Alabama Crimson Tide redshirt freshman quarterback Keelon Russell has head coach Kalen DeBoer's future in his hands. Make it in Tuscaloosa, and Russell may well save DeBoer's tenure. Fail, and they both might be looking for a new home in 2027.
That's the sentiment CBS Sports' Cody Nagel shared as he ranked Russell as the No. 10 QB in the SEC for the upcoming 2026 season. Nagel suggested that Austin Mack has the lead, but Russell has the tools and the pressure to make DeBoer's run in West Central Alabama fruitful.
"The most important quarterback battle in college football heading into 2026 will unfold at Alabama. Fourth-year junior Austin Mack is fighting to hold off Russell, the former five-star and No. 2 quarterback in the 2025 class, in a decision that could shape not just the Crimson Tide's season but Kalen DeBoer's trajectory in Tuscaloosa. Russell brings the highest upside in the room after throwing for more than 10,000 yards and 127 total touchdowns while compiling a 42-2 record as a high school starter. The tools are obvious. But the pressure is, too," Nagel wrote.
Kalen DeBoer choosing Austin Mack over Keelon Russell would prove he's lost
As DeBoer, Ryan Grubb, and Bryan Ellis weigh this quarterback choice, they must consider that only one of the two gives the Tide fanbase the inkling of hope that Alabama can actually win a national championship. It's not the 3-star they brought from the Washington Huskies in the portal, via Folsom, California.
Russell brings unreal stats from Texas Division 6A High School Football: 4,177 yards and 55 touchdowns with only 4 interceptions during his senior season on a 70% completion rate. The ceiling is higher with Russell, but DeBoer may not be trusted to make the right choice here. He and Nick Sheridan certainly didn't make the right choice in 2024 when they kept Ty Simpson on the bench for a third straight year in favor of Jalen Milroe.
We'll see how things unfold at UAT this fall. You can already feel the flames from DeBoer's head coaching seat from here.
It feels like you can already sense failure is coming, too, like it has arrived every year since Nick Saban retired.