Alabama

Marshall Pritchett’s Alabama QB comments point to the choice Kalen DeBoer must make

Published

1 month ago

August 9, 2026

Marshall Pritchett’s Alabama QB comments point to the choice Kalen DeBoer must make

Kalen DeBoer doesn’t have an easy choice to make this fall as he decides between Austin Mack and Keelon Russell to take the reins at quarterback for Alabama.

Mack has a significant edge in experience, heading into his fourth season in DeBoer’s offensive system. Russell is entering year two, but he’s an unbelievable talent. That was on full display during garbage time last year, and again during the A-Day scrimmage in the spring.

There is confidence among the players and coaching staff that whoever wins the job will be able to provide high-level play at the position. Marshall Pritchett probably put it best at fan and media day on Saturday.

While he had praise for both quarterbacks, it was his comments on Russell that make it hard to envision the star sophomore not being the starter.

On Mack, Pritchett said, via AL.com’s Nick Kelly:

“Austin’s an incredibly knowledgeable quarterback … He’s a true prototype NFL quarterback. He’s a huge kid. … He’s very straightforward. You get the call, you line up, and Austin is going to deliver. He is a very smart quarterback. Very dependable.”

On Russell, Pritchett called him “dynamite in a bottle” (also via Nick Kelly):

“The guy’s an incredible athlete. Incredible football thrower. It’s so hard to explain his game if you haven’t kind of seen it fully in person every day like we do. He just makes throws, and it’s like, you rewind the film, you’re like, there’s no way he just did that. How did he just do that? That’s the only way to explain Keelon. The guy’s dynamite.”

Alabama needs Keelon Russell’s upside to reach its ceiling in 2026

Mack is a good player. Alabama can win games with Mack this season. But Russell is a special talent. There may be some growing pains with him, but for an Alabama offense that has some legitimate question marks, the upside that comes with the former 5-star recruit might be difficult for DeBoer to ignore.

The best version of Alabama in 2026 is with Russell at QB. He’s the dynamic, ceiling-raiser quarterback who can put the Crimson Tide’s offense on his back and make it a truly elite unit.

It’s impossible to ignore the statements Pritchett made. He described it as “hard to explain,” and called him “dynamite in a bottle.”

Another recent comment from Ryan Grubb stood out. When asked what the quarterbacks had improved upon most since the spring, Grubb said the following about Russell:

“The summer, I’d say Keelon did a better job taking care of the football in the summer than he did the spring.”

That’s the biggest question mark with a young quarterback. Can he avoid the back-breaking plays? We know that Russell will make plenty of eye-popping plays, the ones like Pritchett described. But what isn’t known about Russell is how he’ll respond when he makes a bad play. How does he respond when he gets hit? Those are all questions that aren’t answerable until he’s been exposed to them in a real game setting.

But it’s a worthwhile gamble. Alabama may have a higher floor with Mack, but there’s little question that the ceiling is higher with Russell leading the way. He’s a dynamic dual-threat QB who could be the cure to the Tide’s biggest offensive ailment from a season ago: the inability to run the football.

DeBoer and Grubb aren’t in a particular hurry to name a starter. They’d like to do it before the first game. Alabama has scrimmages on the 13th and 20th this month that will go a long way in determining the outcome of the competition.

But the closer we get to the season and the more intel that gets released, the more difficult it is to ignore the significant upside that Russell would bring to the Tide’s offense.

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Alabama

Former Alabama quarterback tells Ryan Coleman-Williams to ‘put some f****ing gloves on’

Published

3 hours ago

September 11, 2026

Press Room

Former Alabama quarterback tells Ryan Coleman-Williams to ‘put some f****ing gloves on’

Alabama football’s star wide receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams dropped two passes early against East Carolina, but he rebounded quickly in the game and finished the matchup with 130 yards on five receptions. Before the game, Coleman-Williams told media members he would not wear gloves during the 2026 season. This move was something former Alabama quarterback and […]

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Alabama

Alabama defensive back ruled ‘out’ for Kentucky game

Published

13 hours ago

September 11, 2026

Press Room

Alabama defensive back ruled ‘out’ for Kentucky game

Alabama football will be without freshman defensive back Zyan Gibson for the Kentucky game.

