Transfer portal: With Ty Simpson off to NFL Draft, Austin Mack and Keelon Russell will return to Alabama in 2026

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Alabama is bringing back both Austin Mack and Keelon Russell in 2026.

The school’s NILcollective announced Friday that the two had signed deals to stay at the school. Mack was Ty Simpson’s backup in 2025, while Russell was a five-star recruit in the class of 2025.

Their return to Alabama in 2026 likely takes the Tide out of the running for a transfer portal quarterback as the two competed with Simpson for the starting job ahead of the 2025 season before Simpson was announced as Alabama’s Week 1 starter. He held the job for the entire season and declared for the 2026 NFL Draft earlier in the week. Simpson was 305-of-473 passing for 3,567 yards and 28 TDs with 5 interceptions across 15 games in 2025.

Simpson was forced to leave Alabama’s 38-3 Rose Bowl loss in the second half with an undisclosed injury. Mack replaced him and was 11-of-16 passing for 103 yards.

Mack followed Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer from Washington after the 2023 season. He backed up Michael Penix Jr. as the Huskies made the national title game and then was on the Alabama roster behind Jalen Milroe and Simpson in 2024. He’ll be a redshirt junior in 2026.

Russell will be a redshirt freshman after appearing in two games across the 2025 season. The Texas native was the No. 2 quarterback recruit in the country behind Michigan’s Bryce Underwood out of high school and was also the No. 2 overall player in his class. Mack was a four-star recruit in the class of 2023 and the No. 16 quarterback in the country.

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