“Kalen DeBoer sets record straight on time table when it comes to announcing winner of Alabama’s QB battle”

Picking who’s rightfully next to turnover the controls to your offense is a lot like selecting the captain for a navy sailboat. You need someone who can keep the crew in sync while navigating rough waters, and making spilt-second decisions when the wind shifts. That’s why this spring, Kalen DeBoer is in no rush to hoist his flag when it comes to naming Alabama football’s next starting quarterback. 

DeBoer finds himself taking his time on this particular decision, than when he inherited former Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe as a starter in 2024 and named Ty Simpson as QB1 in 2025. In 2026, this choice feels a bit more personal as he aims to properly gather all information when it comes to deciding between Austin Mack and Keelon Russell. 

This outcome will be the first time DeBoer officially signs off on a starter that he originally recruited out of high school during his tenure as Alabama’s head coach, having handpicked both Mack and Russell from the outset of their careers. This is why DeBoer knows he and Tide offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb both know they can’t rush this process. 

Kalen DeBoer lays out timeline for Alabama football’s anticipated QB Battle

“We’ve got to choose the best one when we really know,” DeBoer said on Josh Pate’s College Football Show. “I think that’s going to be something that drags on to the fall. We’ll see. We declared Ty the starter a little bit earlier than I would’ve anticipated a year ago. “We’re always talking about it, as well, and each practice, making sure we’re communicating as a coaching staff. I really credit Coach Grubb, Bryan Ellis is now coaching the quarterbacks and give props to former quarterbacks coach Nick Sheridan, how that room operates. It was with Ty last year and now it’s without him.” 

At 6-foot-6 and 235 pounds, Mack brings the most experience to the table, entering his fourth season in DeBoer’s system, having completed 26-of-33 career passes for 267 yards and three touchdowns. Russell brings a wealth of tremendous upside in just his second year under DeBoer after becoming Alabama’s highest-rated recruit in program history, throwing for 143 passing yards on 11-of-15 career attempts for two scores in 2025 as a redshirt freshman. 

Despite vying for the same position, Mack and Russell have nothing short of supportive of one another in this head-to-head competition. This kind of brotherhood dynamic is something DeBoer finds unique and in some ways special when evaluating them both this spring. 

“But Keelon and Austin, and the respect – really, the way they appear to care for one another, and I think it’s pretty genuine. They’ve got me fooled if it’s not, in a big way. They lead – not together, because they’re different. But they really are leading this team, and when they’re out there, both sides of the ball really appreciate how they’ve approached it: team first. But they are also doing their part to lead this football team.”

As spring practice winds down, the takeaway is clear: DeBoer isn’t setting an artificial deadline for his choice. This decision, which carries significant weight, is unfolding on its own timeline. The evaluation of Mack and Russell will continue through each rep, each drill, and into the summer, with no rush to crown a starter before the fall. For Alabama fans and nation media, that means patience is key — the next signal-caller won’t just be announced; he will earn the role the hard way, under the careful eye of a coach determined to get it right.