He was listed as “out” on the SEC availability report released Thursday night.

Gibson saw action in the East Carolina game, his first. He’s a freshman defensive back from Gadsden who is a reserve at the cornerback spot.

Alabama is set to have its top cornerbacks available in Zabien Brown, Dijon Lee and Carmelo O’Neal all available for the game. So Alabama is thinner at cornerback from a depth perspective, but the Crimson Tide still has a deep defensive back room at safety and Husky, the nickel defender.

The rest of the availability report did not change. Starting guard Michael Carroll remains doubtful. Running back AK Dear and defensive back Jireh Edwards are questionable.

Both Dear and Edwards are looking to soon make their season debuts after sustaining injuries during preseason camp.

If Carroll can’t go, Alabama might look to move either Will Sanders or Mal Waldrep over to right guard. Both saw significant snaps at left guard in the season opener.

Other Alabama players who are listed out: receiver Noah Rogers, cornerback Jorden Edmonds, linebacker Cayden Jones, defensive back Nick Sherman and defensive lineman Jeremiah Beaman (out for the year).

No. 12 Alabama (1-0) will face Kentucky (1-0) on Saturday (2:30 p.m. CT, ABC) at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky.

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Alabama

Three reasons Will Stein and the Kentucky Wildcats will upset #12 Alabama

Published

23 hours ago

September 10, 2026

Press Room

Three reasons Will Stein and the Kentucky Wildcats will upset #12 Alabama

One of the biggest games in Kentucky football history is coming up on Saturday as Will Stein and the Wildcats will be welcoming the Alabama Crimson Tide to town. While Nick Saban is gone, the Crimson Tide are still ranked as the #12 team in college football.

If the Wildcats are able to pull off the upset over Alabama, the entire city of Lexington would erupt. Fans would fully be bought into Kentucky becoming an elite football program under Stein.

Alabama is a really good football team, and the Wildcats will need some things to go right for this team to take down Kalen DeBoer and the Crimson Tide.

Let’s take a look at three reasons why Stein and the Wildcats will pull off the upset over Alabama.

Three reasons Kentucky will upset #12 Alabama in Kroger Field

Keelon Russell struggles in his first road start

Sep 5, 2026; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Keelon Russell (12) calls for the snap during a game against the East Carolina Pirates at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Leong-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Alabama has a very good young quarterback in Keelon Russell, but Saturday will be his first road start. Big Blue Nation feels that the road atmosphere could create problems for the young dual-threat QB. If Russell struggles to settle in on the road, the Wildcats very well could pull off the upset. If Russell is lights out, the Crimson Tide will leave with the win. Kentucky’s defense needs to keep Russell in the pocket to make him beat the Wildcats with his arm.

Kentucky’s offensive line plays at an elite level

University of Kentucky offensive lineman Coleton Price, left and Lance Heard speak to members of the media during Kentucky football media day at Kroger Field before the start of fall camp in Lexington, Ky., on Aug. 3, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Kentucky’s revamped Big Blue Wall looked excellent on Saturday against Youngstown State, and if Kentucky is going to pull off the upset, it will need to repeat this on Saturday. Obviously, the difference between the defensive front of YSU and Alabama is quite different, so we will learn a lot about Kentucky’s O-Line on Saturday. Malachi Wood will also return to play right tackle for the Wildcats in this game.

Kentucky wins the turnover battle/Creates explosive plays

Sep 5, 2026; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats quarterback Kenny Minchey (3) looks to pass during the first quarter against the Youngstown State Penguins at Kroger Field. Mandatory Credit: Arden Barnes-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

To pull off an upset of this caliber, a team needs to win the turnover battle and create some explosive plays on offense. A big interception or fumble recovery for the Wildcats could go a long way on Saturday. On offense, I’d love to see five or more plays of 30+ yards. If the Wildcats do this plus win the turnover battle, they will have a really good shot to pull off the upset on Saturday.

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