a program that won quite a few games -- won a bowl game, won the last two bowl games. ... We got to be ready.
We know they're going to come in motivated.”
East Carolina’s new offensive coordinator, Jordan Davis, held the same job at North Texas last season, and that offense led all FBS teams with 512 yards per game.
Harrell, who guided the Pirates to a 9-4 record and a bowl win over Pittsburgh last season, returned the praise for DeBoer and Alabama while keeping the focus on his own program.
“Alabama is a very good football team,” he said Thursday. “They've won a bunch of games.
Coach DeBoer has done a great job there. ... But at the same time, I think you've got to step back and make it about -- hey, how are we going to go about our business?
How are we going to go about our preparation, because not only will that help you play well, but it will help you down the road in preparing for football games.”
He closed with one more pointed reminder for the Crimson Tide.
“If you guys would have taken it easier on them Week 1 last year, maybe you wouldn't have caught their attention so much.”
In Other News...
Alabama's Quarterback Battle Comes With One Early Concern
Alabamas quarterback competition has reached the point where the staff can finally start narrowing the field, with Austin Mack and Keelon Russell headlining the discussion as the Crimson Tide move through fall camp toward the 2026 season. Coaches have taken a measured approach with both players, and that caution makes sense given the broader shape of the roster, where defensive coordinator Kane Wommack is also sorting through inside linebacker options as the season nears.
The real challenge for Alabama is not simply picking a winner, but feeling good about how ready that winner will be when the games begin. Mack and Russell both bring promise, yet each has far less game experience than what most SEC programs lean on at quarterback, which helps explain why the staff is being deliberate. The competition should sharpen after the final fall camp scrimmage, but the early concern is already clear: the Tide need more than upside, they need a quarterback who can handle the leagues speed with limited live reps. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Has A Few Late Camp Injury Situations To Watch
Alabamas second and final fall scrimmage brought the usual late-camp checkpoints, and the injury list was short but worth watching. Freshman running back EJ Crowell and sophomore wide receiver Lotzeir Brooks were both kept out of the work, a reminder that the Tide are still managing a few bodies as the opener approaches.
Kalen DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb both sounded encouraged afterward, saying Crowell and Brooks are expected back soon and should not be in danger of missing games. The one in-scrimmage setback came when junior college transfer Nick Sherman went down with a lower-body injury, giving Alabama at least one more condition to monitor as camp winds down. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Has A New Contender In Its Wide Receiver Battle
Alabamas wide receiver competition has settled into a familiar spring and summer storyline, with two spots already spoken for and one more still up for grabs. Ryan Coleman-Williams and Lotzeir Brooks are locked in as starters, while the third opening has been left unsettled by the injury to NC State transfer Noah Rogers, creating a lane for the younger receivers to make a move.
Derek Meadows has been the name climbing lately, with the sophomore drawing more snaps in recent scrimmages and earning praise from both coaches and teammates. Rico Scott has also put together a promising stretch in practice, giving Alabama more than one option to watch as the battle for that third receiver role continues to take shape. [Read more 🡒]