DeBoer says 1 Alabama quarterback is confident in offense, doesn’t have to overthink things

Alabama football’s quarterback battle is expected to continue through fall camp as Austin Mack and Keelon Russell continue to compete for the QB1 title.

Russell signed with Alabama during the 2025 recruiting cycle. Mack transferred to Alabama after signing with Washington and playing under Kalen DeBoer for a year.

Russell will enter his second season in DeBoer’s system in the fall, and Mack will be entering his fourth. This extra experience has Mack moving with more understanding of the system, per DeBoer.

“Austin has seen it,” DeBoer told AL.com’s Ben Flanagan. “He is confident in the offense, doesn’t have to overthink things because he’s been through it and seen it coached different ways with different guys both here and Washington.”

While Russell may not have the same amount of experience in the system as Mack, DeBoer likes how he has embraced the challenge of learning it.

“Keelon is a poised person; just because of who he is, doesn’t have as much time in the offense, but he has really dove in,” said DeBoer. “He got a taste of it last year in the spring and the fall. I’m really glad we pushed him into that situation. He is a guy who is always going to be ready for it. This spring, you can really see him process things clearly. That only gotten better as the spring when on.”

DeBoer expects both quarterbacks to show improvement in the fall.

“When you talk about big changes and improvements in the fall, I still expect that because their snap total, their familiarity, and then it also guys around them they’re getting comfortable with too,” DeBoer said. “It just continues to grow.”