"You Need to Have…": Former Nick Saban QB Issues Clear Ultimatum as Kalen DeBoer Opens Up on Major Dilemma

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Kalen DeBoer faces a major QB dilemma before the 2026 season. He has dealt with quarterback battles like this before, including at Washington, where the competition stretched into camp. Now, Keelon Russell and Austin Mack both gave Alabama reasons to keep the competition open. Russell threw four touchdowns in A-Day, while Mack was limited after getting dinged up, so the game showed promise but not a final answer. According to a former QB who played under Nick Saban, the decision should come sooner rather than later.

“Truthfully, hopefully before the first game, but if you’ve got to go through the first game to see both of them under the lights, I think you need to have an established starter going into the second week (versus Kentucky) just because you’re at Kentucky,” Alabama’s former QB AJ McCarron said on The Dynasty podcast.

“You don’t really know Kentucky’s turnover; you don’t know 100 percent what you’re going to get from them. I think you need to be established and rolling. So you play well, and you especially hit the ground running versus Florida State because you’re going through a tough stretch: Florida State, South Carolina, Mississippi State, and Georgia. I mean, you have a run that’s coming up.”

Well, as per McCarron, Alabama should name its starting QB as soon as possible, and especially before Kentucky’s game. As this game is on the road, the starting QB needs to adjust to the offence till then. On top of it, later they will face a tough stretch against Florida State, South Carolina, Mississippi State, and Georgia, and if Alabama really wants a spot in the playoffs, it has to win every single game.

As a two-time champion, McCarron speaks from experience. Alabama can live with an early look, but not with a long delay on QB1. So, it’s all a new battle for the team.

McCarron isn’t demanding DeBoer match Saban’s timeline, as Saban sometimes waited until the first game. Under Saban, Alabama sometimes waited until the first game or shortly before the season when competition was close. But one thing rarely changed. Before Alabama entered the toughest part of its schedule, everyone knew who the starting quarterback was.

Saban made sure the team had one clear leader on offence before the biggest games arrived. As of spring, neither Russell nor Mack has separated; DeBoer plans to extend the competition into fall camp.

“I’ve been asked so much about the quarterback battle, and I’ve actually gone back and kind of counted, and you can argue like, ‘Okay, that was really a battle.’ I think we’ve had at least nine to ten where it was truly, you know, ‘Hey, it’s this guy or this guy,'” DeBoer said on the Cube Show. “And then we’ve had a couple that were three-man battles too, you know, where they were getting reps to some extent into fall camp, where they all could kind of show what they were going to do.”

Apart from that, for Kalen DeBoer, a QB must become a leader first and earn teammates’ respect and trust. DeBoer has always valued a quarterback who earns the room’s trust, and he saw that trait in Michael Penix Jr. at Washington. And that’s exactly what he is looking at: Austin Mack and Keelon Russell.

“I have ways of kind of understanding and knowing, and I know that this team respects who these guys are; they appreciate them; they believe in them; and I love the way that those two guys can go about their business in taking care of what they need to do,” DeBoer said.

Waiting for the perfect QB, however, risks creating problems. However, Alabama is not the only team that’s facing a QB dilemma.

Florida faces a similar QB dilemma as Alabama

College football writer Brad Crawford of CBS Sports believes Florida faces one of the country’s toughest schedules. The Gators must play several powerful SEC teams, including Texas, Georgia, LSU, and Alabama. These programs are currently stronger and more successful, so Florida still has a lot of work to do to reach their level.

Crawford also pointed out that Florida’s biggest concern lies at quarterback. Redshirt sophomore transfer Aaron Philo has a small advantage because he already knows offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner’s playbook. However, redshirt freshman Tramell Jones Jr. continues to compete strongly. So, just like Kalen DeBoer, even Jon Sumrall is standing in a tough spot.

By the time Alabama reaches Kentucky, the job needs to be settled because this year is a crucial one for both Florida and Alabama.

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