Austin Mack's future with the Alabama Crimson Tide is becoming more and more clear.
The Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback battle is one of the most intriguing storylines across the nation with the 2026 college football season inching closer and closer.
Alabama entered fall camp with Austin Mack and Keelon Russell duking it out for the starting job under center, and while Mack looked like the favorite at first, Russell seems to have closed the gap ... or even taken the lead.
Russell took the first snaps at quarterback on Thursday, marking the first time that happened throughout fall camp. Seems like Mack's seniority no longer matters.
A redshirt junior who relieved an injured Ty Simpson in the Rose Bowl last season and who has been with Kalen DeBoer since DeBoer's final year at Washington in 2023, Mack is certainly the more experienced player than Russell, the redshirt freshman.
It's not just that. Mack is also a former five-star recruit, just like Russell, so he is also talented enough to win a starting role.
Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Austin Mack. Credit: USA TODAY Network.But it now looks like DeBoer may be favoring the younger signal-caller, which will almost certainly result in Mack transferring out of the program.
Of course, there is always the chance that Russell starts the year at quarterback and disappoints early on, leaving the door open for Mack to swoop back in. But assuming Russell starts and produces, Mack's time in Tuscaloosa is almost certainly done.
Mack has just two years of eligibility — including 2026 — remaining, and given his tremendous talent level, it's truly a shame that he may never actually get the chance to actually display enough of it to have a legitimate chance of becoming a top NFL Draft pick.
The 6-foot-6, 235-pound Mack isn't the most athletic quarterback in the world, but he possesses fantastic arm strength and absolutely has NFL talent. But if he never gets the opportunity to start for a good program, will he actually get drafted?
There should be plenty of schools interested in Mack should he transfer out of Alabama after 2026, but it's probably more likely that he would get picked up by a mid-major school rather than a juggernaut program like Ohio State or Texas, for example.
Regardless, it's looking more and more likely that Mack's days with the Crimson Tide are coming to an end.
