Archive · 22 Aug 2026
Keelon Russell Named Alabama’s Starting Quarterback for 2026
Alabama needed to choose its starting quarterback for the 2026 season.
Coach Kalen DeBoer picked Keelon Russell.
Russell competed with Austin Mack for the job during fall camp.
He was a highly rated high school player from Duncanville, Texas.
He won two state championships in high school.
He was also named the 2024 National Gatorade Player of the Year.
Russell played a small role for Alabama as a freshman in 2025.
Now he will lead Alabama’s offense when the team opens against East Carolina.
Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer named sophomore Keelon Russell the 2026 starting quarterback.
Russell won the fall-camp competition over Austin Mack two weeks before Alabama’s opener against East Carolina.
The former five-star prospect was the 2024 National Gatorade Player of the Year.
At Duncanville High School, Russell led teams to two Texas state titles and produced 10,037 passing yards.
Russell appeared in two games as a 2025 freshman, completing 11 of 15 passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns.
- Who
- Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer named sophomore Keelon Russell the starter ahead of Austin Mack.
- What
- Russell won Alabama’s starting quarterback job for the 2026 season.
- When
- The decision was announced two weeks before Alabama’s season opener against East Carolina.
- Where
- The quarterback competition took place at Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
- Why
- Russell showed enough during spring and fall camp to earn the job after limited freshman action.
- Team
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- Starting quarterback
- Keelon Russell
- Runner-up
- Austin Mack
- Opening opponent
- East Carolina
- High school
- Duncanville High School
- Recruiting status
- Five-star prospect and No. 2 overall player in the 2025 class, according to the article
- 2025 freshman statistics
- 11-of-15 passing for 143 yards and two touchdowns across two games