Alabama HC Kalen DeBoer Must Avoid Ridiculous QB Experiment

The Alabama Crimson Tide have quite a quarterback conundrum heading into fall camp, leaving Kalen DeBoer with a difficult decision to make.

Will DeBoer choose five-star redshirt freshman Keelon Russell, who seems to be the preferred choice in most fan circles?

Or will DeBoer roll with the 6-foot-6, 235-pound Austin Mack, a redshirt junior who has been with DeBoer ever since his final season at Washington?

It will be a tough pick, but one thing is for sure: DeBoer won't be getting caught up in any nonsense ... like employing a dual-quarterback system.

DeBoer was recently asked if he would play both signal-callers in 2026, and he made his thoughts on the suggestion pretty clear.

“Ideally, yeah, we want to have the same quarterback start to finish,” DeBoer said at SEC Media Days. “I think, from a leadership standpoint, it’s more comfortable that way. Guys know what to expect, both the quarterback and the guys around him. You know, but we’ll see. We’ll see what happens as we go through both fall camp and the season.”

I mean, that's obviously the way to go.

I understand the fanatical thought process behind wanting both quarterbacks to play. That would keep everyone happy, right?

Well, not necessarily.

It would make things incredibly complicated for the offense, especially given how different Russell and Mack actually are.

Yes, it could keep the defense off-balance, but it could do the same for your offensive line, your running backs and your receivers.

DeBoer will have to make a choice, and at this point, it isn't clear which avenue he will pursue.

Some have compared this situation to the Ohio State quarterback "battle" last year, where Julian Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz competed for the starting job. But just about everyone viewed Sayin as the heavy favorite and likely starter.

Things aren't quite as cut and dry when it comes to Russell and Mack.

But it seems fairly obvious that DeBoer will absolutely not be using both quarterbacks unless there is an injury or one underperforms.

The idea of alternating back and forth between quarterbacks in the middle of a game just for the sake of it is not a wise move, and it's something DeBoer should avoid at all costs.

All that will do is confuse the team and hinder the development of both signal-callers.