Kalen DeBoer may be headed toward a quarterback call he’d rather avoid at Alabama.
He’s made his preference plain: one starter, no rotation, no weekly juggling act. DeBoer wants the job settled by the time the season kicks off, and he wants the same quarterback taking snaps from start to finish.
“And so, ideally, yeah, we want to have the same quarterback start to finish. I think just from a leadership standpoint, it's more comfortable that way. Guys know what to expect, both the quarterback and the guys around him.”
That’s the cleanest version of the plan. The problem is that the cleanest version may not be the best one for the Crimson Tide, especially early in the 2026 season.
DeBoer has said he’d rather make the decision sooner than later, though he also expects it to come a couple of weeks out. Monday, Aug. 24, looks like a likely date for an announcement, with Alabama’s second fall camp scrimmage coming a couple of days earlier.
For DeBoer and Ryan Grubb, the trait that matters most in the starter is poise. DeBoer put it this way: “ A guy that can move the ball up and down the field ... our quarterbacks do have the belief and trust amongst our entire team ... our team trusts that whoever steps on the football field and takes those snaps is going to be a guy -- and I think that's because they believe in both guys”
That trust matters, because the usual Nick Saban idea of letting the team choose the starter doesn’t fit here.
And there’s another wrinkle: Alabama may actually need both quarterbacks.
Austin Mack is a fourth-year player, but he has only appeared in five games and thrown 35 passes. Keelon Russell played in two games as a freshman. If Alabama wants both quarterbacks to get real work with the first-unit offense, early rotation starts to make sense even if DeBoer prefers stability.
It could also keep opposing defenses guessing. A two-quarterback setup would give Alabama more ways to use DeBoer’s RPO offense, especially with Russell at the controls. Both quarterbacks can create explosive plays through the air, but Russell brings the elusiveness to turn runs into big gains.
The downside is obvious: if Alabama is in a tight game and needs one quarterback to deliver a winning drive, rotation can leave you wondering who is truly ready. But with both Mack and Russell already having some game experience, Alabama could also find that both are prepared when the moment arrives.
In Other News...
Alabama Has A Young Safety Fans May Not Ignore Much Longer
Alabama enters the season with its starting safety spots already spoken for, as Bray Hubbard and Keon Sabb return to anchor the back end. Even so, the Tide have no shortage of intrigue at the position, and sophomore Ivan Taylor has been one of the names drawing attention through offseason work. With a defense that has room for depth to matter, Taylor is positioning himself as more than just a useful reserve.
Taylors path has been helped by the kind of opportunity young players need at a place like Alabama, and he has made enough of it to keep his name in the conversation heading into fall camp. Kane Wommack and Kalen DeBoer have shown they will rotate on merit, which gives Taylor a real opening if he keeps stacking strong practices. The question now is not whether he belongs in the mix, but how quickly he can turn that momentum into a role that sticks. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama May Already Be Leaning One Way In A Crucial Linebacker Battle
Alabamas defense is headed for a reset in 2026, and the linebacker room is one of the biggest pieces of that puzzle. Virginia Tech transfer Caleb Woodson is expected to step in as the Mike linebacker, giving the Tide a veteran anchor in the middle, while the spot next to him is shaping up as one of the more watched battles on the roster. Junior QB Reese has already done enough to put himself in the mix, with teammates and former players taking notice of the way he has developed.
Reese is not running away with the job, though, and that is what makes the competition worth following. Luke Metz is among the players pushing for that other starting role, and Alabama will spend the spring and summer trying to sort out who fits best beside Woodson. Reese has shown promise in previous seasons, and the buzz around him suggests he has a real chance to seize the opportunity, but the final call in that room still has some sorting out to do. [Read more 🡒]