Who will be Alabama's starting QB this season?
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
Who will be Alabama's starting QB this season? appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Alabama football team hopes to return to the College Football Playoff in 2026. Alabama is making a big move as the season nears. The Crimson Tide are naming a starting quarterback.
“Alabama is expected to name sophomore Keelon Russell as its starting quarterback,” CBS Sports reported on X, formerly Twitter.
Russell comes in as a highly-touted player.
Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (free trial)
“(Russell) was a Class of 2025 blue-chip recruit. Ranked as the second-best overall recruit in that 2025 recruiting class,” college football reporter Matt Zenitz posted.
Russell wasn’t used much during the 2025 season in Tuscaloosa. He threw for 143 passing yards, with two touchdowns. The Crimson Tide made the CFP in 2025, before losing to Indiana.
Alabama football faces some big expectations from fans in 2026. Head coach Kalen DeBoer is under some pressure, after failing to make the national championship game during his first two seasons at the helm. ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith has even called for DeBoer’s firing.
The Crimson Tide will try to reach the CFP title game in 2026 with Russell. Russell ended up beating out a more experienced quarterback for the starting job.
“Russell, a sophomore, beat out senior Austin Mack for the starting role in a competition between players with a combined 50 career passing attempts. Mack has more experience in the offense, having played for DeBoer for one season at Washington and two at Alabama. But Russell, a five-star prospect in the 2025 recruiting cycle, has always been viewed as having the higher upside,” The Athletic reported on Saturday.
Alabama football kicks off their 2026 season with a game against East Carolina. That contest is scheduled for September 5. Time will tell if Russell will be able to hold on to the starting job.
Related: Texas Tech named ‘early school to watch’ for Thomas Castellanos
Related: Nick Saban gets completely real on being fired at Ohio State
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos