Alabama’s quarterback room is loaded enough that the debate isn’t really about talent. It’s about who wins the job.
Redshirt freshman Keelon Russell has been the name most often linked to the 2026 starting role, but redshirt junior Austin Mack is still firmly in the mix and is set to battle Russell through fall camp. However that shakes out, Kalen DeBoer has two quarterbacks who look more than capable of handling the spotlight, and Russell is already drawing dark-horse Heisman Trophy buzz.
That’s why CBS Sports leaving Alabama out of its Top 10 quarterback rooms this week raised plenty of eyebrows. Blake Brockermeyer put together his list, and the Crimson Tide didn’t make the cut at all.
The rankings went like this: Oregon, Texas, Utah, Ole Miss, Ohio State, LSU, USC, Miami, Houston and Notre Dame.
There’s a strong case Alabama should have been in that group, and maybe even sitting at No. 1.
Mack arrived as a 4-star recruit and a Top 100 overall player. Russell came in as a 5-star and the No. 2 overall player in his class.
And the depth doesn’t stop there, with 5-star true freshman Jett Thomalla adding another layer of high-end talent that most programs simply can’t match.
Brockermeyer didn’t explain the omission, but the logic seems tied to proven production at the top of the depth chart. That’s fair if the discussion is about the most established starter. It’s a different conversation, though, when the question is which quarterback room has the best overall talent.
Utah’s Devon Dampier may be the more proven option than either Mack or Russell right now. But saying Utah has a better quarterback room top to bottom than Alabama is a much harder sell.
And the real punchline here is that this list could look very different once the season plays out. If Russell or Mack turns into one of the nation’s elite quarterbacks, the ranking will age fast. The loser of the battle would still profile as one of the best backups in the country, and Thomalla gives Alabama a third-string option with rare star power.
There are questions around Alabama heading into 2026, but quarterback isn’t one of them. DeBoer has the kind of room that can carry a team, and CBS Sports just took a pass on it.
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For a program trying to reclaim its edge, Boulware is more than a nostalgic reference point. He is still the measuring stick for what a difference-making defender looks like at Florida State, especially when the discussion turns to players who can change the tone of a season. That is why his name keeps coming back whenever the Seminoles are looking for the next defensive leader to emerge, and why the comparison carries so much weight even now. [Read more 🡒]