Alabama Names Keelon Russell as Starting QB

TUSCALOSOA, Ala. - The Crimson Tide's quarterback battle has been decided, with head coach Kalen DeBoer, offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, and quarterbacks coach Bryan Ellis naming sophomore quarterback Keelon Russell as Alabama's 2026 starting quarterback, Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports announced on X.

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Russell, a 6-foot-3, 207-pound sophomore from Duncanville High School in Texas, won the starting job over senior quarterback Austin Mack. Russell appeared in two games for the Crimson Tide last season, completing 11/15 passes (73.3% completion) for 143 yards and two touchdowns with a 72.7 QBR. Russell also rushed three times for 17 yards in his two game appearances last season.

Russell is a former five-star signee in the Crimson Tide's 2025 recruiting class, competing in last year's quarterback battle against Ty Simpson and Austin Mack. Russell served as the third-string quarterback last season.

As a senior at Duncalville in 2024, Russell completed 69.4% of his passes for 4,177 yards and 55 touchdowns to just 4 interceptions, and also carried the ball 33 times for 321 yards and three touchdowns.

Quarterbacks coach Bryan Ellis told Yea Alabama, the Crimson Tide's NIL collective, after the announcement, "Keelon is gonna be the starting quarterback here because he's a playmaker. He's the guy that we know when the ball is in his hands, a lot of good shit can happen."

Alabama will return to the practice field on Sunday, August 23, for the 14th practice of fall camp 2026. Alabama is scheduled to open the 2026 season at home against East Carolina on Saturday, September 5. Kickoff is scheduled for 11:00 a.m.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.