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.
In Other News...
Dolphins May Finally Have A True WR1 Path In 2027
Miamis wide receiver room has taken a real hit since Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle moved on, and the long-term answer at the position is still very much a work in progress. For a team that has leaned on speed and separation for so long, the idea of finally landing a true No. 1 receiver in 2027 is starting to look less like wishful thinking and more like a plan worth tracking.
The free-agent market that year could offer the Dolphins a chance to reset the room with a proven centerpiece, especially if the right names actually make it to market. Puka Nacua, George Pickens, Chris Olave and Michael Wilson are all on the radar as potential options, but each comes with its own set of variables that could shape whether Miami can realistically make a run at one of them. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Already Have An Early QB Problem They Cannot Ignore
Quarterback uncertainty is already part of the conversation in Miami, where Malik Willis has been mentioned as one of the more vulnerable starters heading into 2026. The appeal is easy to see from a roster-building standpoint, but the concerns are just as obvious: Willis still has very little NFL experience, and the Dolphins also have Quinn Ewers sitting there as a younger alternative if the season starts to tilt the wrong way.
Arizonas situation is similar in shape, even if the names are different, which is why these kinds of offseason rankings tend to linger. Jacoby Brissett has long been viewed as a steady hand, but after starting 12 games in 2025 and finishing with a 1-11 record, the margin for patience can shrink quickly. For Miami, the bigger question is whether Willis gets a real runway or becomes the next quarterback whose leash is shorter than the team would prefer. [Read more 🡒]
Former Cowboys Ballhawk Suddenly Floated As Cheap Reunion Bet Elsewhere
As Miami keeps chipping away at its roster rebuild, cornerback remains one of the spots worth watching. The Dolphins have been linked in speculation to a familiar name in the secondary, a player with enough past ball production to make him intriguing if the price is right, and enough uncertainty to keep the discussion in the bargain-bin range rather than the splashy one.
Moe Motons note on the possibility fits the kind of low-risk, high-upside thinking that often follows a team trying to patch depth without tying up much cap space. For Miami, the appeal is obvious: a veteran who could come in on a short prove-it deal and push for a role in the cornerback rotation, but the report stops short of saying whether the Dolphins are actually moving in that direction. [Read more 🡒]